WashbearyPi Episode 3: Now washing! A washing machine controlled by a Raspberry Pi.

Finally, it is done: All original control electronics was removed from a washing machine and a Raspberry Pi has taken over control via a self-built interface board. The control program running on the Pi is rather preliminary (no graphical user interface yet, just a command line, and the wash program is semi-automatic only, requiring user input a few times), but: it is washing now! In this video, a test run is presented.
[Btw, typo in the log messages: should be rather 2.000 ms than 2000 ms]

[@ITpanda]

We have a Maytag washer that had the control board go out just after the warranty period ended. Sadly the cost of a new board cost ½ the cost of a new washer at the time. I'll probably be referencing your and others journey on similar projects. Thanx for sharing.

[@GigaZiv]

Very nice! Well done

[@thatguyalex2835]

You are very knowledgeable in this RPM ramp up stuff. Hopefully we have Raspberry Pi appliances in the near future. By the way, to dry clothes most efficiently, it is best to keep 1400 RPM for 5 minutes. :) That is what my LG does.

[@askdralex3487]

To be very precise, the spin cycle that I show in the video is just the first intermediate spinning. Typically, a wash program is structured as follows:
- Cleaning with warm water and wash powder
- Intermediate spin #1
- Flushing with cold water
- Intermediate spin #2
- Flushing with cold water
- Final spin (longer, few minutes at high RPM)
The video ends after the second step. I did not include the other 4 steps, since they would have been a (rather boring) repetition, and the video is long enough anyway. But if you design your own wash program, be sure to include all steps :-)

[@thatguyalex2835]

I understand. Most washers do the exact steps that you describe (wash, intermediate spin 1, rinse, intermediate spin 2, rinse, final spin). For me, I sadly don't own a Raspberry Pi, nor have the technical skills to install one in a washing machine, plus my machine is 0.5 years old, so is new. But I always follow the tech trends by watching videos on the Raspberry Pi, as it is impressive that a 40 dollar computer could do so much. Hopefully, all appliances use the Pi as their processor, instead of proprietary stuff. If the Pi fails, one could always purchase a new one, and flash your wash software onto it, in an ideal future world. :) Imagine integrating the phone and installing new wash programs, or customizing a temperature (eg. 25°C, or 77°F wash), with a 1750 RPM spin. But hey, that would burn out the motor. Would be fun to see though. Cos, I'm a young man who finds that stuff funny.

[@jacob6666666]

Im sorry this video is so underrated :(

[@bigun89]

YES!

[@ryanfilbert3932]

Hello. I am really interest with this project, do u have any contact? So I cam contact you and ask more about this.

[@askdralex3487]

Hi! For more information, you can first have a look at the corresponding thread in the RaspberryPi forum: forums.raspberrypi.com/viewtopic.php?t=259963
Unfortunately, this thread got closed due to inactivity. However, I could ask the administrators to re-open it, such that we can discuss there - provided that you get registered on the RaspberryPi forum.