Ask Slashdot: Any Dishwasher Hackers Out There?

New submitter writes: I just replaced my dishwasher with a basic, inexpensive Sears model. It works fine, but only has 3 different wash cycles. I'm betting that the code to manage more cycles (as in more-expensive models) is already in the microcontroller and just needs inputs to select it. Is there any information available on this? Beyond dishwashers, have you done any useful hacks to household appliances more generally? I'd probably support a Kickstarter project that adds nice wireless notifications to my oven, clothes washer, and dishwasher.

Comments

Won't work

[Anonymous Coward]

Different firmware is loaded into each controller. Not to mention the cheaper models probably won't have the hardware to run the omitted cycles properly.

Re:Won't work

[ickleberry]

Thats what the ominous 'they' want you to think but corporate megacorps have been known to intentionally cripple hardware in the past. All I want to say to our would-be dishwasher hacker is try not to draw the attention of the dishwasher manufacturers, or before you know it they'll be finding a way to put DRM on dishwashers.

Re:Won't work

[EvilSS]

back porting xbox 360 games to xbone?

Uh, no. They built a software emulator, the hardware is extremely different and there is not a hidden 360 CPU in the XBone.

Re:Won't work

[ArchieBunker]

Rigol oscilloscopes. One minor software change and now your 50Mhz scope now magically works at 100Mhz.

Re:Won't work

[spire3661]

Flashing GPUs with a higher end firmware. Unlocking cores in AMD CPUs......jailbreaking often unlocks hardware that is dormant, like bluetooth on Apple TV gen2 and Nook color tablets. These are just things I have done personally....

Re:Won't work

[Travis Mansbridge]

Check out a documentary called "The Lightbulb Conspiracy" on planned obsolescence. They find a Canon or Epson printer with a chip inside that counts the number of prints made, and after some arbitrary number will throw an unrecoverable error essentially telling you it's time to buy a new printer. By the end of the movie, they've reset the chip without any hardware modifications and the printer continues printing just fine.

Re:Won't work

[slacktide]

Pretty much every single modern jet engine installed on current build airliners works this way. The hardware is the same, but the thrust limit is controlled by either the software version loaded in the EEC, or an "identification plug" which plugs into the EEC and acts as a switch to tell it which software limits to use. For example, the CFM56-7B which powers current production Boeing 737NGs is available in thrust ranging from 19,500 lbs to 27,300 lbs. The hardware is the same. The ID plug and the price is what makes them different. Pictures of the rating plug and how it works on a 737 here: http://nandang-smart.blogspot.... http://www.sjap.nl/cfm56-7-hyb...

Re:Won't work

[Rob Lister]

That 'unrecoverable' error is telling you the waste ink system is saturated. Sure, you can reset the error if you know the trick. About a hundred or so power cycles later you'll discover that ink is leaking out of your printer and onto your [once] nice desk. They didn't do this to dick you, it is an engineering compromise. They could build in a replaceable waste ink system (as they do in higher end printers) but doing so would put the printer beyond the price point.

Printer companies want you to keep your printer as long as possible. They are not in the printer selling business; they sell their printers at cost or at a loss. They are in the ink selling business. Which printer you buy it for really makes no difference to them.

Re:Won't work

[rew]

Of course there is a waste ink part that needs emptying.
So: "Waste ink receptacle full" is a reasonable error message. Designing it in such a way that it is (with some trouble) exchangeable should be quite possible without increasing cost.

But "having" that counter, the incentive is for the manufacturer to take big margins on when to call it "full".

Not needed

[BarbaraHudson]

If you need more than three different cycles, you're doing it wrong. Try not leaving cruddy dishes accumulate for so long (or do them by hand in the first place).

TSP

[mpoulton]

Adding a few spoonfuls of trisodium phosphate to your dishwasher is hack #1. Most consumer-grade detergents these days no longer contain phosphates, since they act as fertilizers and promote algae growth when everyone disposes of large quantities in wastewater. Unfortunately, the missing phosphates have not been replaced with anything as effective at cleaning your dishes. Trisodium phosphate (TSP) is sold in powdered form in the paint section of hardware stores, because it is used for surface preparation. It's cheap. Don't get the "TSP Substitute" - it's not effective, just like the weak new detergents these days. Toss a couple teaspoons of real TSP in with your detergent for truly clean dishes, if you're not too concerned about the plague of algae growth. It works extremely well.

Re:TSP

[ColdWetDog]

TSP is for wimps. Muriatic acid is where it's at. Cleans up everything in one jiffy. Plates, pets, your relatives that won't leave.

Re:Try using alcohol

[sunderland56]

Ethanol is an effective solvent for a wide range of materials.

I've tried consuming various quantities of ethanol before washing dishes. In my experience it doesn't help at all.

The regulations have destryed Dishwashers

[xtronics]

The reason they suck is they now have very weak motors - to change that out is not an easy modification. One can change the computer to use enough water.

People are washing on the long cycles and multiple times - using a lot of water in the sink rinsing so they will get clean - the regs are not doing what they think.

I wish I could have the Maytag I bought in 1986 - it worked really well.

They have destroyed Dishwashers, Washing machines, water-heaters, shower heads (they did improve conditioners. )

I just want the government to stay the F*** out of my life.

if you're making such a request

[iggymanz]

You could post the model of dishwasher. Or better, use the online repair manuals to expose the controller and read & report what model SOC it uses and what support chips. c'mon!

Re: Try using alcohol

[binarylarry]

I had the same problem, so I switched to isopropyl alcohol.

WORKS GRATE

NFC tags instead of wireless, easier, more useful

[RJFerret]

Near field communication tags, instead of wireless, since all these things listed complete based on time, I just set the tag to start a timer on my device. When it's done, ding!

Boil a pot of water for cooking? 8 minutes. Preheat the oven? Ditto. Cycle of laundry (both drier and washer complete and ready for unloading), 50 minutes.

The other benefit of this method is being able to see how much is remaining for planning, rather than waiting for a wireless update to know what's going on, and lacking info in the meantime.

NFC tags are also useful for other stuff, "nap" tag stuck to the side of my bed turns off certain phone sounds, sets a 25 min. timer and disables auto-rotation of the screen.

NFC tag on dash the car, disables wireless, enables dashcam (and/or nav software), enables autorotation of the screen.

The NFC stickers cost pennies per, so you end up buying at least a dozen and putting them to various uses.