LG 2011 front loader washing machine buttons don't work: repair (Model wm2140cw)

Removable top
This 2011 washing machine has served us well thru one child's worth of cloth diapers. But while it still cleans, the front panel buttons have gotten somewhat less responsive (in particular the "play/pause" button which we use every single time, natch).

After I got the top off the hard part started
Unfortunately the front panel is somewhat time consuming to remove. You need to remove the top of the washer. To do this, you need to remove two screws from the back of the washer. These attach a pair of plastic standoffs to the top and body of the washer. You can leave the standoffs attached to the top. Then just push the top back, it should slide fairly freely. Then you can lift it off.

Now, getting the front panel off. This part was the tricky bit. Two screws from the front under the detergent door (green circles), and one from the back (red circle). But there are these three tabs (red circles) that also hold it on, which make the screws kind of unnecessary. I'm still unsure what exactly I did to make it all give way. MAYBE some upward prying, maybe some prying on the tabs themselves (one broke). Maybe it just had pity on me after I cut myself (or, could it be that blood sacrifice is required?).
Once you get here it's easy

Actually I'm sure it wasn't so bad. Just very annoying and at least 10 minutes of futzing. Now the rest is pretty obvious and in no time I'm looking and the circuit board.

The buttons are fairly standard; on ebay I found them under the title Tact Switch Push Button 6*6*5 6mm*6mm*5mm 2pin Through Hole SPST-NO.

Of course I didn't know that's what I was going to need ahead of time so rather than wait for them to be delivered from china I did my favorite repair "hack" and stole a less used button from the same panel (the signal volume) and swapped them (soldering iron required, of course). I actually swapped several, since the temp control button was also getting a little iffy.

For reassembly, I skipped the internal screw that hend the panel down. Seems secure enough without it, and it appears that I could  get the thing apart now without taking the top off.


Circuit board: what I actually wanted to work on


All the buttons seem to be pretty nicely attached to this removable plastic bit screwed to the panel. I didn't lose a single one. I didn't even try that hard. 



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