[ncmncm]

Whirlpool refrigerators are designed so that the light inside fails after a year, requiring replacing a >$100 power controller board. If you let your thing connect to the internet, it will be able to dispense with actually burning out a part, and can just stop working under program control.

[no-s]

>Whirlpool refrigerators are designed so that the light inside fails after a year, requiring replacing a >$100 power controller board.

I’ve run into several microwave controllers with a similar misfeature. All used the same controller board despite being different makes and models. The part that controlled the light was a plug-in board on the controller and a short in the light socket could blow a diode on it. Bad design since burnt out incandescent bulbs often fail with a short. The plug-in replacement cost ~$8, but nobody seems to stock it, only The whole controller board at ~$175.

[belval]

That seems excessively evil, so the fridge breaks if you don't connect it to the Internet?

[ncmncm]

My (Whirlpool brand) fridge has no ability to connect, and broke.

I took out the power controller board, unsoldered the two resistors that burned and put on higher wattage rated resistors. The light sort-of works now: it makes several seconds to turn on, dunno why.

Probably the right fix would be to replace the board with a custom design with just a little transformer and a diode.