My KA burned out. That was expensive bread!

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pepperhead212

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Not really, because it was over 19 years old, so it really didn't owe me anything!

I disassembled it, after watching some YouTube videos, that explained some of the possible problems with a "burnout". I bypassed the circuit board, and directly hooked the motor up, and plugged it in, and no motion. The top brush is plenty large, so it wasn't those. Strange thing is that I would always set my hand on the motor frequently, to monitor the heat, and it wasn't that bad this time - I've had it worse.

I'll have to think about whether I want to repair this, or replace it, with something better. Something with a safety thermal shut-off, for sure!

Funny thing - I gave my old 4 1/2 qt KA, tilt mixer, to a friend and his newlywed, so that I could get a larger one, in late 1999. That one is still running, and I got that in 1976! I called him up (in FL now), and after the formalities I asked him if the mixer was still working. After a pause, he goes "Noooooooo!" And busted out laughing. He knew that I was going to tell him that mine bit the dust!
 
I was hoping that it was something like that, but the videos on YouTube, and the online references I found for KA Pro6 said that, unfortunately, these don't have a thermofuse, or other safety shutoff - the motors blow, or items on the circuit board blow. I was hoping it was the circuit board, as that is cheaper, or the switch (which I doubted would be it, but that would have been cheapest). I'll look at it some more tomorrow, but there was nothing visible, even after the circuit board was removed.
 
Diagnosing electrical issues without a multimeter is a waste of time, IMO.
 
Diagnosing electrical issues without a multimeter is a waste of time, IMO.
I have a number of multimeters, and a couple of those YouTube videos showed what to check. But also to check the motor first, before starting to look at the circuit board and switch.
 
For quite a while the common KA complaint I remember was a particular plastic gear. That's all I remember though. Scanned 40 pages of DC search results going back to '02. Might be a clue in that pile. Ought to be a lot fewer results if you are handier with the keywords.
 
For quite a while the common KA complaint I remember was a particular plastic gear. That's all I remember though. Scanned 40 pages of DC search results going back to '02. Might be a clue in that pile. Ought to be a lot fewer results if you are handier with the keywords.

My KA has one of those plastic gears and it broke when I overloaded the bowl. The repair guy was clear when he scolded me. "Too much dough break machine."
 
My KA has one of those plastic gears and it broke when I overloaded the bowl. The repair guy was clear when he scolded me. "Too much dough break machine."

I was using my KA in the late '90s and early aughts for whole wheat dough which I understood to put a much heavier load on the machine. That and all the plastic gear brouhaha I was reading at the time convinced me to mix and knead a lot less dough at one time. It was still going strong when I gave the whole kitchen away in '08.
 
I was curious about those plastic gears, so I checked mine out, and they were all metal. I wonder when they went back to all metals, or maybe they just have the plastics in different models?
 
They've finally improved the KA mixer! At least the one that I got - since the info on card added to the box was not in the instruction booklet, it's either not in all of the models the booklet is used for (I can see that it's put in several, as the flat edged beater - the one that scrapes the edge of the bowl - is for "selected models), or it is a very recent improvement. It states that If product shuts off after extensive use - Motor has automatic sensor that will keep motor from overheating by shutting it off. If this occurs, let stand mixer rest for 20 minutes before restarting. Why didn't they do this 50 years ago? I guess that would have been a lot less mixers sold!

They've improved the dough hook, I think, making it spiral, instead of a hook. I'll find out when I use it for my first batch. Hopefully, it won't climb the spiral hook. I can always go back to the old one, if it doesn't work as well. This had the dough scraping beater included, but only one side has the scraper - I'll see if it works as well. I bought one of those when they first came out, and it was not that expensive, and worth every penny.

And thanks again, tenspeed! I got that 6 qt 590w KA for just over $300 ($268.95, plus shipping, taxes, etc.) because I found out about slickdeals. And I got that ATK in the mail yesterday, too.
 
They've finally improved the KA mixer! At least the one that I got - since the info on card added to the box was not in the instruction booklet, it's either not in all of the models the booklet is used for (I can see that it's put in several, as the flat edged beater - the one that scrapes the edge of the bowl - is for "selected models), or it is a very recent improvement. It states that If product shuts off after extensive use - Motor has automatic sensor that will keep motor from overheating by shutting it off. If this occurs, let stand mixer rest for 20 minutes before restarting. Why didn't they do this 50 years ago? I guess that would have been a lot less mixers sold!

They've improved the dough hook, I think, making it spiral, instead of a hook. I'll find out when I use it for my first batch. Hopefully, it won't climb the spiral hook. I can always go back to the old one, if it doesn't work as well. This had the dough scraping beater included, but only one side has the scraper - I'll see if it works as well. I bought one of those when they first came out, and it was not that expensive, and worth every penny.

And thanks again, tenspeed! I got that 6 qt 590w KA for just over $300 ($268.95, plus shipping, taxes, etc.) because I found out about slickdeals. And I got that ATK in the mail yesterday, too.

The spiral dough hook is great. The dough will sometimes get to the top, but then it "unscrews" itself. It can be sort of hypnotizing to watch it.
 
Good to know, RP. I remember the original KA 4 1/2 qt I had was really bad, and I had to stay with a spatula to hold the dough from climbing up and around the hook. This one was much better, unless I made a larger, stickier recipe, which I expected.
 
Good to know, RP. I remember the original KA 4 1/2 qt I had was really bad, and I had to stay with a spatula to hold the dough from climbing up and around the hook. This one was much better, unless I made a larger, stickier recipe, which I expected.

I spray the top of the dough with oil to slow down the dough climb.
 
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