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Essential Knowledge.
This is our flagship course, the place where most techs, even those with experience, begin their journey towards mastery. It’s the course that many of our graduates have called a game-changer for their career.
Fundamentals is appropriate for both beginners as well as experienced techs looking to fill their knowledge gaps. After all, you don’t know what you don’t know, so for even the most seasoned techs, the Fundamentals course may offer you new and more substantial knowledge to help you diagnose a repair.
The point of the Fundamentals of Appliance Repair and Refrigeration course is to teach you troubleshooting skills, NOT disassembly and parts changing skills. The appliance repair trade is full of guys who know how to disassemble an appliance and change a part but have no idea how to actually troubleshoot and diagnose what’s going on with the appliance. This is especially true if it’s a complicated circuit or involves a computer control board.
This is exactly the knowledge gap that the Fundamentals course is meant to address.
You can get disassembly and parts changing information anywhere. There are lots of YouTube videos out there that show you how to take stuff apart and put it back together. Service manuals and manufacturer training give you lots of disassembly information. No need to pay for a training course to show you what you can readily find for free!
At the Master Samurai Tech Academy you are going to build the troubleshooting and diagnostic skills you need to stand out from the crowd.
In the Fundamentals of Appliance Repair and Refrigeration training course you will learn about basic electricity, reading schematic diagrams, using schematic diagrams to develop troubleshooting strategies, gas fuels used in appliances, electronics in appliances, appliance parts, and electric motor systems in appliances.
You will also study the principles of operation, common problems, troubleshooting and repair of single and dual evaporator refrigerators, split-phase and inverter-driven compressors. We teach a systems approach to troubleshooting that makes your diagnostic work efficient and accurate.
Textbook: A pdf or hard copy of the book, Troubleshooting and Repairing Major Appliances, 3rd Edition, by Eric Kleinert is required for this course.
Keep scrolling to see the complete syllabus for the course!
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| Module 1 | Full-Support Fundamentals Course Orientation | |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome! The objective and mission of the Samurai Tech Academy. How to to get around the Academy and use this course. | ||
| Unit 1 | Welcome! Meet your Sensei | |
| Unit 2 | How to Use and Interact with the Fundamentals of Appliance Repair and Refrigeration Course | |
| Module 2 | Basic Electricity | |
| Volts, ohms, amps. Ohm's Law. Series and parallel circuits. Loads and voltage drop. Basic electrical measurements. Reading wiring diagrams. | ||
| Unit 1 | Basic Electricity: Electrical Terms | |
| Unit 2 | What is Electricity? Current and Voltage | |
| Unit 3 | Basic Electricity: Voltage, Current, Resistance, and Power | |
| Unit 4 | Basic Electricity: Circuit Components | |
| Unit 5 | Basic Electricity: Series and Parallel Circuits | |
| Unit 6 | Basic Electricity: Circuit Breaker Panels and Power Outlets | |
| Unit 7 | Basic Electricity: Electrical Measurements in Appliance Repair | |
| Unit 8 | Basic Electricity: Voltage Drop and Load | |
| Unit 9 | Basic Electricity: More on DC and AC Voltage and Current | |
| Unit 10 | Basic Electrical Wiring Skills in Appliance Repair | |
| Unit 11 | Introduction to Schematic and Wiring Diagrams | |
| Unit 12 | Basic Electricity Module Exam | |
| Module 3 | Basic Electronics | |
| Control board configurations in appliances. Common components on electronics boards encountered in appliance repair. Electronics connectors. Handling electronic boards. Testing diodes and rectifiers. | ||
| Unit 1 | Fundamentals of Appliance Repair Course Midterm Exam | |
| Unit 2 | Electronics in Appliance Repair | |
| Unit 3 | Components on Electronic Control Boards | |
| Unit 4 | Basic Electronics: Capacitors | |
| Unit 5 | Basic Electronics: Transformers | |
| Unit 6 | Control Board Configurations Used in Appliance Repair | |
| Unit 7 | Working with and Handling Electronics Boards in Appliance Repair | |
| Unit 8 | Basic Electronics Module Exam | |
| Module 4 | Troubleshooting | |
| Fundamental law for troubleshooting. Basic diagnostic and correction procedure. Technician's diagnostic guide. Basic troubleshooting techniques and strategies. Using schematic diagrams to troubleshoot appliances. | ||
| Unit 1 | Introduction to Troubleshooting | |
| Unit 2 | Samurai's 10 Commandments for Appliance Repair | |
| Unit 3 | Troubleshooting Basics | |
| Unit 4 | Using Schematics to Troubleshoot Appliances, Part 1 | |
| Unit 5 | Using Schematics to Troubleshoot Appliances, Part 2 | |
| Unit 6 | Pre-Diagnosing the Problem before the Service Call | |
| Unit 7 | Troubleshooting Module Exam | |
| Module 5 | Basic Gas | |
| Gas fuels in appliance repair; Physical properties of gas fuels; Natural gas distribution; How LP gas differs from natural gas; Gas pressure regulators; Measuring gas pressure; Gas flame characteristics. | ||
| Unit 1 | Introduction to Gas Fuels in Appliance Repair | |
| Unit 2 | Physical Properties of Gas Fuels | |
| Unit 3 | Measuring Gas Pressure | |
| Unit 4 | Natural Gas Distribution | |
| Unit 5 | How LP Gas Differs from Natural Gas | |
| Unit 6 | Gas Pressure Regulators | |
| Unit 7 | Carbon Monoxide | |
| Unit 8 | Gas Flame Characteristics | |
| Unit 9 | Basic Gas Module Exam | |
| Module 6 | Appliance Parts | |
| Familiarization with various parts used in appliances: pumps, switches, relays, motors, sensors, and more. | ||
| Unit 1 | Switches and Relays | |
| Unit 2 | Pressure Switches, Thermostats, and Sensors | |
| Unit 3 | Solenoid Valves | |
| Unit 4 | Heating Elements | |
| Unit 5 | Gas Appliance Parts: Valves, Flame Detectors, Ignitors, Spark Modules | |
| Unit 6 | Appliance Parts Module Exam | |
| Module 7 | Appliance Motors | |
| Motor systems used in modern appliances. Principles of operation and failure modes. | ||
| Unit 1 | Overview of Electric Motors Used in Appliances | |
| Unit 2 | Variable Frequency Drive Systems | |
| Unit 3 | Single-Phase Asynchronous AC Motors | |
| Unit 4 | Appliance Motors: Supplemental Material | |
| Unit 5 | Appliance Motors Module Exam | |
| Module 8 | Fundamentals Exam | |
| Fundamentals exam for the Fundamentals of Appliance Repair course. | ||
| Unit 1 | Fundamentals Exam | |
| Module 9 | Refrigerator Principles of Operation | |
| Thermodynamics; Understanding the basic refrigeration cycle; Components of a refrigeration system. | ||
| Unit 1 | Refrigerator Operational Overview | |
| Unit 2 | Thermodynamics and Phase Change | |
| Unit 3 | Properties of Refrigerants | |
| Unit 4 | The Refrigeration Cycle | |
| Unit 5 | Sealed System Components: Condensers and Compressors | |
| Unit 6 | Refrigerator Air Distribution Systems | |
| Unit 7 | Refrigerator Temperature Control Systems | |
| Unit 8 | Refrigerator Defrost Systems | |
| Unit 9 | Split-phase Compressors and their Start Devices | |
| Unit 10 | Inverter Compressor Systems | |
| Unit 11 | Dual Evaporator Refrigerators | |
| Unit 12 | Refrigerator Principles of Operation Module Exam | |
| Module 10 | Refrigerators: Common Problems and Troubleshooting | |
| Common problems with refrigerators; troubleshooting principles. | ||
| Unit 1 | The Systems Approach to Troubleshooting Refrigerators | |
| Unit 2 | Evaporator Frost Pattern Analysis | |
| Unit 3 | Troubleshooting Strategies for Warm Refrigerator Complaints | |
| Unit 4 | Troubleshooting Freezing in Fresh Food Compartments | |
| Unit 5 | Troubleshooting Ice, Frost, and Condensation Problems | |
| Unit 6 | Troubleshooting Inverter Compressor Refrigerators | |
| Unit 7 | Common Problems and Troubleshooting Module Exam | |
| Module 11 | Refrigeration Bonus Lessons | |
| This module covers the basics of ice makers, dispensers, and refrigeration sealed system repairs. | ||
| Unit 1 | Refrigerator Ice Maker Basics | |
| Unit 2 | Refrigerator Ice and Water Dispenser Basics | |
| Unit 3 | Refrigerator Sealed System Basic Skills | |
| Unit 4 | Replacing the Compressor and Filter Drier | |
| Module 12 | Resources for Continuing Education and Final Exam | |
| How to keep up with the changing technology in refrigerators. Getting help with specific refrigerator problems. | ||
| Unit 1 | Resources for Continuing Education | |
| Unit 2 | Refrigerator Final Exam | |