Heat Controller VMC09SB-1 Service User manual

Wall Mounted
Mini-Split System
Single-Zone
Air Conditioning/Heat Pump
Service Manual(General)
VMC09SB-1/VMH09SB-1
VMC12SB-1/VMH12SB-1
VMC18SB-1/VMH18SB-1
VMC24SB-1/VMH24SB-1
VMC30SB-1/VMH30SB-1
Before servicing the unit, read the
“safety precautions” in this manual.
Only for authorized service personnel.
HEAT CONTROLLER, INC.

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Only for training and service purposes
Air Conditioner Service Manual
CONTENTS
Part 1 General Information
1. Safety Precautions........................................................................................................4
Part 2 Functions & Controls
1. List of Functions & Controls........................................................................................8
2. Basic Mode Controls ...................................................................................................9
3. Special Mode Controls ...............................................................................................11
4. Utility Functions .........................................................................................................12
5. Protection Functions & Controls...............................................................................15
Part 3 Test Run
1. Check before Test Run ...............................................................................................31
2. Test Run Flow chart....................................................................................................32
3. Test Run Detail ............................................................................................................33
Part 4 Trouble Shooting Guide
1. 2-Way, 3-Way Valve ....................................................................................................35
2. Pumping Down ...........................................................................................................36
3. Evacuation ...................................................................................................................37
4. Gas Charging (After Evacuation) ..............................................................................38
5. Cycle Troubleshooting Guide ....................................................................................39
6. Electric Parts Troubleshooting Guide.......................................................................40
7. Self-diagnosis Function .............................................................................................45

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Only for training and service purposes
1. Safety Precautions ............................................................................................................4
Part 1 General Information

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Only for training and service purposes
Part 1 General Information
1. Safety Precautions
1.1 Cautions in Repair
To prevent injury to the user other people and property damage, the following instructions must be followed.
■Incorrect operation due to ignoring instruction will cause harm or damage. The seriousness is classified by the follow-
ing indications.
This symbol indicates the possibility of death or serious injury.
This symbol indicates the possibility of injury or damage to property only.
■Meanings of symbols used in this manual are as shown below.
Be sure not to do.
Be sure to follow the instruction.
Dangerous Voltage
Be sure to disconnect the power cable plug from the plug socket before disas-
sembling the equipment for a repair.Internal components and circuit boards are at
main potential when the equipment is connected to the power cables. This high
voltage is extremely dangerous and may cause death or severe injury if come in
contact with it.
Do not touch the discharging refrigerant gas during the repair work.
The discharging refrigerant gas can cause frostbite.
Release the refrigerant gas completely in a well-ventilated place first.
Otherwise, when the pipe is disconnected, refrigerant gas or refrigerating
machine oil discharges and it can cause injury.
When the refrigerant gas leaks during work, ventilate the area. If the refrigerant
gas comes in contact with fire, a poisonous gas poisonous gas generates.
Leakage of the refrigerant closed room full of gas is dangerous because a short-
age of oxygen occurs. Be sure to ventilate the area.
When removing the front panel or cabinet, execute short-circuit and discharge
between high voltage capacitor terminals. If discharge is not executed, an electric
shock is caused by high voltage resulting in a death or injury.
Do not turn the air-conditioner ON or OFF by plugging or unplugging the power
plug. There is risk of fire or electrical shock.

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Only for training and service purposes
Part 1 General Information
Do not turn on the breaker when the front panel and cabinet are removed.
Be sure to ground the air conditioner with an ground/earth conductor connected
to the ground/earth terminal.
Conduct repair work after checking that the refrigerating cycle section has
cooled down sufficiently. Otherwise, hot refrigerant in cycle can cause burns.
Do not tilt the unit while removing panels. Otherwise, the water inside the unit
can spill and wet floor.
Weld in a well-ventilated place. Welding in an enclosed room can cause oxygen
deficiency.
Be sure to turn off power switch before connecting or disconnecting connector,
or parts damage may be occur.
Do not use a defective or underrated circuit breaker. Use the correctly rated
breaker and fuse. Otherwise there is a risk of fire or electric shock.
Install the panel and the cover of control box securely. Otherwise there is risk of
fire or electric shock due to dust, water etc.
Indoor/outdoor wiring connections must be secured tightly and the cable should
be routed properly so that there is no force pulling the cable from the connection
terminals. Improper or loose connections can cause heat generation or fire.
Do not touch, operate, or repaire the product with wet hands. Otherwise there is
risk of electric shock or fire.

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Only for training and service purposes
Part 1 General Information
Check to see if the parts are mounted correctly and wires are connected.
Improper installation and connections can cause an electric shock or an injury.
Check whether the installation platform or frame has corroded. Corroded installa-
tion platform or frame can cause the unit to fall, resulting in injury.
Be sure to check whether the ground/earth wire is correctly connected.
After the work has finished, be sure to do an insulation test to check whether the
resistance is 2[Mohm] or more between the charge section and the non-charge
metal section (ground/earth position). If the resistance value is low, a disaster
such as a leak or electric shock is caused at user’s side.
Check the drainage of the indoor unit after the repair. If drainage is faulty the
water may enter the room and wet floor.
1.2 Inspections after Repair
Check to see if the power cable plug is not dirty or loose. If the plug is dusty or
loose it can cause an electrical shock or fire.
Do not use a joined power cable or extension cable, or share the same power
outlet with other electrical appliances. Otherwise, it can cause an electrical
shock, excessive heat generation or fire.
Do not insert hands or other objects through the air inlet or outlet while the prod-
uct is operating. There are sharp and moving parts that could cause personal
injury.
Do not block the inlet or outlet of air flow. It may cause product failure

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Only for training and service purposes
Part 2 Functions & Controls
1. List of Controls & Functions ..........................................................................................8
2. Basic Mode Controls........................................................................................................9
3. Special Mode Controls...................................................................................................11
4. Utility Functions .............................................................................................................12
5. Protection Functions & Controls .................................................................................15

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Only for training and service purposes
Part 2 Functions & Controls
1. List of Functions & Controls
Cooling Mode
Heating Mode
Healthy Dehumidification
Auto Changeover
Jet Cool
Jet Heat
Energy saving
Forced operation
Auto Clean
Air volume control
Natural Air control
Chaos Swing
Sleep mode Auto control
Auto Restart Function
Five Second Delay (Fan)
Two Minutes Stand-by
(Comp.)
Hot Start
Freeze prevention
Compressor Pre Heating
Sump Heater Control
Automatic Defrost
Power Relay Control
Inverter (with inverter
power control)
Overheating Protection
(Power Module)
Total Current Control
(Over Current Protection)
DC Peak Control
Discharge Pipe Temp Control
Low Ambient Function
Oil Return Control
Oil Equalizing Control
Category Function Description Remark
Cooling operation
Heating operation
Dry operation
Cooling mode is automatically changed to heating mode and
vice versa
Powerful cooling mode
Powerful heating mode
Air volume & set temp. are automatically selected for saving
energy in cooling mode
Operation without remote controller
After cooling operation, this function makes the evaporator
dry
Indoor Fan speed Control
Air volume control Program
Vertical Airflow Direction control
Air volume & set temp. are automatically changed for com-
fortable sleep
When power returns after a power failure, Unit restarts in the
previous operating mode
For noise prevention
For overload prevention
To prevent cold cold air from blowing on heating mode start
up until the evaporator coil has warmed up.
Evaporator frost prevention
To protect compressor
To protect fan from accumulated ice at base panel
Condenser frost prevention
Over current prevention
Modulation of voltage & frequency to allow the compressor to
run at various speeds.
To protect power module
To protect power device
To protect power module
For overheating protection
For operation at low temp.
To protect compressor
To protect compressor
Basic mode
controls
Special Mode
controls
Utility Functions
Protection
Controls &
Functions
Cooling Mode Only
9,12k Model Only

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Only for training and service purposes
Part 2 Functions & Controls
2. Basic Mode Controls
2.1 Cooling Mode
Setting
Temp.
-0.5°C(-1°F)
+0.5°C(1°F)
Comp. OFF
Thermo ON
Thermo OFF
INV. Comp.
Frequency Low
High LowHigh
•Operating frequency of compressor depends on the load condition, like the difference between the room temp. and
the set temp., frequency restrictions.
•If the compressor operates at some frequency, the operating frequency of compressor cannot be changed within 30
seconds. ( not emergency conditions)
•Compressor turned off when
- intake air temperature is in between ±0.5°C(±1°F) of the setting temp. limit for three minutes continuously.
- intake air temperature reaches below 1.0°C(2°F) of the temperature of setting temp..
•Compressors two minutes time delay.
- After compressor off, the compressor can restart minimum 2 minutes later.
2.2 Heating Mode Heatpump Only
2˚C(3.6˚F)
5˚C(9˚F)
Comp. OFF
INV. Comp.
Frequency Low
High LowHigh Comp. OFF
Setting
Temp.
Thermo ON
Thermo OFF
•Operating frequency of compressor depend on the load condition, The difference between the room temp. and set
temp., frequency restrictions.
•If compressor operates at some frequency, the operating frequency of compressor cannot be changed within 30 sec-
onds.
•Condition of compressor turned off
- When intake air temperature reaches +5°C(9°F) above the setting temperature.
•Condition of compressor turned on
- When intake air temperature reaches +2°C(3.6°F) above the setting temperature.
* Condition of indoor fan turned off
- While in compressor on : indoor pipe temp. < 20°C(68°F)
- While in compressor off : indoor pipe temp. < 30°C(86°F)
•While in defrost control, the indoor and outdoor fans are turned off.
•Compressor 2minutes delay
- After compressor off, the compressor can restart minimum 2 minutes later.

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Only for training and service purposes
Part 2 Functions & Controls
2.3 Healthy Dehumidification operation
•When the dehumidification operation is set by the remote controller, the intake air temperature is detected and the set-
ting temp. is automatically set according to the intake air temperature.
• When intake air temp. is 1°C(2°F) above the setting temp., condition of compressor is same as in cooling mode operation.
•When intake air temperature reaches 1°C(2°F) below the setting temp., compressor operates in lower frequency and
the indoor fan speed again operates at low speed or comes to a stop.
2.4 Auto changeover operation Heatpump Only
•The air conditioner changes the operation mode automatically to keep indoor temperature steady.
•When room temperature vary over ±2°C(±4°F) with respect to setting temperature, air conditioner keeps the room tem-
perature in ±2°C(±4°F) with respect to setting temperature by changing the mode from cooling to heating and vice
versa.
Intake air Temp. Setting Temp.
26°C(78.8 °F) ≤intake air temp. 25°C(77 °F)
24°C(75.2
°F) ≤intake air temp.< 26°C(78.8 °F) intake air temp. -1°C(-2 °F)
22°C(71.6 °F)
≤intake air temp. < 24°C(75.2
°F) intake air temp. -0.5°C(-1
°F)
18°C(64.4°F) ≤intake air temp. < 22°C(71.6
°F) intake air temp.
intake air temp. < 18°C(64.4
°F)
18°C(64.4
°F)
+0.5°C(+1°F)
-0.5°C(-1°F)
-2°C(-4°F)
+4°C(+8°F)
+2°C(+4°F)
Cooling thermo off
Heating thermo off
Switching point
Switching point
Setting
Temp.
Cooling
operation Heating operation Cooling operation
Mode

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Only for training and service purposes
Part 2 Functions & Controls
3. Special Mode Controls
3.1 Jet Cool operation
•In the heating mode or Fuzzy operation, the Jet cool function does not work.
When it is input while in other mode of operation (cooling, dehumidification, ventilation), the Jet cool operation takes
place.
•In the Jet cool mode, the indoor fan is operated at super-high speed for 30 min. at cooling mode operation.
•In the Jet cool mode, the room temperature is maintained at a setting temperature of 18°C(64.4°F).
•When the sleep timer mode is input during the Jet cool operation, the Jet cool mode has the priority.
•When the Jet cool button is pressed, the horizontal vane of the unit is reset to the initial cooling vane position and then
operates so that the air outflow can reach further.
3.2 Jet Heat operation Heatpump Only
•While in cooling mode or Fuzzy operation, the Jet Heat function does not work.
When it is input while in the Heating mode operation (dehumidification), the Jet Heat mode operation takes place
•In the Jet Heat mode, the indoor fan operated at super-high speed for 60 min. at Heating mode operation.
•In the Jet Heat mode, the room temperature is maintained at a temperature of 30°C(86°F).
•When the sleep timer mode is input during the Jet Heat mode operation, the Jet Heat mode has the priority.
•When the Jet Heat button is pressed, the horizontal vane of the unit is reset to the initial Jet heating vane position and
then operates so that the air outflow can reach further.
3.3 Energy saving operation in cooling mode
•During cooling and dehumidification mode of operation, the Energy saving button can be input.
•In this operation, the set temperature and air volume is set automatically to save energy.

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Only for training and service purposes
Part 2 Functions & Controls
4. Utility Functions
4.1 Forced operation
•To operate the appliance manually if the remote control is lost. The forced operation selection switch is on the main
unit of the appliance and will operate the appliance in the standard conditions.
•The operating condition is set according to the outdoor temp. and intake air temperature as follows.
•The unit will automatically select the last operation mode it last operated in within the past 3 hours based off of infor-
mation stored in the unit's memory.
•Operating procedures when the remote control can't be used is as follows :
- The operation will be started if the ON/OFF button is pressed.
- If you want to stop operation, re-press the button.
- The ON/OFF switch is on the display PCB or side of indoor unit
4.2 Auto cleaning operation
•Function used to perform Self Cleaning to prevent the Unit from Fungus and bad odor.
•Use after the cooling operation, before turning the unit off. This operation cleans and dries the evaporator based on
the cycle below, until the unit is operated again.
•The function is easy to operate as it is accessed through the Remote controller.
Comp. ON OFF
Setting Step Low
Indoor Fan
ON
2) Cooling/only Model
Cooling CYCLE
OFF
30 Min
Fan
ON
1) Heat/pump Model
Cooling CYCLE
OFF
Comp. ON ONOFF OFF
Indoor Fan Setting Step LL LL LL
13 Min
HeatingFan
60 Sec 120 Sec
Fan
Heat pump Model
Cooling Model
Room Temp. ≥24°C(75.2°F)21°C(69.8°F) ≤Room Temp. < 24°C(75.2°F) Room Temp. < 21°C(69.8°F)
Operating mode Cooling Cooling Healthy Dehumidification Heating
Indoor FAN Speed High High High High
Setting Temperature 22°C(71.6°F) 22°C(71.6°F) 23°C(73.4°F) 24°C(75.2°F)

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Only for training and service purposes
Setting temp. (˚C)
1.0˚C(2˚F) up
1.0˚C(2˚F) up
Cooling ON temp.
(Setting temp. +0.5˚C(+1˚F))
Cooling OFF temp.
(Setting temp. -0.5˚C(-1˚F))
0.5 1 Sleep time (hour)
Part 2 Functions & Controls
4.3 Air volume control
•Indoor fan motor control have 6 steps.
•Air volume is controlled "SH", "H", "Med", "Low" by the remote con-
troller.
•"LL" step is selected automatically in Hot start operation.
4.4 Natural Air Control(Auto Wind)
•When the Auto Step is selected, the high, medium, or low speed of
the airflow mode is operated for 2~15 sec. randomly by the Chaos
Simulation.
4.5 Chaos Swing
•By selecting Chaos swing, the horizontal vane automatically operates with a swinging motion or it is fixed to the
desired direction.
4.6 Sleep mode Auto control
•Using the remote control, the sleep mode timer can be set for a time period of 1,2,3,4,5,6 or 7 hours. During this time
period the unit will operate as described in sections 4.6.1 or 4.6.2, until the set time period has expired. Once the set
time period has been reached, the unit will automatically turn off.
•When the appliance is on pause, the sleep timer mode cannot be input.
4.6.1 Sleep timer operation for cooling cycle
•While in cooling mode , 30 min. after the start of the sleep timer, the setting temperature increases by 1°C(2°F).
After another 30minutes lapse, it increases again by 1°C(2°F).
LL Very low, In heating mode
L Low
M Med
H High
SH Super high
Auto Natural wind
Step Description
NOTE: Some Models are different by swing width and swing pattern.

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Only for training and service purposes
Part 2 Functions & Controls
4.6.2 Sleep timer operation for heating cycle Heatpump Only
•While in heating mode, 60 min. after the start of the sleep timer, the setting temperature decreases by 1°C(2°F).
After another 60minutes lapse, it decreases again by 1°C(2°F).
4.7 Auto restart
•When the power comes back after a sudden power failure during operation, the mode before the power failure is kept
in the memory of the appliance appliance. Upon restoring power, The unit will return back to it's last operation mode
automatically based on the information saved in the appliance's memory, as shown below.
•Operation mode that is kept on the memory
- State of operation ON/OFF
- Operation mode/setting temp./selected airflow speed
- Sleep timer mode/remaining time of sleep timer
- Chaos Swing
Setting temp. (°C)
Heating ON temp.
(Setting temp)
Heating OFF temp.
(Setting temp. +4.0°C(+8°F))
1 2 Sleep time (hr)
1.0°C(2°F) down
1.0°C(2°F) down

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Only for training and service purposes
Part 2 Functions & Controls
5.1 Five Seconds Stand-by (fan)
•The indoor unit fan will begin to rotate after 5 seconds of the unit being turned on.
5.2 Two Minutes Stand-by (comp.)
•After the compressor cycles off, it will not restart for a minimum of 2 minutes.
5.3 Hot start Heatpump Only
•To prevent cold air from blowing in the room upon starting up the unit in heating mode, the indoor fan will not rotate
until the heat exchanger temperature reaches 30˚C(86˚F).
5.4 Freeze prevention (Protection of the evaporator pipe from frosting)
Heatpump Only
•If the indoor pipe temperature is below 0˚C(32˚F) within 7 minutes after the compressor operates continuously in cool-
ing mode, the compressor and outdoor fan will turn off.
•When the indoor pipe temperature is 7˚C (44.6˚F) or higher after a 2 minute pause/cycle off of the compressor, the
compressor and outdoor fan will turn on according to the condition of the indoor air temperature.
5. Protection Functions & Controls
Comp. free
Comp. Step 4
Comp. Step 2
Comp. off
T1
3˚C(37.4˚F)
6˚C(42.8˚F) 7˚C(44.6˚F)
Indoor pipe
temp.
T1: 0 ~ 2°C(32~35.6°F)
NOTE: Some Models are different by T1.

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Only for training and service purposes
Part 2 Functions & Controls
5.5 Compressor Preheating Heatpump Only
5.5.1 9,12kBtu/h Model
With low outdoor temperature, preheating the compressor compressor is neccessary to maintain the oil viscosi-
ty before the unit starts.
The preheating Mode preheats the compressor motor coil/windings by electric current without compressor run-
ning.
Mode-in conditions : Outdoor temp. < 0˚C (32˚F) and Discharge pipe temp < 15˚C (59˚F)
Mode-out conditions : Outdoor temp. > 5˚C (41˚F) or Discharge pipe temp < 25˚C (77˚F) or Compressor on
5.5.2 18, 24, 30kBtu/h Model
When the unit starts with low outdoor temperature, preheating the compressor is neccessary to maintain the oil
viscosity.
upper case Under the following conditions, the compressor runs at 15Hz for a specific time
Conditions : heat sink temperature < 0˚C (32˚F) and Discharge pipe temp < 0˚C (32˚F)
5.6 Sump Heater Control (9, 12kBtu/h Model Only) Heatpump Only
With low outdoor temperature, the sump heater located on base panel prevents icing that may cause drain
blockage and fan damage.
Heater-on conditions : Outdoor temp. ≤0˚C (32˚F) and heating mode
Heater-out conditions : Outdoor temp. > 1˚C (34˚F)
-5˚C (23˚F) ~ -0˚C(32˚F) 90
-10˚C (14˚F) ~ -5˚C (23˚F) 180
Under -10˚C (14˚F) 300
Outdoor Temperature Running Time [sec]

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Only for training and service purposes
Part 2 Functions & Controls
5.5 Automatic defrost Heatpump Only
5.5.1 9,12kBtu/h Model
•While in heating mode operation, in order to protect the evaporator pipe of the outdoor unit from freezing,
the unit is reversed to the cooling cycle to defrost the evaporator pipe of the outdoor unit.
•Defrost control is available 40 minutes after the heating cycle started and the difference of the pipe
tem-perature of outdoor unit reaches above option 1.
•The defrost control is available without reference to heating operation time only if the pipe temperature of
outdoor unit reaches below option 2.
Setting Freq.
Operating
Freq. Of
Comp
(Comp off
Inapplicable.)
4-Way
Indoor
FAN
Indoor
FAN
Pre-Heat
LED
5sec 5sec
Minimum Time
Of Heating Main Deice time 30 sec 10 sec 1min
ON
OFF
Hi Speed
ON
Setting
Speed
Hot
Start
OFF
Super low speed
°low speed
ON
OFF OFF
Deice STEP 0123456
EEV
Open step
The Degree
of Superheat
Control
Starting Step
off
Min
Step 3
300
off
Step 5
Min
off
15 sec
Min
Min
Operating
Freq. Of
Comp
(Comp off
Applicable.)
Step 3
Step 5
Setting
Speed
Setting
Speed
Setting Freq.
Setting
Freq.
>5>5>5
-25-25-30-30Option 2
Expected heating operating time
And Heating operating time 40 minutes
The minimum Time of
Heating(sec)
>4Option 1
-10˚C(14˚F) less than 0˚C(32˚F) more than-10~-5˚C(14~23˚F) between -5~0˚C(23~32˚F) between
The mean outdoor
temperature
Model (kBtu/h) Compressor Frequency EEV
9 65Hz(Step 5) 300
12 80Hz(Step 5) 300

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Only for training and service purposes
Part 2 Functions & Controls
5.5.2 18,24,30kBtu/h Model
•Starting the defrosting operation
1) Defrost operation will start when the conditions below are met:
a) Accumulation time of operation and the period after completion of defrost = 35 min.
b) After 10 minutes from re-starting the compressor and over 35 minutes of accumulated operating time,
defrosting operation starts after 10 minutes.
c) Piping temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger is maintained below the defrost starting temperature for 4
minutes after 35 minutes continuous operation.
d) Exceeding 10 minutes after oil recovery operation
2) Outdoor piping temperature is below –6°C (21.2°F, Option) for starting defrosting operation.
Defrosting
Comp. Freqency
Model (kBtu/h) Defrosting Comp. Frequency EEV
18 90Hz 350
24 77Hz 350
30 90Hz 350

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Only for training and service purposes
Part 2 Functions & Controls
•Defrosting Control Algorithm
1) Lowering the compressor frequency starts the defrosting operation.
Constant speed compressor is ON 10 seconds.
2) The EEV has an opening 350 pulse (Option) when starting the defrosting operation.
3) Reversing valve is OFF after 5 seconds from the compressor reaching an operating frequency of 30 Hz.
Then the indoor fan turns OFF (including when the indoor unit is OFF, except if the remote controller is OFF).
4) After 5 seconds from the compressor reaching 30Hz, the outdoor unit fan turns off and the Hot gas Bypass/Oil
Separator valve turns OFF.
NOTE: Comp.frequency and EEV pulse is different for each models.
•Control algorithm of defrost completion
1) Frequency of compressor lowers to 30 Hz and maintains constant speed operation at 30 Hz for 75 seconds and
then starts operating. If the constant speed compressor is OFF, it will receive an off receive OFF signal after 5
seconds from the compressor reaching 30 Hz.
2) The EEV will open with the standard previous pulse after 5 seconds from the time the compressor reaches 30
Hz.
3) Reversing valve is ON after 15 seconds from the time the compressor reaches 30 Hz.
4) The indoor unit fan is ON with high speed for 5 seconds from the time the compressor reaches 30Hz.
5) Hot Gas bypass valve/Oil separator bypass valve is OFF after 75 seconds from the time the compressor reach-
es 30Hz.
NOTE: Comp.frequency and EEV pulse is different for each models.

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Only for training and service purposes
Part 2 Functions & Controls
5.6 Power Relay Control
•Power relay turns on 1 second later after the power is supplied to the outdoor unit.
•Control sequence : power on →PTC operating →power relay on
5.7 Inverter
1. The single phase power AC is converted into DC.
2. The single phase power DC is converted into a three phase chopped DC voltage with a variable frequency.
3. When the frequency changes, the rotation speed of the compressor changes resulting in a changed refrigerant circu-
lation. This leads to changeable amount of the heat exchange per unit.
3Ø
Comp.
Motor
U
UV W
V
W
+