Konnichiwa to all my friends and Brethren in The Craft!  This month, we're going to go over some tips for diagnosing the Motor Control Unit (MCU) in the Whirlpool Duet Sport front-loading washers, also sold under the Kenmore label.  Some things that may indicate a possible problem with the MCU in this machine:

-  You get the F70 error code or

-  You get three quick beeps when you try to start a cycle.

This error code has befuddled many a fine tech.  In a vain effort to repair the problem, I have heard of techs replacing the CCU (not once but twice!) and even the user interface panel only to slink away in shame and dishonor.  But it shall not be so with you!  For the Samurai shall reveal the truth unto thee, and the truth shall set you free.  Come with me now on a journey of Total Appliance Enlightenment™:  

Virtual working is only for professions with digital deliverables, right? Designers, coders, writers and customer service reps that spend all day on the phone may be the first types of people you think of when you ponder virtual working, but if you think nuts and bolts companies that deal in the physical as well as the digital can't benefit from new ways of working then you haven't talked to Fred's Appliance.

Forget preconceptions of triple copy service tickets and greasy parts rolling around the back of disorganized vans, the Madison, Ohio-based appliance repair company is setting an example in a relatively old-fashioned industry, modeling how more sectors than you might imagine can take advantage of fast connections, cloud computing and a little ingenuity to streamline their businesses.

It was the mid-1950s, and Ray Lammers had grown weary of working the wee hours every morning at the family bakery in Boonville. He and his brother, Ernie, and two friends who operated City Tire & Electric - car and truck tires and home appliances were sold along side each other in those days - decided to open a new appliance store in Columbia.

Columbia Appliance was born in 1957 on the corner of 10th Street and Broadway with the promise of always putting customer service ahead of sales. And 55 years later, current owners Royce and Susan Palmer are proud to say that mission still stands.

You can easily get free advertising exposure with your vehicles, but being clever with it will get you even more attention.

Driving around town can be one of your best forms of advertising. Consider the experience of Jeff Whiting of Help! Wizards, a Columbus, Ohio, computer consulting firm that makes house calls. In 1999, the company bought its first vehicle. Instead of going with a white van as originally planned, it bought something that would attract more attention. A bright yellow Volkswagen Beetle. The "Help! Wizards" logo is boldly blazoned on both sides of the Bug and their trademark "!" is on the hood. They've since added three more Bugs to the fleet and have two more scheduled to hit the streets soon. The results? According to Whiting, he gets at least one call a week directly from the exposure to the "Wizard Bug."