I have a dishwasher that does not open automatically when finished. I can detect when it is finished through a power adapter, but need to open it somehow. Any tips? Is fingerbot strong enough?
Are dishwashers meant to do this? I’ve never known one to open when done.
Modern dishwashers do this. This is done to save energy. In the old days, dishwashers just heated stuff really hot to force evaporation of surface water.
Modern dishwashers can do this too, but there is an option to just open the door and let them dry naturally. This is a longer process, but if you do like me and program it at midnight… Then it has plenty of time to dry up fine.
This is something my mother used to do as well. When the machine was finished she opened the door and let it vent. I asked the guy installing our machine some years ago and he told me that in newer machines that won’t be necessary and could even disable the integrated venting mechanism. But of course this depends on your machine…
My Bosch dishwasher does it.
I’d see if your brand offers that option, and try and retrofit the OEM parts. It’s often the matter of cutting an extra hole or two and wiring it up to your controller. The tub will likely have indentations to make room for the part, even if that model doesn’t include the feature.
This is a whirlpool, Hotpoint, KitchenAid, etc door opener
https://www.hotpoint.co.uk/door-opening-system-j00532596/p
If that’s a dead end, maybe look at a wax motor. They are very cheap, easy to control, compact, and high force. Only problem is, the stroke is only . 25 inches, some up to . 5 inches. There is enough force that you could make a lever.
Is it just a simple button that releases the door and gravity can take over? If that’s the case, just something that can push that in and let the door fall should be perfect.
Could be as simple as an electric motor from a toy and a rigid bar attached to it it to push against the button if you wanna DIY.
An esp controlling a linear actuator to either push the door open, or push against the latch locking it closed, or both.
If your device is not quite strong enough, a small spring that’s too weak to open the door on its own could help.
If you access to the side, then a form of lever could provide mechanical advantage (just check what the fulcrum rests on or you might dent something).
If you aren’t concerned with reusability, dynamite is fairly effective at opening doors.
You can always couple the dynamite trigger with the automatic ordering of a new dishwasher.
