by beardedwonder5 » Sun Jul 05, 2009 8:08 am
For large amounts I suggest balance pan scales: unless you have iron and brass moths, they are accurate enough for breadmaking. For small amounts, look on google for drug-dealer scales, not electronic. They could be called "jewelers' scales."
My wife is a potter (test glazrs, etc.), so I have access to an Ohaus .1g set up (own weight supplis for calibration.)
Your basic problem, so far as I can see (Panasonic - sell, profit, forget) is only resolvable if you go down a route which I wouldn' recommend unless you are "electrically competent". Open the thing up and with no juice on test the resistance of the heating elements. You could do this using only a torch, some wire, and some ingenuity. Bare bones explanation: Detach all electrical connections between the breadmaker's control cicuits and the heating element(s). Put a wire from one contact of the off-on switch (in the off position) to one end of a heating element. Put a wire from the other end of the off-on switch to the other end of the heating element. If the torch goes on, the elements is almost certainly ok. Now things get hairy. Detach all electrical connections to the motor. DANGER DANGER Attach 230v leads to the motor leads. Turn on the 230v. If the motor works, ok. Now you are in the unenviable posion ofl looking at the control board and saying to yourself, or maybe aloud, "xxxx". Something is wrong with the electronics. If Panasonic repaired your machine under guarantee, they'd just throw your board away and stick in a new one. Think of a washing machine timer; the repair person doesn't try to fix the old one.
For a guess, and at a distance, I'd say the timer circuit is up the creek. The proofing temp doesn't last long enough. The baking heat turns on too quickly. Just a guess.
GOS, yeah!!!