How to Replace the PC Board on a Wine Cooler

The PC board is responsible for distributing power to the cooling kit, digital display, and the LED light inside a thermoelectric wine cooler. If your fan won’t turn on, the display won’t light up, and the light won’t power on, the most likely cause is a faulty PC board. Fortunately, replacing a PC board is straightforward and relatively easy. All it takes is a few minutes and a few basic tools.

1. Philips Head Screwdriver
2. Power Drill
3. Wire Cutters
4. 18-Gauge Wire Strippers
5. Electrical Crimps
6. Wire Crimper
7. Zip Ties
8. How to Begin

Unplug the unit and remove the back panel. Start with the bottom screws, which have been set back beneath the wine cabinet. Then remove the remaining screws on the top and sides of the panel.

The PC board is located beneath the cooling kit. Single zone wine coolers have one and dual zone wine coolers have two.

To make sure it’s the PC board that’s the problem, not the cooler’s internal wiring, you’ll want to check the green light on the front of the board. It’s located on the the right side of the PC board, above the magnet. If it’s even just flickering, it’s still working. If it doesn’t, it’s dead and needs to be replaced.

After checking the light, make sure you unplug the cooler again before proceeding any further.

The PC board is connected to the cooler’s electrical components with a bundle of wires held in place by a zip tie. Cut the zip tie and unravel the wires.

Then disconnect the wires one at a time, to keep track of where they belong. Once you’ve done that, cut the two wires connecting the PC board to the cooling kit. The wires are red and black. Before you cut them, make sure to leave enough slack to connect them to the new board. Then unscrew the old board and set it aside.

Before you pick up the new PC board, ground yourself by touching something made of metal. This dispels any static electricity that has built up on your person and prevent it from damaging the board’s circuitry. Then take the new board and screw the new board into place. It should always be installed with the clips on the same side as the wires.

Connect the wires to the appropriate slots: the external fan cable (white clip on the bottom right corner), the internal fan (with the red clip), and the lights/display cable (white vertical clip above the internal fan cable). The newer models will not have an NTC1 cable. If you have an older model, just leave the NCT1 cable hanging loose.

Use the wire strippers to expose the internal cables on the wires from both the cooling kit and PC board.

Once the wires have been stripped, connect them using a crimp. Twist the end of the wire a few times, to help ensure it makes a proper connection. Then slide the crimp over one of the wires. They connect red to red, black to black.

Once the crimp’s in place, seal it shut by squeezing it with the wire crimper.

Gently tug on the crimp to make sure the wire doesn’t come out. Then slide the matching wire into the other side of the crimp and seal it shut as well. Tug to make sure it’s securely fastened, then repeat for the other set of wires.

After you’ve finished splicing the wires, bundle them together with the other cables using a zip tie (make sure you cut off the excess). Finally, connect the power cable to its clip on the top left of the PC board.

Test the board by plugging in the cooler. If the green light comes on, the cooler has been properly installed.

You can double check the board by turning on the LED light, raising or lowering the temperature, and changing the display from Fahrenheit to Celsius.

Replace the back panel and screw it into place, starting with the top and gradually working your way down to the bottom.

Once the panel is securely in place, the cooler is ready to store wine again.