Kenwood TT270 (2-slice with warming rack)
Doesn't engage when lowered.

JM, January 2010

My toaster does not even work when i forcefully put the lever down so that those contacts can touch each other which provide voltage to heating element. The toaster relies on the same principle u talked about. I have opened up the casing, nothing seems to be burnt or so. I m wondering what cud be the issue. Is it the IC?

Can i get the toaster working by shorting the yellow and red wires (these wires provide power to timer board), so that the heating element always work at full. Kindly let me know any way out.

Kenwood TT820 (4-slice with warming rack)

Talha, June 2010

If this is like mine it has a red LED which should come on while it is toasting, it didn't.
It is held down, not mechanically, but by an electro magnet. The problem was that the power to operate the electronics is drawn off a section of the heating element but the connection was duff,although the element got hot if I held the lever down. I could see no way of making this good.
My cure to the problem, which should only be undertaken if you know about the dangers of mains electricity, was to fit a 24 V 100ma transformer inside the case at the back. Wire the primary across the heating element and the secondaries to replace the power to the timer board. Works fine.
But please please take care and only do this if you are competent, and can be sure it is the same problem. I used an isolating transformer when I was analysing the fault for my safety.

Ken J H, January 2010