My LG 24 in LDS 5811 ww quite working in the middle of a cycle. I have power to the machine, but no lights come on, nothing works. I turned off the power and removed the front pannel. The large brown wire and large orange wire that are plugged into the back of the control panel start to smoke. So does the large black wire and the large white wire. Any ideas, is this the heater or is the panel bad?

Check all sensors / latches on the door and frame. If they are not aligned or if there is any debris this could cause the dishwasher to not start but to still have power.

First check whether inlet water is OK. Just for a trial manually pour water in the wash chamber without overflowing, to avoid spillage on your floor.

Run a empty cycle. If it works & drains check the inlet flow up to the pump, inside the machine.

Washers do not have a thermal fuse that is dryers. More than likely the washer control panel is defective, have a tech come out and confirm that.

Some newer d/w have a lockout feature to prevent littles from turning it on, often the kiddos accidentally activate the lockout during their explorations. Any chance it's locked?

Also, I believe this type of unit has an adjustable seal at the bottom of the door that rubs on the bottom of the tub. You may need to pull this down a little to solve your leak.

Please look one more time. The LG LDS 5811 dishwasher error codes are:

IE Error
OE Error
FE Error
E1 Error
HE Error
tE Error

It would also be helpful to know what happens when this error code displays. Please post back here, OK?

Thanks.

There are two black plastic covers on the front of the base of the machine, it is easy enough to get a sponge in and mop out the sump when it happens. The covers are hard to flip out, but a simple modification with a file has made them more readily removable for mopping out. That's nearly as easy as emptying a drip dray.
The level sensor that causes the E4 error. Its at the middle front of the sump pan, and consists of a polystyrene foam float that trips a micro switch. it only needed a small (say 3mm) movement to operate.All back in place and will work again.

The LG 5811 dishwasher would display the error "tE" if the thermistor has failed. Not seeing an error could mean that the controller card (PCB) has failed. Hard to tell if the heating element has failed or wiring has shorted.
To look a little further, you can see (but not remove) the heating element by removing the filter in the sump area beneath the bottom rack. Disconnect dishwasher from power first and inspect for obvious failure of element.
Gaining access to the heating element is very complicated on the LG units. You have to drop the entire sump unit after turning the dishwasher over on its top.
Recommend a service call.

I see you meant to say LDS 5811BB in your message,. The User manual and a relevant installation Guide is posted in the All Products / LG / 24in LDS 5811 Build-in Dishwasher section (click on the link above and scroll down to the manual and Guide area. OK?

powder works best in d/w. breaks down better in hot water application.

One of 2 things is wrong.  Either the direction solenoid has failed is not cycling the water between the upper and lower wash blades or the control board that controls it has failed.  You will need a qualified LG technician to diagnose and repair the problem.