SWMBO'd would not have a microwave 25 years ago. Anyways, one day she called me at work to say that we would be having a second child. Without her approval, I went out and bought a microwave. With the workload I had and commuting, it made sure that I could at least have a warm meal! These days, she uses the thing with no thought about previous concerns!
The first one cost about £400 in 1979. I bought the equivalent replacement gizmo in about 2000 for just over £100! (Ignoring inflation).
Maybe the diode, some of them will always show open on some meters. Hope that fixes it though. I used to work on the things back in the early 70's for about 5 years doing Amana warranty work and then off and on until the late 80's. Dont think Rat Shack has the part. Let me know if they do.
There's no silicon in silicone!!! I feel as if I caught my wife cheating on me. Sure, she never said she woudln't, but I assumed it.
Whew, you had me scared, but silicon is an essential ingredient in silicones. As well as H, C, and O, and other things like Cl at times.
What are you like?
Yeah, I know about all that stuff, but thanks for the warning. If I have to touch a CRT, I'm careful to discharge it first.
I did get what I think was a 2000 volt shock once. I don't know how. I was being careful. I didn't fall over or anything. I think my other hand was 3 feet away. Either fear or the shock itself sent me falling 6 feet back and I dislocated my shoulder for the first time in about 10 years.** Then it came out a lot, within a year there was a
4-day period that it came out 3 times. But I had already started looking for a doctor, and a month later I had it fixed and it hasn't been out in 32 years. I can't sleep on my belly with my arm over my head anymore, though.
So I too am trying hard to avoid a shock. I don't touch anything when I put the silicone on, let it dry for a day, and don't touch anything when the tv is on.
**(I had dislocated it about 8 times prior to that, but then I got a job that required hard work, and I guess my increased muscle tone held my arm in place.)
Yes, most high voltage diodes will not test well with your average multi meter. I used my capacitor tester to check one once. Set it on leakage test with the voltage set at 650VDC. Now if you have a little handheld capacitor tester, that still isn't going to help. You need one that puts out realistic test voltages.
In my limited experience with microwave ovens, (about 5 times) the problem was always a bad micro switch or two.
Diodes SHOULD read about 2K ohms if checked one way, and reverse the leads, and should read infinity. I dare say that's likely the problem. The diodes I've seen have been
12.5 KV rated, so they might be more available at appliance parts.
Radio Shack does not have the part. No one has the part locally. GE will sell it for $42. I am hesitant to purchase it because after I went back and checked it again with power on this time I am only getting 6.6 V at the main side of the transformer instead of 120 V. Now I am not so sure about the diode, especially after some of the other comments regarding a high voltage diode.
Well, we finally broke down and ordered the GE Spacemaker II off the web. It is the exact replacement model of what we have now and will fit perfectly in the allotted space. There was no sense in ordering a part, waiting 1-2 weeks for it and finding out it wasn't the problem. This way everyone is happy except for my wallet!
The $ 42 sure sounds high for a diode. They were on line from less than $ 5 to $ 15. I don't know about the quality of the under $ 100 microwaves, but would get one of them before trying to repair a microwave. Seems that most things under $ 500 are throw away now the way the parts cost to repair them.
I think the one you have may be in the $ 200 to $ 300 range as it seems to be one that hangs under the counter. They do cost more and may be the only kind you want. I think I have had 2 microwaves at the house in many years. One was a Litton that the timer gave up and about that time my mother passed away so I got the one she had. It is a GE. Not sure how old it was when she had it. Both of them are large inside, not the sandwich heater size.
Sounds like what my mother said. Mother was an excellent cook. She did not want one. The dad got her one and she would not do without it before she died.
Moving on a slightly different tack, a friend of mine used to ridicule me for having a cell phone years ago. I had a busy career at the time involving conversations with folk in various time zones.
One Christmas, his partner bought him a toy cell phone which really wound him up!
Today when we meet up at the pub, he is the first to pull out the phone and consult the Stock Market!
I have four brothers and four sisters. Mom went through ten pregnancies in 20 years before Dad took her down and got her spayed. He said enough of that! Imagine growing up in a literal litter of puppies. Pun intended. We didn't have to worry about a microwave, being put on a spit over hot coals was more of a threat.
"Ralph Mowery" wrote in news:OcidnY4BuPSjnMjWnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@earthlink.com:
could be a bad overtemp monitor(thermal cutout) or "flame sensor". both are in line with the transformer.
the college students around here throw them away the end of every semester. I suspect most are functioning,too.
About 8 years ago,my MW died,and I bought a new HV cap and HV diode for $25 from a local appliance repair store. The HV cap had blown,I replaced the diode just in case,and it's been working fine ever since. Sharp brand.
Here's a way to test the HV diodes in a microwave. Don't kill yourself. I'm not sure if 6 volts would work with a color TV HV diode since they go up over 35,000 volts
That site reads, in part, "Testing the HV diode requires an ohm meter with at least a 6 volt battery in order to accurately measure the front to back resistance of the diode. Meters with insufficient battery power may read infinite resistance (open) in each direction, mistakenly showing a good diode as being open."
It also reads; "IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION: Microwave ovens are among the most dangerous appliances to work on. Before attempting any troubleshooting, testing or repairs, for your personal safety, we strongly urge you to carefully read the very important safety precautions found by clicking here and Please read our disclaimer at the bottom of this page.
Please be very careful. A microwave oven is essentially a 1000 watt transmitter in a metal box. With DC voltages up to 5000 volts at amperage that can easily kill. Also microwave radiation at wavelength of about 13 centimetres (approx. 5 inches) that can cook meat, including you. And fry human eyeballs .............. cataracts anyone!
More often we have found defective door micro-switches and faulty over- heat devices and or the magnetrons themsleves are reason for not working. Yesterday saw microwaves for sale in super market for $49!
I read it wrong, and didn't read the whole thing. I thought they were putting a 6 volt battery in series with the diode. Enough to get past the forward voltage drop of a high voltage diode.
The 6.6v is probably the filament winding for the magnetron. There is another secondary for the high voltage, usually followed by some sort of voltage double circuitry.
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