paper shredder repair?

[Gordon Henderson]

We bought a cross-cut shredder from Tescos (I think) for some silly low price (like a tenner) and it has a CD slot. Only tried it once as a curiosity and it worked well!

Gordon

[The Natural Philosopher]

IME CDs can be nuked easier than writable CD media

[The Natural Philosopher]

Absolute bullshit.

You simply dont understand: you are rapidly heating the conductive metallisation which arcs and splits apart without even getting the plastic hot.

It uses the properties of the microwave to put heat into conductors, not into plastics. A couple of seconds is all it takes and there is no plastic melting or fumes.

No,. they do it the way descrued

Crazy, when there are shredders

No, using a microwave you already have on full power for a few seconds is far cheaper, faster, uses less energy, creates no fumes and leaves you with neat disposable platters totally undamaged except inside in the data later itself

[whisky-dave]

I always thought that doing such things in a microwave could damage the oven. As your'e not mean to put matalic objects in them, well I guess tehre's not much metal on 1 CD.

or a good night in the pub.

Maybe it's just fun to nuke CD's

[MM]

'Cooking' CDs in a microwave is like using a dishwasher to cook fish. Risible. Maybe these folks just bang screws in with a hammer if they don't own a screwdriver.

MM

[Lieutenant Scott]

Does anyone know if you can bust a microwave if there is nothing (or not much to absorb like water) in it? Will it overheat as there's several hundred watts of microwaves with nowhere to go but the dummy load in the magnetron?

[MM]

to absorb like water) in it? Will it overheat as there's several hundred watts of microwaves with nowhere to go but the dummy load in the magnetron?

Don't worry! These people will just buy another microwave, then another... and so on... Still, I suppose this group IS d-i-y, so some people will try anything! From the web:

"The vapors or fumes released from most DVD's and CD's while microwaving them are TOXIC. Do not do the above unless you have a spare microwave, as the fumes can attach to the walls of the microwave, or cling to your food."

MM

[Huge]

to absorb like water) in it? Will it overheat as there's several hundred watts of microwaves with nowhere to go but the dummy load in the magnetron?

Bored now.

*plonk*

[MM]

to absorb like water) in it? Will it overheat as there's several hundred watts of microwaves with nowhere to go but the dummy load in the magnetron?

You're bored, yet you come on here and TELL us? That's not a sign of being bored, you know!

MM

[The Natural Philosopher]

to absorb like water) in it? Will it overheat as there's several hundred watts of microwaves with nowhere to go but the dummy load in the magnetron?

No that's from your earlier posting and of course is simply wrong.

That its now reached the web via google groups is of course just another example of how to get a total lie into every search engine on the planet in a couple of days.

[MM]

much to absorb like water) in it? Will it overheat as there's several hundred watts of microwaves with nowhere to go but the dummy load in the magnetron?

Oh, just Google, will ya! (Gawd, it's like trying to talk to a baby...)

MM

[Lieutenant Scott]

to absorb like water) in it? Will it overheat as there's several hundred watts of microwaves with nowhere to go but the dummy load in the magnetron?

If they were that dangerous, there would be a "DANGER DO NOT LICK" sticker on them. Or "NOT SUITABLE FOR UNDER 3 YEAR OLDS".

[Andrew Gabriel]

to absorb like water) in it? Will it overheat as there's several hundred watts of microwaves with nowhere to go but the dummy load in the magnetron?

The amplitude of the standing wave will rapidly increase until the air breaks down and you get arcing somewhere in the oven.

I know two people who quickly wrecked their ovens by doing this - no more heating. I guess the magnetron was wrecked, but I don't know the mechanism that kills it when this happens.

I might speculate that the large standing wave could kill the self oscillation in the magnetron, in which case its power output as heat (instead of microwaves) could increase by a factor of 3, and that might rapidly melt some of its innards, which are shaped into tuned cavities. Just guessing though.

[The Natural Philosopher]

to absorb like water) in it? Will it overheat as there's several hundred watts of microwaves with nowhere to go but the dummy load in the magnetron?

I do it all the time: None of that happens. I am always taking the food out before the timer finishes and then shutting the door on an empty microwave. Nothig happens, nor is there a warning not to do it.

I therefore conclude that the waveguides and magnetrons are desinged not to draw power when the effective endpoint load is a pure reflection. It can be done although I forget how.

But IIRC the actual 'anode current' (as it were ) of the magnetron will very according to whether or not its matched into the load properly - if it isn't, the current drops.

I am not sure that's how a magnetron behaves... but I was never that interested in radar and magnetrons and its been a long time..

[Lieutenant Scott]

much to absorb like water) in it? Will it overheat as there's several hundred watts of microwaves with nowhere to go but the dummy load in the magnetron?

How long have you left it on for though? When I do that I turn it off again within a few seconds. What if you left it on while you ate your dinner?

[Dave Liquorice]

It restarts automatically when the the door closes? Ours doesn't you have to press START again.

There were certainly warnings on early microwave ovens about not running them with nothing in them. Perhaps modern ones are more robust and/or protected?

[geoff]

In message , MM writes

Oh do let up you wet old fart