OT: Free to a good home

[RandalB]

Hi all,

My 1.5 year old GE Spacemaker microwave decided to go belly up. The nice sears repairman told us that he'd charge $400 to fix it. It apparently needs a magnatron (makes microwaves?) and a diode.

Since a new microwave costs $300, I decided to replace it with a new one (and a service contract).

So, if you are handy or know someone who can fix small appliances you can have my old one for free and do what you want with it. The Magnatron is $100 and the Diode is like $25.00 for parts.

It seems kind of a shame to just pitch it into the trash. At the very least, maybe you can get a couple of bucks for it at the scrap yard.

Pickup in Cedar lake or I can bring it downtown.

If no one is interested by Monday of next week into the trash it goes.

PM or Email Rbogath@aol.com

RandalB

 

[adamjr]

Yes, a magnatron is a transformer that converts the 60 hz from your 120 to a high voltage/high frequency which causes molecular excitation. The friction of molecules rubbing quickly against each other in a short wave length produces heat which cooks food from the inside out.

I also would not suggest anyone ever attempt to repair a microwave device of any kind without the appropriate training. It is some seriously dangerous stuff.

Adam

 

[Pufferpunk]

How come food heated by a microwave, cools faster than food heated in an oven?

 

[Musho3210]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12478173#post12478173 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Pufferpunk
How come food heated by a microwave, cools faster than food heated in an oven?

cause microwaves suck

 

[adamjr]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12478173#post12478173 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Pufferpunk
How come food heated by a microwave, cools faster than food heated in an oven?

While my answer may not be as eloquent as young Musho's I will give it my best effort.

Since a microwave oven target's it's energy toward the center of the reaction chamber it is truly the core of the item that is being excited. Because of this the center of the object generates the most heat and the outer surfaces generate almost none.

Because of this once energy is no longer being applied to the object the heat dissipates in order to bring the temperatures throughout to equilibrium.

The main difference in microwave cooking and conventional cooking is where the heat is applied to the object. In a conventional oven heat is generated and surrounds the object which is heated from the outside which slowly brings up the internal temperature.

Ever notice that you cook your Thanksgiving Turkey for 4 hours in a 350 degree oven and the internal temperature is only 165 degrees? That's because the core is sinking heat away from the heat source.

A microwave oven on the other hand does not produce any heat. It excites the molecules of the object which produces heat.

If you were to set your microwave oven for max power for 10 minutes with nothing in it there will be very little heat inside. Do the same thing with a glass of water and the water will boil over about 3 to 4 minutes in. I also do not suggest attempting this experiment because running a microwave empty runs the risk of burning out the magnatron and/or diode.

 

[aiko670]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12478311#post12478311 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by adamjr
While my answer may not be as eloquent as young Musho's I will give it my best effort.

Since a microwave oven target's it's energy toward the center of the reaction chamber it is truly the core of the item that is being excited. Because of this the center of the object generates the most heat and the outer surfaces generate almost none.

Because of this once energy is no longer being applied to the object the heat dissipates in order to bring the temperatures throughout to equilibrium.

The main difference in microwave cooking and conventional cooking is where the heat is applied to the object. In a conventional oven heat is generated and surrounds the object which is heated from the outside which slowly brings up the internal temperature.

Ever notice that you cook your Thanksgiving Turkey for 4 hours in a 350 degree oven and the internal temperature is only 165 degrees? That's because the core is sinking heat away from the heat source.

A microwave oven on the other hand does not produce any heat. It excites the molecules of the object which produces heat.

If you were to set your microwave oven for max power for 10 minutes with nothing in it there will be very little heat inside. Do the same thing with a glass of water and the water will boil over about 3 to 4 minutes in. I also do not suggest attempting this experiment because running a microwave empty runs the risk of burning out the magnatron and/or diode.

Dang... Mr. Smarty Pants:lol:

 

[Pufferpunk]

It's nice to have a few smart guys & gals here!

 

[adamjr]

I guess that makes up for all the times my wife called me a dumb-arse.

Actually one of my early electronics jobs was working for a company that supplied replacement parts and technical data to Sears for appliances and electronics. When there was down time I read a lot of manuals when I was researching.

Had an electronics teacher in college that was a ham radio operator and had a ham club. A guy brought him in a prototype ham radio he built that employed a magnatron and a bunch of amplifiers. He was able to talk the guy out of trying to use it at ground level because he would more then likely have cooked himself.

A guy I worked with was a radar tech at 29 palms for the corp. They used to wait until buzzards would land on microwave radar antennas that were being serviced. Then they would turn them on and watch them explode. The intensity of the microwaves caused the moisture inside of them to instantaneously boil and they blew up.