Early 1970's Radar Range

[clifto]

Amana wasn't the only manufacturer to build its microwaves solidly
and to last. I have a Sharp Carousel digital microwave I bought new
seven years ago. Still works very well in daily use

I just threw out a 1977 Magic Chef with a huge interior and electronic
controls that worked wonderfully until I heated some hamburgers I didn't
realize were wrapped in foil. The small fire melted the inner ceiling
piece and the shaft for the stirrer, and I tried for a few years to find
parts to at least fix the stirrer (the inner ceiling piece was ugly but
usable). Failing that, I finally gave up and made the wife happy.

It was MUCH better than any of the other microwave ovens we've had since,
in that it did fractional heating (10-90%) by turning the magnetron in
tenths of a second, i.e. 40% heat was on 0.4 seconds, off 0.6 seconds.
This tended to heat things MUCH more nicely. The ones we've had since
tend to do garbage stuff, e.g. 40 seconds at 50% heat means it heats
for 20 seconds and runs the timer with heat off for 20 seconds. If
I wanted to heat stuff that way I could do that myself with a bang-bang
on-off controller and my kitchen clock.

 

[Homer J Simpson]

It was MUCH better than any of the other microwave ovens we've had since,
in that it did fractional heating (10-90%) by turning the magnetron in
tenths of a second, i.e. 40% heat was on 0.4 seconds, off 0.6 seconds.
This tended to heat things MUCH more nicely. The ones we've had since
tend to do garbage stuff, e.g. 40 seconds at 50% heat means it heats
for 20 seconds and runs the timer with heat off for 20 seconds. If
I wanted to heat stuff that way I could do that myself with a bang-bang
on-off controller and my kitchen clock.

The Panasonic Genius models have an SMPS that can vary the true power down
to 10%.

 

[clifto]

The Panasonic Genius models have an SMPS that can vary the true power down
to 10%.

Thanks! I'll look at one when the discretionary budget comes back up a bit.

 

[[email protected]]

UPDATE ON MY OLD RADARANGE:

I managed to get the old screws out and have installed the new rubber
seal along with the clean mica-glass and everything else to ensure a
nice clean and snug fit. After reassembling the door and turning on
the Radarange, I used an Amprobe "microwave leakage detector"
borrowed
from a friend. I honestly expected to find a small leak (at the very
least). But there were none! I guess the only thing left to do now is
to make myself a bag of popcorn. Maybe after I shine all the chrome
on
this baby!
Bryan

 

[[email protected]]

Jeff, WB8NHV wrote:

I just threw out a 1977 Magic Chef with a huge interior and electronic
controls that worked wonderfully until I heated some hamburgers I didn't

It was MUCH better than any of the other microwave ovens we've had since,
in that it did fractional heating (10-90%) by turning the magnetron in
tenths of a second, i.e. 40% heat was on 0.4 seconds, off 0.6 seconds.
This tended to heat things MUCH more nicely. The ones we've had since
tend to do garbage stuff, e.g. 40 seconds at 50% heat means it heats
for 20 seconds and runs the timer with heat off for 20 seconds. If
I wanted to heat stuff that way I could do that myself with a bang-bang
on-off controller and my kitchen clock.

why do almost none of the modern electronic controllers do it like
that? Bang bang control is no good for eclairs or souffles.


NT

 

[[email protected]]

UPDATE ON MY OLD RADARANGE:

I managed to get the old screws out and have installed the new rubber
seal along with the clean mica-glass and everything else to ensure a
nice clean and snug fit. After reassembling the door and turning on
the Radarange, I used an Amprobe "microwave leakage detector"
borrowed
from a friend. I honestly expected to find a small leak (at the very
least). But there were none! I guess the only thing left to do now is
to make myself a bag of popcorn. Maybe after I shine all the chrome
on
this baby!
Bryan

There are a lot of useless microwave leakage detectors on the market
over here, simply because theres no need for them to work. Your old
rubber sealed machine is an unusual exception to that.


NT

 

[Chris Jones]

UPDATE ON MY OLD RADARANGE:

I managed to get the old screws out and have installed the new rubber
seal along with the clean mica-glass and everything else to ensure a
nice clean and snug fit. After reassembling the door and turning on
the Radarange, I used an Amprobe "microwave leakage detector"
borrowed
from a friend. I honestly expected to find a small leak (at the very
least). But there were none! I guess the only thing left to do now is
to make myself a bag of popcorn. Maybe after I shine all the chrome
on
this baby!
Bryan

I would not trust a meter that said there was no leak at all, unless I had
tested it. (if it is a LED type go/no-go then it may be blown up)

If you have a meter made with a diode (e.g. HSMS-2822) and a moving-coil
meter then it should show some level of leakage from even a quite good
microwave oven, and you should certainly see a reaction near a mobile phone
(cellphone) that is transmitting. That way you would know that the meter
has not been destroyed by e.g. being put inside the oven.

Chris

 

[**THE-RFI-EMI-GUY**]

Were those ranges 915 MHz or 2.4 GHz. If the former, a consumer grade
tester may not be tuned to detect anything at all.

[email protected] wrote:




I would not trust a meter that said there was no leak at all, unless I had
tested it. (if it is a LED type go/no-go then it may be blown up)

If you have a meter made with a diode (e.g. HSMS-2822) and a moving-coil
meter then it should show some level of leakage from even a quite good
microwave oven, and you should certainly see a reaction near a mobile phone
(cellphone) that is transmitting. That way you would know that the meter
has not been destroyed by e.g. being put inside the oven.

Chris

--
Joe Leikhim K4SAT
"The RFI-EMI-GUY"©

"Treason doth never prosper: what's the reason?
For if it prosper, none dare call it treason."

"Follow The Money" ;-P