On 12/17/2012 11:28 AM, John Keiser wrote:
I agree with Mike: use common sense and due caution. I've fixed many
microwaves and never seen a dead magnetron. Diode [cheap] has been the most
common failure. More irksome is a dead control panel. [I have a 30 year old
Toshiba going strong with a sturdy dial timer.] I'd stay away from the
Panasonic "inverter" models as there is no reason [unless you care about
weight savings from not having a heavy transformer] to over-complicate these
simple circuits with an inverter.

Inverter should let you have continuous power control.

I cheaped out when I replaced mine and didn't get an inverter. I regret
that decision.

It has 3X the power of the old one. And the 15-second on-time is
way too long for power regulation on small loads.