DIYbanter - View Single Post - Panasonic microwave, blown inverter board transformer

Cydrome Leader

wrote:
It is all in accordance with what you want.

An "inverter" microwave modulates the output of the magnetron directly.
So, 50% setting means the magnetron is putting out 50% of its full
capacity, but all of the time. With a conventional microwave, that is
achieved by running the magnetron in duty/rest cycles. 100% for 50% of
the time 0% for 50% of the time. Inverter-based microwaves become far
more flexible and therefore far more useful.

Re Reliability: Our present Panasonic (inverter) is about 6 years old

well, panasonic does make a decent microwave oven, so this is probably the
cadillac of anything with an inverter in it. I have a hand me down
inverter panasonic. Seems to work fine, I just use the quick minute button
for anything but defrosting stuff. I still have no idea what a baked
potato button is supposed to do or why I'd want a power level of 2/10 or
anything goofy like that. My favorite interface was on the Tappan ovens
with a timer with two timing ranges, a cook/defrost switch and start and
stop buttons. The design was pure genius, and hasn't been surpassed to
this day. I also keep a 1981 samsung microwave in the museum. It has a
whopping 20 screws just to keep the plastic window and shield in the door.
No way any part on a $89 medea special will mechanically outlast this
thing.

and gets moderate use. It replaced a 16 year old multi-voltage BEAC we
purchased in Saudi, that is now still in minimal use by a neighbor in
his garage workshop. We keep our devices clean, make sure they get
enough air circulation, and, heaven forfend, even clean the vents
regularly!

Basic care-and-feeding is becoming a lost art.

I do the open up and deep clean and oil fan bearings every so many years,
but this is not something a normal consumer could or should do. BWT, the
fans in modern robo-build microwaves are truly puny garbage. I bent she
shaft of one just trying to remove the fan blades. No joke. They're really
engineered the quality out of these things.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA