Microwave oven losing power?

a

It is not the timer - that dispay. The high voltage transformer is fairly robust too. My second choice is the magnetron is decaying, but my first choice is that there is a big metal can capacitor inside that acts as a voltage doubler, and with age capacitors often start to play up and may leak voltage so the doubler is not doubling.

You need a high voltage probe on a meter, as the voltage is can be 2000v to about 4000v. If the capacitor is not leaking, then the magnetron will probably need replacing, but you may get away with an extra wire turn on the low voltage heater coil on the transformer, so you get more than 6.3v on the heater.

If you do not know what you are doing, and how to handle high voltage, the words 'instant death' come to mind.

Biggus_Dickus

a said:

It is not the timer - that dispay. The high voltage transformer is fairly robust too. My second choice is the magnetron is decaying, but my first choice is that there is a big metal can capacitor inside that acts as a voltage doubler, and with age capacitors often start to play up and may leak voltage so the doubler is not doubling.

You need a high voltage probe on a meter, as the voltage is can be 2000v to about 4000v. If the capacitor is not leaking, then the magnetron will probably need replacing, but you may get away with an extra wire turn on the low voltage heater coil on the transformer, so you get more than 6.3v on the heater.

If you do not know what you are doing, and how to handle high voltage, the words 'instant death' come to mind.

...I’ve inadvertently handled high voltage once or twice over the years and I’ll be the first to admit I’m not very good at it. 

Were_Doomed

High voltage per se isn't the problem ... did you not touch the ball on a Van de Graf generator during Science class in school? Depending on the model it could be anywhere between 20KV and 50KV ... it's the current that can accompany it that's the problem. (Current kills, not Voltage - but high voltage has the greater likelihood of being able source sufficient current to be lethal).

Biggus_Dickus

Were_Doomed said:

High voltage per se isn't the problem ... did you not touch the ball on a Van de Graf generator during Science class in school? Depending on the model it could be anywhere between 20KV and 50KV ... it's the current that can accompany it that's the problem. (Current kills, not Voltage - but high voltage has the greater likelihood of being able source sufficient current to be lethal).

The Van de Graaff generator hadn’t even been invented when I went to school.   

forgotmyname

Biggus_Dickus said:

The Van de Graaff generator hadn’t even been invented when I went to school.   

Electricity???  Witchcraft I tell you.....   It does not exist.