RadarRange problem... need advice!

[firedome]

out late '70s TouchMatic II has been acting a bit flukey lately, the number pads especially, and yesterday I tried to warm a jar of beets, it makes more of a buzzing sound, the fan isn't blowing air out, and it doesn't appear to be cooking, worse the door won't open and those beets are still inside!! The electronics were rebuilt/re-capped a couple years ago. Help! Any way to open it manually?

 

[firedome]

Help!!

free the beets! ... Amana RadarRange experts... cadman, anyone?

 

[philr]

If it's already disconnected and you can remove the control panel (it's held there by hex screws). Maybe you can free the solenoid that locks the door?

 

[cadman]

Hey Roger,

Just saw this. Okay, with power removed that door should open with some jiggling. If not, pull the control panel like Phil says, and you'll see the solenoid midway up on the left, you should be able to mess with it to get the catch to release.

If the numberpad/display has been going erratic, you've got a power supply issue which could again point to caps- is it possible all of them weren't replaced? Or perhaps one is simply defective. The fact that the fan isn't working also indicates low-v to the relay. I suppose it could be a bad xformer but I've yet to see one fail on an RR-10/10A. -C

 

[philr]

BTW, my RR-10/RR-10A (a mix of both!) made strange banging noises when I cooked beets (for a longer than usual time) in it a few days ago. I stopped it and it's been fine since! I have no idea what this was! The display was fine, it just made that loud noise for a few seconds before I manually stopped it. 

 

 

 

[firedome]

Cory...

The actual model is RRL-9TA, Touchmatic. I love this microwave, the clean modern look and everything about how it works... don't want to junk it!

Got the side panel off, was able to open the door by opening the side panel and sticking in a long screwdriver and jiggling the spring loaded door lock lever.. beets now liberated and eaten tonight after being heated in my crappy late '80s Toshiba we dragged back out of the basement!

Symnptoms: flakey number pads, blower fan inop, noise but no heating on "Cook", at end of cycle door solenoid inop. PS issue? but possible touch control panel issue?

BTW I'm listening to WSUI Iowa City as I type, Dear Daughter used to live in IC and I like IPR!

 

[cfz2882]

does kinda sound like a bad or disconnected filter cap in the power supply could be the cause-that could cause the display to go wonky,turning on and off 60 hz Bad filter cap sure caused a funky picture with my 1981 RCA garage TV...

 

[philr]

Roger, the RRL-9TA is the one you cooked beets in? I thought you were talking about two different microwave ovens! I just re-read your emails and I figured!

 

Did the fan stop before it failed?

 

[firedome]

RRL-9TA,,,

is the only RR we have, the tinny Toshiba is it's predecessor, now being used in the lurch.

The fan, cooking, and everything else worked fine up until this last episode, only the touch screen number inputs were flaky, they sometime took a few tries to work, but always did in the end. Wish I had a service manual.. does such a thing exist?

 

[firedome]

as to confusion of RR models...

it was entirely mine, I was thinking TouchMatic II, going entirely from memory, a dangerous thing to do at 65.