Still Dead Microwave

[spin-cycle]

hi,
It sounds like you are not interested in doing the repair yourself?

If are going to repair yourself (you have some mechanical and electrical/electronic experience)

I suggest you be clear about that and say so.



For those that are getting into microwaves, there is typically a high voltage capacitor, - safety issue !

These are usually with a slow self discharge resistor, which you should never trust.

Treat it with respect! It typically can have approx 2,500 volts on it when charged.



If it has touch pad it could be the board that interfaces with the touch pad.

Small low voltage capacitors can be an issue with age.

Are you getting into this yourself?

 

[normadesmond]

I wrote earlier that I have no electronic repair skills and yes, I became aware of the resistor long ago & realize one could kill oneself. I did replace a fuse years back which went well. I do believe this problem is the touch pad since I can set the clock but little else. I've been hoping that there was a talented person, in my vicinity, who tackled repair on vintage appliances.

 

[spin-cycle]

Sorry, I got distracted and missed that.
Able to set clock tells us something, if you tried to actually use the microwave (with a cup of water inside) what will it do? Would it go through the motions but not actually heat the water? more detailed info perhaps could help steer you in the right direction.

 

[phillymatt53]

That's a very nice one! I've always liked Sharp Carousels, even better than Panasonic microwaves since I'm a huge fan of Panasonic myself in general.

Nice to know!
So am I!
I've got a couple of nice portable Panasonic radios from the 60's and 70s'

For a tease, here's my immaculate 1980 Panasonic "Platinum Series" boombox.
Originally sold for about $450 in 1980, and they're now selling for $1000.00
The thing weighs a ton for a "portable"
It's no wonder that people carried them on their shoulders!
By the way, that shelf its on is 2 feet wide.

 

[panasonicvac]

That's a very nice one, an oldie but goodie! I grew up with a ton of Panasonic products. TVs', cameras, phones, microwaves, a video game console, and my personal favorite are their vacuum cleaners. I have a big collection of not just Panasonic vacuums but also I have Kenmore vacuums that were made by Panasonic as well. Such a shame they exited the market, at least because of them there are alot of vacuums that basically either copied or took inspiration of their designs. Even Sharp thought that Panasonic was a genius so they once made their own vacuums like Panasonic, I own a few of them myself.

 

[normadesmond]

Sorry, I got distracted and missed that.
Able to set clock tells us something, if you tried to actually use the microwave (with a cup of water inside) what will it do? Would it go through the motions but not actually heat the water? more detailed info perhaps could help steer you in the right direction.

I can set the clock, but that's all. I can enter time, but pressing POWER SELECT or START does nothing.

 

[phillymatt53]

I can set the clock, but that's all. I can enter time, but pressing POWER SELECT or START does nothing.

I'm tellin' you that it is a problem with the electronics and/or the keypad.
And the keypad membrane itself is not replaceable or stocked for something that old.
I've had those old microwaves in the shop years ago, to know what I'm talking about.

This thread can continue into next year with if's and's, or what-if's. - the speculations are endless.

 

[normadesmond]

I'm tellin' you that it is a problem with the electronics and/or the keypad.
And the keypad membrane itself is not replaceable or stocked for something that old.
I've had those old microwaves in the shop years ago, to know what I'm talking about.

This thread can continue into next year with if's and's, or what-if's. - the speculations are endless.

Thank you. I know it's hopeless, but it never hurts to ask.

 

[combo52]

It’s not likely the control panel or membrane. It’s most likely a door switch or door switch wiring.

I have worked on more microwaves than any of you guys have seen probably well over 1000. I started in 1978 working for a company that did microwave oven service. We ran all over the city servicing Toshiba Litton, and Amana microwaves and then whirlpool And GE microwave ovens after whirlpool and GE came out with microwaves.

This is where I developed a Love for the micro thermal ovens that GE came out with first and Lyton and Thermidor started building a lot of of them as well.

In any event, I seriously doubt this is a difficult fix this of yours.

John L

 

[pstehle]

I can set the clock, but that's all. I can enter time, but pressing POWER SELECT or START does nothing.

Yeah, then it's almost certainly an issue with the control board. I guess there might be some models out there that require the interlock switches to be in the correct state before you can enter a command, but most likely it's the board. Probably fairly expensive if you can get it at all.

 

[appledude1]

I wrote earlier that I have no electronic repair skills and yes, I became aware of the resistor long ago & realize one could kill oneself. I did replace a fuse years back which went well. I do believe this problem is the touch pad since I can set the clock but little else. I've been hoping that there was a talented person, in my vicinity, who tackled repair on vintage appliances.

Perhaps even a place that fixes electrical stuff like touch screens could do this - I have books on microwave repair, the repair person should be able to easily read even on forums how to safely discharge the electricity in the microwave before working on it, and I would unplug it for all time now until you take it in, though microwaves can store electricity for a long time. It may be you don't need a great vintage microwave person (though I would try to find one) for a repair like that - fix it shops that work on cell phones, other electronic items may be able to fix the touchscreen - when you watch video's on repair people repairing "unfixable" tv's and stuff - often the problem is a circuit trace, capacitor, bad solder, things that can easily be fixed with a little know how and observation. I am still looking for a vintage Amana Radarange familiar repairperson in San Diego, CA area to check over my RR3 I bought, service it a bit, and replace a light bulb socket -

 

[combo52]

I’m glad you guys aren’t trying to repair my microwave

There is no evidence that the touchscreen is faulty in any way it seems to program fine. This is just a bad door switch or wire connection maybe a bad relay.

John L

 

[phillymatt53]

I’m glad you guys aren’t trying to repair my microwave

There is no evidence that the touchscreen is faulty in any way it seems to program fine. This is just a bad door switch or wire connection maybe a bad relay.

John L

Out of the many microwaves that came into my shop over the decades the main problem was in the touchpads.
A "partial" section of the pad failed, and had to be replaced since it was not a serviceable part.
People tended to press too hard on them and mashed the conducting film, eventually causing failure.
The same style touchpads were used in TV sets back then.... Zenith was one, and also prone to failures.