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Blocking Sound From a Piezo

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Not havng seen this Microwave, but suspect it may be a transducer that is attached to the panel, making it difficult to do anything. (without internal access, for example),
Other posters have suggested non-reversible solutions, but if it's not your property that isn't a sensible solution.
+You could try leaving a Radio on - the piezo is disturbing your peace, so a radio will raise the ambient noise-level.

If there is a small sounder visible - can Mr Al describe it?
 
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Hi,

A radio is a good idea, but in this case the problem is worse during late night hours when we dont want any noise of any kind.

Yes the piezo is visible and mounted vertically on the PC board. It's in a little black case with a hole in one side and the other side is completely open so you can see the piezo element (strange). There are two leads.
 
Make an envelope, out of thick felt or other sound-absorbent material, to slip over it?
 
Hi alec,

Yes perhaps, im not sure which way is best yet so i guess some experimentation will have to be done.
Dang, the dynamic beepers are so much easier to prevent from sounding. A toothpick or something works great.
Oh yeah i used the magnet trick on a PC beeper one time. That was dynamic too though.
 
Go to the hardware store, and buy yourself a pair of these.
View attachment 64579

They work incredibly well for hearing protection at high frequency, just cut them to fit over the piezo and secure with some tape. Nothing will completely prevent it from being heard though, at least nothing non-destructive.
 
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Does that work on annoying wives?? :eek:

That reminds me of an application of Duct Tape. It is reversible. But, cannot gaurantee a relationship surviving. ;)
 
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I actually don't like Duct tape anymore, same thing with common masking tape, because common varieties have an adhesive that becomes gooy and less strong over time. Quick fixes yes, but if you want something that's doesn't involve adhesives just use zip tie's. They last forever and are a pair of wire clippers away from removal.
 
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Hi,

Yeah i lost some of my liking of duct tape too when i found out that very thing. The glue turns into a sticky mess.
I had a wallet once that busted at the seams and it was an expensive wallet and didnt feel like running out to find another one just yet so i grabbed the 'handy' duct tape and used a few lengths to seal up the seams. What a mistake that was.

What happens is the glue acts like a flow stream that exists between the tape plastic and the work piece (in this case a wallet), and the problem is the glue doesnt dry so it stays wet and allows the tape top plastic to 'slide' or drift sideways, which exposes some of the glue underneath. I cant stress more what a friggin' mess that makes. After about two weeks the wallet was so sticky i had to start scraping the glue off with a sharp knife. After a week of that i ran out and bought a new wallet, only to find that they dont seem to sell wallets that big anymore (but that's another story).

So the bottom line is that the top part of the tape (which is plastic or something) drifts sideways over time (a week, two weeks, a little more depending on temperature) and that exposes the glue underneath and that is sticky stuff. The only way i got it off was to scrap it and use some alcohol.

It also has a tendency to drift apart if you wrap it around something that can push on the tape keeping it in constant outward stress. It takes a while, but the tape drifts and loosens up and exposes at least some glue.

Scead thanks for bringing this up again as i almost forgot about that little duct tape problem.
 
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Does the goo matter for this particular use? Any dust/fluff around will attach to the glue and act as extra sound-damping material :).
 
Hi alec,

Yeah, he he, that would actually help.

The real problem comes in when you find out it is falling off because of heat or stress. Then you have to get the goo off in order to fix it right :)
 
Hot melt glue is good stuff, it's basically a stable plastic with a low melt point. Lots of commercial devices like portable HiFis etc have wiring held down with hot glue and it lasts for the lifetime of the device, no movement no failure. Silicone is also reliable but can be acidic if the wrong type and has a longer cure time etc. The hot glue is done in seconds and will never change.
 
Hi,

Yes i like hot glue too where temperature isnt a concern. I have found it to be a good electrical insulator but i noticed that it can crack under stress.
 
Use lower temperature hot glue, any hot glue at very low temperatures is brittle as glass.
 
I think the issue is whether Op can attack this wretched thing and still make it "Good as New" sometime later... To eliminate noise the sounder needs to be covered with something heavy - duct-tape or similar will vibrate with the piezo and the sound will remain.

Have you access to a lathe? You could make a snug-fitting cap in steel/brass and as others have suggested a ty-wrap would help secure it. Or, if you are skillful: an internal O-ring may provide enough retention while not allow sound to leak past (or through). The sleeve should fit with no more than 5 thou (in) gap. Note this may not work if it's inside the microwave area - I presume it's in the non-mucrowave area.

Another mad-thought (Warning!) is to short out the sounder with a few twists of thin copper wire. The logic is that it will be driven by a cmos driver which should be inherently s/c proof and as the sounder only beeps rarely, the cicuit is normally inactive.Of course, if the drive is transistor, ot TTL then you'll probably blow the op device . . . whether this makes if inoperative remains to be heard.
 
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Hi,

I guess i didnt want it to get too complicated, and also reversible just in case what i end up doing doesnt work good enough and has to be removed. For example, i can fill the interior with hot glue but if the hot glue vibrates too much it will still sound, and how loud it will be is hard to predict. Perhaps what i should do is experiment with another piezo not the oven piezo and see if i could get that to shut up. IF hot glue works, i just might do that. If not, i could always peek it off because i'll have the piezo out where it can be played around with no problem. The one in the over is in a confined area, maybe i couldnt even get the hot glue gun nozzle to squirt into the other side, the open side. The side on the right has a small hole, the side on the left is completely open, but the side on the left is hard to get too or even view without a small inspection mirror.
 
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