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Modified microwave oven

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zachtheterrible said:
Hi everyone . . . Someone said that it is possible to modify a microwave oven to knock out electronics n stuf in this post: https://www.electro-tech-online.com/threads/choosing-a-crystal.6834/. I'd like to down the power level n just jam stuff. I've looked @ the net for this kind of thing but never found nething. A little help?

I think it was probably wishful thinking!, I wouldn't advice playing with microwave ovens - they are probably the only item in your house which contains truely dangerous voltages - almost certain to be fatal!.

I also wouldn't recommend operating a microwave magnetron into free air, it would be highly hazardous to your health! - it'll cook you as happily as it would a sausage 8)
 
if you put CDs in microwaves hey make a very nice lights display and if you put in wire wool it heats up and melts, add some liquid oxygen to the wire wool and run for cover! the whole thing explodes!
 
i kow it would b rather dangerous 2 my health. i'd probably put it in the middle of the field n have it work w/ remote control or somethin.
 
Microwave

Hi Zach,

Don't forget that the MW radiation is not visible and the reflections are as dangerous as the direct exposition. Under this condition your retina may receive such amount of energy that it is possible to get blind without any perception of heat or pain. So be very carefull when doing such experiments because may be another persons enough near to be injured by this invisible weapon.

Regards
 
zachtheterrible said:
..... i'd probably put it in the middle of the field n have it work w/ remote control or somethin.....

Without the tuned resonant cavity of the oven chamber loading the magnetron, you can expect it to self destruct fairly quickly. Diathermy type burns can occur to anything or anyone in the RF field, without time to react and prevent permanent damage. I would really recommend against doing these type of experiments.
 
ive been reading up on this kind of thing on the net just today. i never tried "modified microwave oven", just microwaves. ive found a wealth of information. Neways, i read about the resonant chamber and the like. I would only have it on for short periods of time. Just how big is this RF field anyways? as i mentioned earlier, i want to try and see if I can jam electronic devices, not so much destroy them ( although that would be fun), so i wont be using such high power levels.

One other thing that I was wondering about is this: is it possible to make the microwave a radio transmitter? thanx for all the help :)
 
zachtheterrible said:
ive been reading up on this kind of thing on the net just today. i never tried "modified microwave oven", just microwaves. ive found a wealth of information. Neways, i read about the resonant chamber and the like. I would only have it on for short periods of time. Just how big is this RF field anyways? as i mentioned earlier, i want to try and see if I can jam electronic devices, not so much destroy them ( although that would be fun), so i wont be using such high power levels.

They put out upwards of 650W, and you will struggle reducing that, all the power controls do on a microwave are pulse full power on and off using PWM (more correctly called 'burst fire control') - with a frequency of about 0.1Hz (10 second pulses).

But again, I seriously suggest you don't play with them, it's seriously dangerous, and you don't know what you are doing! - still, at least I don't live anywhere near :lol:

One other thing that I was wondering about is this: is it possible to make the microwave a radio transmitter? thanx for all the help :)

I understand radio amateurs have done so, as I recall there's an amateur band not too far away.
 
Thx 4 the concern guys. Trust me though, i'm not stupid enough to get hurt (sounds like famous last words, i know). I'd definately down the pwr level by reducing the actual power, not the pwr controls cuz as you mentioned nigel, the pwr controls only pulse it.
 
zachtheterrible said:
Thx 4 the concern guys. Trust me though, i'm not stupid enough to get hurt (sounds like famous last words, i know). I'd definately down the pwr level by reducing the actual power, not the pwr controls cuz as you mentioned nigel, the pwr controls only pulse it.

How are you planning to do that?.
 
Hi Zach,

I don’t think the magnetron works the way you expect! It will not even start up unless you apply enough voltage, and when you do its full throttle! So please be careful.

Ante :roll:
 
OH DEAR!! that bites. neway, what produces the 2.45 GHZ i was wunderin. Is it an oscillator that is amplified heavily? Im beginning to think that i might ditch the gun idea (for now neway) n try n make a radio w/ it. THANX :D
 
zachtheterrible said:
OH DEAR!! that bites. neway, what produces the 2.45 GHZ i was wunderin. Is it an oscillator that is amplified heavily? Im beginning to think that i might ditch the gun idea (for now neway) n try n make a radio w/ it. THANX :D

The magnetron is self oscillating, which is what makes a microwave oven such a simple device.

What use would a 2.45GHz transmitter be to you?.

In any case, there's no real difference - both require a waveguide to connect the magnetron to the outside (like the picture in the website posted above somewhere - which was really cool1). A waveguide though is a precision device, requiring accurate size and shape - presumably the book gives the construction details?.
 
mythbusters...

in the States, we have a show called "MythBusters" which are basicly mad scientists having fun on cable tv.

An older episode had them playing with microwave magnatrons.

they built a 'super' microwave using 4 magnatrons all aimed into a chamber, and switched the contraption on with a camera crew and the show host standing in the room... no one was blinded, maimed, burned or disfigured.

the unit couldn't even boil water... probably the waves were cancling each other out or something.

check out this forum, they have a video clip to download of the episode

https://forum.4hv.org/index.php?board=6;action=display;threadid=1460

if the guts of a microwave were extremely dangerous, I dont think they'd be as easy to obtain or disassemble... sure a microwave can bring a lot of energy to bare on an object placed in the oven, but without the design of the oven itself, the magnatron alone doesnt shoot out a beam of super deadly rays... just like the stories about tampering with a television can turn it into a deadly x-ray machine that will stop at nothing to kill anyone that comes near it.

the picture added by another poster shows an hid bulb being dimly lit while held directly to the emitter of the magnatron, not much energy comin out there... if that hid bulb were anywhere near full power, the camera would have needed a welding filter to take a proper picture.
 
The picture shows extreme stupidity, I really hope most of you understand that.

Ante :roll:
 
Boy, anyone who has ever worked around high frequency/high voltage must just cringe when they see a picture like that.

The guy holding the lamp is lucky to not have severe diathermy burns.
 
Re: mythbusters...

glmclell said:
if the guts of a microwave were extremely dangerous, I dont think they'd be as easy to obtain or disassemble

For a start a microwave oven provides about 2.5KV DC at high current, this is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS, and almost certainly fatal!.

Any microwave leakage caused by inexperienced tampering is also highly dangerous, hence the strict regulation of spares for microwaves. As an authorised Microwave service engineeer (in the UK) we are obliged to abide to strict regulation, and not provide spares (including fuses!) to members of the public.
 
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