Continue to Site

Eng-Tips is the largest engineering community on the Internet

Intelligent Work Forums for Engineering Professionals

  • Congratulations SE2607 on being selected by the Eng-Tips community for having the most helpful posts in the forums last week. Way to Go!

Experiment with 3500W microwave transformer

Status
Not open for further replies.

stxa

Industrial
Jun 14, 2024
5
Hi. Once I pulled from Panasonic microwave a huge transformer. And it's secondary coils had big terminals with a hole in the middle. That transformer didn't look like regular microwave transformer. It was a monster and his core was build of steel plates that had a spacing between and dielectric material in the spacing.

So. I wind a radio wire through one of the hole, over the top, like 21 time or something. And there was 30cm of wire left. The other side wasn't connected to terminal. Than I took transparent scotch tape and wrapped around that electrode about 3 times. Than took a two wire plug, connected to primary coil terminals and plugged in.

I also was holding an end of that radio wire with pliers. But while connecting the plug it slipped off.

First it was quite. And than in a few seconds a began to hear clicking noise. Noise had same rhythm. About 1 click in two second or something.

I look, and the wire escaped the pliers grip. Than I looked down to check where the noise coming from and I was surprised.


Blue dot from one electrode was flying towards the other through transparent scotch tape and disappearing right next to this radio wire. And this dot didn't even touch any of the terminals or wire. Didn't damage the transparent tape around the terminal. Just went through like there was no dielectric tape.

After observing it, I turned it off. Went to get camera, plugged it back, but was nothing. Transformer was warm, bu5 not hot. In the kitchen microwave didn't work. So I figured the circuit brakers. All was in position ON. Next day electrician showed up, changed brakers and I asked him to show me the damaged one. It was in the position ON. But, it didn't have the back part was all burned and looked like someone was chewing it and thick copper wire was shown in there as well. Electrician told me that normally when circuit braker goes off there is no electricity can pass, but according to this looks like circuit braker went OFF and there was a huge electrical current that melted the shit out of circuit braker back side and still was working untill I disconnected.

Very often I think about it, to build it again and keep it on for a longer period time. But I lost that transformer while moving.

What could it be?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Part and Inventory Search

Sponsor