Our microwave quit working several years ago and while at a local hardware store I asked if they carried microwaves because ours had died. He asked if I had checked the fuse in the microwave. I told him I didn't realize there was one. He proceeded to show me replacement cartridge fuses and told me they are immediately inside the microwave where the power cord enters. I went home and tried to take the outer cabinet screws out and discovered they are security torx, a torx fitting with a protruding pin in the middle, something I didn't have, so I used a dremel to cut a groove for a slotted screwdriver. Found the fuse and used a multi-meter, and found no continuity. Went to the hardware store, bought a new fuse for less than 3 bucks, put it in buttoned everything up and the microwave worked like a new one. Makes me wonder how many "junk" microwaves only need a new fuse.
Awesome! I've received a microwave with that exact problem. There are so many electronic devices in our junkyards with such simple to fix failures, it's awful. So often it's the fuse or the filter caps.
There are a lot of things in the junkyard that could have been fixed. Sometimes I wish we could all get a little taste of the Great Depression. I think 1 year of it would be the best dose.
You stole my idea ! Dremel is awesome. I don't know how many things I use it for. Just bought some tint diamond drill bits for it. I drill through small flat round stones and glass pendants with water., for the lanyard hole . I etch tiny things in the rocks too. Birds, ships, etc.. They make great gifts !
Sorry you can't sleep. If you want to go to sleep, watch my extremely lame video on how to make punch: ruclips.net/video/VVhFBWl2BV4/видео.html It's so boring, it will put you in a coma!
I have taken apart many microwaves for the components, and all capacitors I have encountered have a bleeder resistor attached to drain off any charge from the capacitor.
Thank you for this video! I have several old microwaves and had no clue they had magnets in them. I could use the magnets to make something to pick up rod stubs, metal shards, ....in my weld Bay! This is a huge help to me! Thank you very much!
There is also a good hunk of pure copper inside the magnatron as well The motors are also good to have, and the transformers...there is alot of neat stuff you can get electronics wise out of a microwave
Hey Phil, just a word on safety. On the Capacitors: ALWAYS discharge a capacitor BEFORE starting work on any circuit. Don't cut any wires, loosen any screws, or poke around with fingers or instruments. Discharging with the screwdriver method is an acceptable way for these capacitors. Some, not these, can hold so much power that they can melt screwdriver blades! (Those have to be discharged through a resistor) The last thing on the safety checklist: Safety glasses! You never know if or when the tube might shatter. Wrestling the bracket off, or prying the magnets out could shatter the tube. Some are cracked already which is why the unit failed. Some tubes are glass, some ceramic, some have a metal shield, some do not. The 'don't inhale' thing, is that a small percentage of the 1200 watt and larger type have a small amount of Mercury Vapor in them, and the whole range of sizes can sometimes contain Americium. (Just like your smoke detectors do- really, look on the back, there's a label telling you so! AGAIN ALWAYS DISCHARGE CAPACITORS BEFORE DOING ANYTHING ELSE!!!!!
This video is much appreciated. Well presented with good info. We have recycle electronic bins...I picked up a discarded microwave and kept myself entertained for the evening. I'm 'older'. Turn the clock back 40 years and people salvaged 'everything' for screws, brackets, wiring, etc. I miss those 'get our hands dirty ' days. Yes, those were the folks who got us to the Moon.
yes! I have 2 big boxes in my shop that's labeled "CHOP". like "chop shop".... I throw hardware and other useful items in this boxes that I chop from old junk before I discard.
2:40, that copper coil makes a great addition to any tool box. The wire comes in handy for lotsa things at the strangest times. Also, the older microwaves (don't know abt the newer ones) had great little squirrel cage fans that u can take out, wire up and run on house current.
Shorting a large capacitor with screwdrivers can cause it to explode. You should use a circuit with a resistor and let the energy be converted to heat. Do not touch the resistor, as it may be quite hot.
I have been replying all these years because I love my subscribers. Glad I could help you out even if you don't subscribe. Hope my other videos will help you out as well
Microwave capacitors usually have a bleed resistor built in. I've never come across one that holds its charge for more than a few minutes. But it's best to short it just in case.
Some people are attracted to magnets, others are repulsed. There are both positive and negative comments on the subject. Then there are electromagnets, but I don't know the current thinking on them. Seems like people are poles apart on the topic!
That pink at the top is a ceramic insulator that is made from beryllium oxide. If you break it or chip it and breath the dust you could get berylliosis, an incurable disease of the lungs. The first thing you should have done is wrap that pink insulator with electrical tape.
lol! I get that comment a lot. I've done my research on this....... it's just like asbestos and popcorn lung. lol. Thanks for watching, and commenting.
I have dismantled several microwaves for the magnets. They are super strong and can pinch your fingers to the point of a blood blister. I use the magnets for various things, like gripping a dust collector vent on the lathe ways, one on the side of the drill press to hold the chuck key, and so on. Fortunately, I knew about capacitors.
I have taken magnets off speakers radios dryers and washing machines , fans, televisions but not microwaves, but know I have a good conceptualization on how to get the magnets from a microwave. Thank you
One of the best tutorials ever, super straight forward and great voiceover! I was able to follow along perfectly and got it out with ease, 10/10 thanks for the video!!
Back in 1971 I needed to install a new part in our TV and when I took the back off and reached in to remove the old part I touched the capacitor and let me tell you I'm 71 years old now and I still remember how bad that thing shocked me ! I had no idea it held power after I unplugged it so take warning when he said don't touch it !!
Indrid Cold: a potentially lethal game you used to play. he should have just destroyed you anyway but i suppose you are a quick learner so it worked out ok or so i am told
I first took apart a magnetron 55 years ago. It was a take out from a post ww2 radar unit. What I got out of it were two HUGE alnico magnets in aluminum jackets. Taking things apart is a great way to learn.
yes. there are a lot of deadly things out there. I grew up with electric fences crossing the countryside. some were 110V to keep bulls in. Most of the deadly stats were from people who had pre-existing heart conditions.
Better make sure that capacitor is TOTALLY discharged before you touch any of the high tension side of the circuit. Being an ex commercial microwave/induction engineer one of the first things you are told at the Panasonic training seminar is that capacitor will hold 2500 volts at 10 amps. Thats not a 'ouch that hurts'... thats a 'he was thrown across the room and then his heart stopped, and thats why he is now 6ft under. Rest in peace'. Its a killer. The bleed diode is supposed to remove the charge in the capacitor over a period of time (in this case the black package on the right terminal to chassis), but they can go open circuit and the capacitor remains charged. As a side note, a fuse NEVER blows in a microwave for no reason, it is usually lazy door switches/mech. Never 'just' replace a fuse.
Great video, thanks. I've recently begun taking the tiny rare earth magnets out of broken ear buds. I don't have any projects for them yet, but they're on the fridge when I need them. 🙂
I do not recommend shorting the capacitors out because of noise sparks and high discharge that may ruin it! Use 60 watt 220 v bulb that will discharge the capacitor slower and without sparks. This I bet you didn't knew about it!
Good video, but it should come with another warning....The little pink, sometimes white ceramic ring around the end of the antenna, the part that points toward the micro wave cabinet or cavity, can be deadly, if shattered and the dust inhaled....No treatment can help once it's in your lungs...Just a heads up.
While beryllium oxide used in the magnetron is safe in solid form, it's dangerous in powder form and inhaled which can cause berylliosis. So don't grind the beryllium oxide ceramic insulator and snort it, snort coke instead it's much safer. lol
you only need to release the magnetron housing plate on one side. it will then be easy to remove, giving you access to one magnet. than bend both sides of the housing to reach the second magnet
I know this is an older video but I am grateful for the information. Thanks for a no nonsense account of removing the magnets. If I neglected to discharge the capacitor, it could turn out differently!! Cheers
My Dad taught me to always take apart any broken elec device just in case you can get it to work. My last microwave I did cut the cord and kept. Then took out the screws and put them in the screw bin. But I stopped then and tossed the microwave. Will have to go further next time. Good stuff thanks!
I've been told there are plenty of things to keep and/or salvage in a microwave. I keep getting some interesting tips from people. Thanks for the feedback, Jerry!
capacitors can actually build up charge from just sitting there, not sure how, maybe some kind of chemical action inside that separates charge or just static in air currents can slowly add static charge that the device stores up. Most high voltage capacitors in microwaves have a large value resistor between the two capacitor terminals that will slowly discharge a charged capacitor. If you have high voltage insulated screwdrivers, you can clip say a 10 megaohm resistor between the two screwdrivers and use this to contact the capacitor terminals and this will discharge the capacitor in about 30-60 seconds. Most people do not have a high voltage test meter (2000 volts) to measure if the capacitor has a charge on it, so making sure to do a discharge and then clipping a shorting wire across the capacitor to make sure it doesn't build a charge again is a good way to make safe this device. Also the ceramic portion of the magnetron antenna that sticks out of the device has beryllium oxide just under the the ceramic surface. DO NOT break or scratch this ceramic or this toxic dust can get airborne and cause nasty bodily pain and distress that can't be reversed.
Shalom Aleichem. Please excuse my ignorance, but how would a capacitor get recharged after being removed and discharged? I've been scrapping Microwaves for year's an as a retired mechanic I know how dangerous capacitors an other electrical equipment can be if not handled properly. I didn't realize a capacitor (or did I read it wrong) can recharge itself? I have multimeters that go up to 2,000vts and beyond because I worked on large boat's with high power shore power an one doesn't wanna make a foolish mistake while in a bilge with saltwater in it or any water for that matter. Thank you in advance. Ratson haba b'shem YaHuah Ratson haba b'shem YaHuah
I just took one out of a microwave and was going to continue to take apart the housing around the magnet and my husband put it out in the trash. I am so livid! These magnets are strong and great in securing things in the car's vehicle trunk.
Me too! I think most people are fascinated by them. The amount of views I got on this video kind of shows that. Thanks for taking the time to comment, my friend!
Years of comments discussing this subject... it's been pretty exhausting. There are soooo many people misinformed along with myths and pure lies and drama over this subject. Find a link that shows someone dying from Berylliosis from taking a microwave apart, and I'll be interested in further conversation. The fact that modern microwaves don't have Beryllium in them is enough reason for me to not get excited when someone tries to dramatize this.
Sorry if this has already been said but let's not forget that there's actually three magnets, not two, inside of a microwave. Don't forget about the neodymium magnet inside the turntable motor. it's tiny but mighty 😜
sometimes I put weird suggestions in my videos so I get feedback. The YT algorithm loves back and forth comments and convo. I know how to play the game.
the older and bigger and heavier the microwave, the bigger and better the magnets are.they are crazy powerfull i put three on a pole and go magnet fishing in my river.,the first thing i pulled up was a microwave...if you put 5 on a bench and dont pay attention they will slam together and crush you fingers .
There are a lot of myths with this. The dangers come from mining and industrial practices. It's actually bad to inhale the dust particles. So, you would literally have to pound it in the powder and snort it in order to risk harm. People have been taking the magnets out of microwaves since the beginning of microwaves. Modern day microwaves don't even have the stuff in it. Instead, it has an aluminum product for the insulator. Very good question that I get a lot! Thanks for asking. Also, thanks for watching and commenting
I remember a friend of mine's big brother removing a small capacitor from a distributor and handing it to me when I was a kid. Of course he made sure I got a hold of the wire and the housing. POW! And that's how I learned about capacitors.
I was watching a friend in a TV shop work on a TV. He reached up and laid a charged high voltage capacitor on the foam pad on the TV I was leaning on and of course I picked it up. The laughter was tempered by the fact that it barely missed a picture tube when I threw it across the room.
Use an isolation transformer to dump the voltage ⚡️ to the capacitor. Almost any radio 📻 restorer will use one to unload the dangerous voltage off of the capacitors. I believe this is the safest way to do it. Happy Thanksgiving!! Just subbed!! Your friend, Jeff.
I use a magnet to keep all the small drillbits safe Small bit such as 1 mm is easy to loose and a magnet on the table or against the wall helps when you have to change bits when working on a project and you have to drill different size holes.
You might tell the viewers to use only their right hand and not to touch any part of the MicroWave while shorting out the capacitor. (Tesla used to tie his left hand behind his back so he couldn't accidentally shock his heart on the left side ). I'd prob use a piece of 12-2 solid wire bent in a U" shape to short it out myself.
Yeah, of course he was dealing with millions of volts , able to throw lightening bolts across the yard. etc. But the theory of never using left hand even for stabilizing something electric while right hand does the actual work is a good one. Better to shock 220v down your right side to your foot than across the chest to left arm, right? I got a question: why aren't stirling engine generators for sale everywhere? I can't seem to find any that are at least 5 HP for sale at all really, can you? The idea is to heat one cylinder with some fuel (ie wood, coal, gas, lpn gas, solar , etc) and the engine runs and drives generator to produce electric on the order of 5000 watts (loose approximation is that a 5HP engine is needed to drive a 5000 watt generator). And Stirling in 1816 (?) invented a hot air closed loop air engine that has the highest efficiency of any engine ever so far as I know (he was amazingly a pastor of a church in england). I have seen a simple hot air engine open to air (not closed loop air cycle), it was used to run orange processing equipment in the Florida citrus industry and was 1 HP... it burned coal to heat air to drive a piston connected to a pulley which was connected via belts to the equipment.
These magnets are available cheaply to save extraneous labour of knocking out junk. Speaker magnets are also available, if one has use of it. I pry open magnets from speakers and give it away to kids to play.
Marconi used a simple 2 metal ball (+ and -) to create a spark which created radio waves in all frequencies, which were received in England ~3000 miles away ( of course now that would be drowned out by so many radios transmitting, but back then it was free and empty radio spectrum)... he transmitted 3 pulses and then waited to see if they would sent it back.. they DID ! Enter the wireless morse code system speeding communication 10,000,000 x faster !
CB bleeds over many frequencies because its a strong signal (and some use amps to boost it higher).... so it "Jams" the signal frequency for the RC planes of that day and time/ era.
But they are brittle and can break if dropped, hit, eyc. They are strong-ish, but not as powerful as rare earth magnets used, for example, in disk drives. Some brick-sized ones can't be removed from sheet steel without tools.
where I live broken microwaves are sold for $30 on Craigslist, while used microwaves that still work get dumped for free in the scrap trailer where we're allowed to grab whatever we want.
False. You can handle it without issue. (in fact.... they use to make bicycle handle bars out of beryllium). the danger comes when inhaling beryllium dust particles. Treat it like you would asbestos. There's a lot of myths out there about beryllium. back when they first discovered it, people would consume it due to it's sweet flavor. Once again.....you just don't want to snort the particles.
Phil Crockett is correct. The only other time Beryillia is dangerous is when it is part of either a reactor core (Think Candu) or exposed to one. In either case it can become radioactive as a beta emitter
I have lots of old hard drive magnets. I wish they were not the shape they are but they are very strong neodymium magnets. Some analogue televisions have large nickel-iron magnets and stick diodes. But more importantly, large capacitors. Sony has extremely good capacitors in their old analogue televisions. Old analogue home stereo units have excellent transformers and even the zener diode to regulate the lowered voltage to 12 volts. Old AM only transistor radios have germanium diodes, transistors, and variable capacitors. After the fall of Radio Shack, I am constantly salvaging components. I know these components can be purchased from online stores. But when you need a 10 : 1 transformer for a powersupply immediately, a full wave bridge for the same power supply, or inductors for a homemade tank circuit for a resonator circuit, there may not be time to wait for a slow online shipment. The salvaged resistors, capacitors, inductors, schottky diodes, and such are always there. The salvage operations are going on constantly. When I find dead electronics, I take them home for processing.
wish i kept my convection MW. Just tossed it last month, it died after16yrs. Always liked magnets for science projects and amazed at how powerful they can be, especially Neodymium ones.
I'm assuming you're referring to Be. That element is in older microwaves. Plus, it has only caused harm in mining and manufacturing situations where people are inhaling the Be dust. In fact, Be is used in some electronics, NASA, spark plugs, and at one time was used in bicycle handlebars. When it was first discovered, it was used as a sweetener (tastes sweet apparently). The saga of its poor reputation can be compared to "popcorn lung" (from manufacture microwave popcorn butter), and "asbestos" issues. Nobody has ever died from Be inhalation while taking out microwave magnets. Here's the final tip: If removing Be insulators from an old microwave..... just don't hammer them in to dust and snort them.
@@PhilCrockett LOL. Great comeback. I have a really old microwave that you barely can get a plate in. It works, but I don't use it. Was some older lady's microwave . Never saw one this old before
WARNING - A plastic coated handle on a pair of pliers is NOT the same as insulated! Only use properly insulated pliers rated at 1000V compliant with EN 60900; VDE0682/201. If you want to stay alive that is.
I'm sure there are plenty of people that would be fine with adding good magnets to the landfill along with the old microwave. I like to salvage good parts from junk when I can.
If you got microwave that has the spinning tray that motor gives out AC power you can power household light bulbs. I haven't tried any thing other than that but it's something to tweek on when your tweeking. Most lol motor you get out of eletronics are DC so here is a change
Depending on the size of the blade, yep. There's also some that you can use a square tip on, too. Done that more than once, especially or stuff I'm just scrapping. 😁
You mean slotted screwdriver. Flathead refers to the shape of the head, not its driving means. Besides simply buying a cheap Torx anti-tamper bit, there is another way if you have a regular Torx bit. Hold a slotted tip against the little rod in the center of the screw and give it a whack. The rod is brittle and will break off, allowing the regular Torx to be used.
I stripped the guts out of a small microwave and made it into a letter box. Where I live in far north Queensland (Aust) we get meters of rain every year so now the mail is dry and it's big enough for small parcels. Didn't need the magnets as I have enough of them. Good video though.
YES! I agree. This is one of my old videos back before I had good software and experience. Thanks for your professional critique. I will have to check your channel out for some pointers. Thanks, G4R!
Well, i had a General Electric OTS (over the stove) microwave rated at 900 watts. Not only did its interlocks fail, but its controller failed as well, which resulted in the magnetron turning on when the door opened. Took the thing apart, and i actually took the MAGNETRON apart. Decided to use one as a coaster for my glass, and i still use it on my desk, in my room, even as i Ramble On. -Franz Ferdinand VIII
These magnets look almost identical to the old TV cathode tube focussing magnets. These slipped over the neck of the tube and focused the electron beam on the face of the display tube. Always useful for picking up metal items etc...
When you showed shorting the capacitor with two screwdrivers, you didn't stress keeping your hands insulated from the screwdriver shafts. That section of your video only showed the bottoms of the shafts - the handles weren't visible. BTW, what do you do with the magnets? Compared with neodymium magnets, they're not very strong. What are they useful for?
Some things I shouldn't have to explain in detail. As far as what I use them for....... I hang screwdrivers, pliers, saw blades, etc on them. I hold up maps, building plans, instructions, etc...with them. I pick up nails, screws etc... with them..... the list goes on.. AND here's another cool thing I do with them: ruclips.net/video/n6XXroLojio/видео.html AND ruclips.net/video/o1uubKwmz0/видео.html
not to mention, you can ruin two good screw drivers that way. many years ago, in shop class in the 70's, our teacher charged a 45 uf 600 volt cap to 400 volts, with one of the power supplies we were using in the classroom. he blew his perfectly good old timer 3 blade apart, showing us the dangers of capacitors. he was heartbroken over that knife. he talked for weeks about how he missed that knife. i, myself, have tossed screwdrivers away after doing stupid things like that, testing for power. in most appliances today, including air conditioners, the caps discharge themselves within the circuit. i haven't found a live cap in over twenty five years of air conditioning and appliance service.
A couple of decades ago I worked at a university and we had so many apartments and dorms, that worn out microwaves were being thrown out at a surprising rate. I tried to fix some, but I believe the magnetron is engineered to fail, so that it does not outlast the safety components. It's not worth trying to find a replacement magnetron for an outdated microwave. So since these were going in the dump, I salvaged around 50 of these awesome magnets over the course of my employment.
I actually have a similar story! My neighbor worked as the head of maintenance for a large apartment managment company in a University town. He would drop broken microwaves off in my driveway so I could salvage the magnets. Sometimes I would have 2 or 3 waiting on me when I got home.
Oh Becky, wouldn't you rather get a magnet for FREE or buy one when you realize, damn, I wish I had a magnet right now and I really don't wanna have to go out to the store to buy an effing magnet....eff!
A word about the capacitor. Mfgrs built bleeder resistors inside the capacitors to bleed the high voltage to ground. Look at the numbers on the cap and usually you will see a resistor symbol that is attached to the leads internallly. The resistor has a very high resistance enough to bleed the high voltage down to 0 volts. It's always wise no matter what to go ahead and discharge the cap as a routine precaution. Like this guy says in this video.
I must admit I've never taken apart a microwave despite having taken apart almost everything else you can imagine because I basically make most of my money doing bulk garbage days twice a year. I only take stuff apart for cannibalisation and/or recycling IF and only IF I can't fix and then sell it. Reason I don't take microwaves is that they take up too much space, they're too heavy, and not very profitable to sell. Hence, I'm careful about what goes in my hatchback. For big stuff like microwaves, toasters, vacuum cleaners, deep fryers, TVs, etc. I just cut the cord off AND the plug. 1 night I typically get about 2 bags of 10 kilos gross weight which is about 3 kilos of pure Cu. It's patooshkah but better than leaving there for someone else to take. I do save some with the plugs in case I find something I do need which has had the cord cut so I can reattach it. I've seen guys smash the backs of TVs so they can rip off the head and the wire that goes around the tube but that's only an additional kilo and makes too much noise and rubble. The most valuable part of the microwave would be the transformer because you can make an arc welder out of it by hacksawing off the primary coil, threading in 1 turn of a standard high-wattage 240 V power cable and making IT the secondary. For metals you can earn more money collecting aluminium, keyboards for Silver content, and printer heads and/or the ink cartridges for Gold. Same with whole computers. The metals are your bread and butter but what REALLY makes it profitable are the incidentals, like antiques, art, the occasional brand-name handbag, etc. You basically have to be an expert on everything that sells well on eBay. I always take handbags because nobody else does. I also sell tons of them, most for very low prices. But the real reason I take them is that most of them do contain change (even Reichsmarks in one instance), and occasionally something much better, like pills. One time I found 235 Deutschmarks in a handbag because apparently they thought they were useless but you can still exchange them in perpetuity at the Bundesbank for Euros. I find good shit all the time, like an ounce of Gold I'm looking at right now. Had it tested, and it's the real thing. Found that inside an old beer stein. Those sell real well too by the way. Sometimes I find totally off-the-wall items like a Nepalese kukri knife from the 17th century that sold for over 300 Euros. I'm like: how did THIS get into somebody's garbage in southern Germany?
I just finished my first microwave magnet adventure and I was impressed how strong the magnets are! They will hold a pistol if you want to conceal one around your home for self defense.
@@PhilCrockett I took a picture of my .38 semi-auto pistol hanging from the side of the fridge, but then realized I couldn't include a pic with my comment. 😏
YT really needs to figure out how to share pics. I'm always wanting to do that when someone has a question that can be answered with a pic. I always appreciate your comments, Dale. I'm assuming you're a cop?
Phil I want you to know that after first watching your vid a couple months back, yesterday I finally dismantled and salvaged the magnetron out of a big old microwave i'd been planning to.. so cheers :-) -and reading your comments section is a joyful inspiration - I very much appreciate your enlightened attitude - thanks again mate :-D
Johnny Doeboy: The idea is it collects any metal partcles from the oil....preventing them going round the system again ...particulary into the bearings. In days of yore, the sump plug had a magnet attached, and so you had a visual clue, whenever you changed the oil, of any trouble brewing.
Another source of magnets is hard disk drives. These Neodymium magnets powerful. You don't want your finger between two of them. They have a mounting plate with tiny holes. So have them around the basement to hand stuff. You can buy these buy the pound online, BTW.
Also; the transformers from microwaves are used by some hardcore magnet fishers to DIY a very strong electro-magnet that is suspended from an hydraulic garage crane, to lift heavy objects like motorbikes from the waters.
@@tubularap Haha...same! I just picked up a microwave by the side of the road simply for the magnets. Only after I realized they were in the 'magnetron' did I realize that's where the magnets were...and why it was named magnetron... : /
Modern microwaves don't have Be in them. Plus, the dangers come from mining and manufacturing Be from exposure to the dust. Just like asbestos and the microwave popcorn butter (popcorn lung). Thanks for watching and commenting, Maher
You are okay my friend. Your skills should not go to waste. There are a good number of mean ones who either die with their knowledge or make hateful comments. Your post is titled taking magnets out of a microwave, why watch and then whine? I need some magnets. I was wondering where I could get some easily. I so happen to have a microwave that stopped working. Your post was very helpful. Thank you
HA! YES! I always wonder why people seem surprised by what they are seeing when they click on my completely and totally honest title. I have a video on How to Fillet a Bass.... I get sooooo much hate mail on that. They're like..: "Can't believe you did that!" and.... you shouldn't kill bass!"...... and yet...... they clicked on it with both eyes wide open. Anyway...... hope you get a chance to see my bass video too... Thanks for the great comment and laugh! You are my kind of friend, Gye Boor!
Those really large old microwaves had capacitors big enough to burn at least a hole in your screw driver. I was in appliance repair school back in the 1980's, and we worked on dismantling microwaves then. One I opened up had a half rotted larger mouse cadavare inside the animal had bit into the wires going to the magnetron. I have no idea on earth how a dang mouse got inside a microwave. It only had a couple set of smaller vents on it and no torn holes or anything.
@@PhilCrockett The test in the UK is a pencil; if your (round) pencil fits through then so can a mouse. It's all to do with having a flat pelvis and skull and certain joints that can be dislocated at will. (Mice that is, not me.) 🇬🇧
the toxic material is called beryllium oxide it's in the ceramic like portion of the center core of the magnetron that stuff is like asbestos on steroids avoid breaking damaging or scratching at all costs just a few particles inhaled can result in small cell carcinoma of lungs in a few years
Common sense should prevail in all honesty these videos are full step by step there lossly based for you to then research properly your self in all fairness.
Great question! First, unplug the microwave. Second, open the door. Third, climb inside. Fourth, call your psychiatrist and tell him what you are doing and follow his instructions. I absolutely love questions like this! You go boy! Come visit me in the future!
you do not short out a capacitor with two screwdrivers that is extremely dangerous specially one of that size you do it by using a half watt resistor which will drain the capacitor then it will be safe to remove
@@jakebob6332 I have worked in electronics for over 30 years I know this is not a safe practice because I've seen it done and I've seen people get seriously hurt Capacitors that are as high as 1500 Megahertz or higher can seriously hurt you that's what's in microwave ovens today's microwave ovens you will find resistor strap across the terminals to prevent people from using screwdrivers
@@rayyoudontneedtoknow6887 I'm calling BS on this. Caps aren't measured in Hz or MHz and even hobbyists with no formal training know this. Folks who regularly work around high power and transmitters all use screwdrivers for the small stuff and a chicken stick (US term) for the big stuff. The covered terminals you noticed are to help prevent accidental shocks as much as bleed-down. Anyone who trusts bleed-down resistors is up for a big (and maybe their last) surprise when one fails. That's why you always ground or short everything before doing any kind of servicing.
OK! ... Cutting the cord off first is a good idea. Unplugging the cord before you cut the cord is a better idea. Also, cleaning the old gravy from the microwave so someone can't accidentaly eat it would prevent indigestion.
Find a roofing company that's scrapping the 36" wide rolling magnet used to pick up stray nails.Takes some work, but inside you'll free up a half-dozen strong magnets, each slightly larger than a deck of cards.If you're really serious, try Amazon for Neodymium Iron Boron magnets.N35 strong, N52, the strongest, (potentially dangerous) not for children or fools.Keep away from pacemakers, credit cards etc.
Yeah, it'll screw a pacemaker up. Instant heart attack. And large Neodymium magnets... yikes. There's images in the internet of people's fingers and hands being turned to PASTE by getting in between two of them. They're "fun", but dangerous. I imagine some electronics would hate them greatly.
HV capacitors have an internal resistor connected to ground to discharge the capacitor to ground in less than a second. turn off the microwave and the capacitor will discharge to ground. to prevent any accident, use protective gloves and jump the leads of the capacitor to the chassis using a 1 Million Ohms resistor. Use isolated pliers and gloves to disconnect the leads of the capacitor.
The resistors can and do fail open circuit so still discharge them. I use a pair of high voltage probes with a 10M high voltage resistor (actually 10 1M 1W resistors in series).
While in the AF I was an avionic instrumentation service and repair tech. This gave me access to capicitors which I'd charge in a wall socket and then leave lying in a common area of the barracks. It never took very long before someone would pick it up to check it out...Yea I thought that was funny. I digress, if you're concerned about the capicitors found in electronic devices, I'd advise you wear a pair of decent leather gloves. I've worked on a lot of equipment mainly 480v and lower and it's true many of these capicitors hold a charge that's no joke. The ones I referred to earlier were smaller just enough to give someone a good shock without hurting them. Anyway the leather gloves and common sense will get you through anything you'll find in appliances or the old TV's.
Transformer is very easy to rewire to different use. You can easy get good amps for bigger battery charger or car subwoofer amplifier in home usage. I have build my own 400watts using car amplifier and I build in power supply using rewired microwave transformer which gave me over 30 amps. My car battery gave up after playing 30 minutes of havy techno.😃
WOW.... I had to re-read what I wrote after the cuss'n you gave me. It's so hard to express sarcastic humor in text. Sorry for offending you, Chip. I must have a bad sense of humor, I expected you to find it funny. Your profile pic looks like you would be one of my fishing buddies. We are all very ornery.
so... to answer your question...... I hang screwdrivers, pliers, saw blades, etc on them. I hold up maps, building plans, instructions, etc...with them. I pick up nails, screws etc... with them..... the list goes on.. AND here's another cool thing I do with them: ruclips.net/video/n6XXroLojio/видео.html AND ruclips.net/video/o1uubKwmz0/видео.html
Our microwave quit working several years ago and while at a local hardware store I asked if they carried microwaves because ours had died. He asked if I had checked the fuse in the microwave. I told him I didn't realize there was one. He proceeded to show me replacement cartridge fuses and told me they are immediately inside the microwave where the power cord enters. I went home and tried to take the outer cabinet screws out and discovered they are security torx, a torx fitting with a protruding pin in the middle, something I didn't have, so I used a dremel to cut a groove for a slotted screwdriver. Found the fuse and used a multi-meter, and found no continuity. Went to the hardware store, bought a new fuse for less than 3 bucks, put it in buttoned everything up and the microwave worked like a new one. Makes me wonder how many "junk" microwaves only need a new fuse.
That's a great tip, my friend! Thanks for posting!
Awesome! I've received a microwave with that exact problem. There are so many electronic devices in our junkyards with such simple to fix failures, it's awful. So often it's the fuse or the filter caps.
There are a lot of things in the junkyard that could have been fixed. Sometimes I wish we could all get a little taste of the Great Depression. I think 1 year of it would be the best dose.
Virgil Caine is my name The torx with a pin in the middle is an easy fix. use a small screwdriver or sturdy knife tip and break the pin off!
You stole my idea ! Dremel is awesome. I don't know how many things I use it for. Just bought some tint diamond drill bits for it. I drill through small flat round stones and glass pendants with water., for the lanyard hole . I etch tiny things in the rocks too. Birds, ships, etc.. They make great gifts !
It's amazing what you can find on youtube at 3am when you can't sleep!
Good vid, enjoyed it 👍
Sorry you can't sleep. If you want to go to sleep, watch my extremely lame video on how to make punch: ruclips.net/video/VVhFBWl2BV4/видео.html
It's so boring, it will put you in a coma!
Haha, interesting video but you are not missing anything if you fall back to sleep. My favorite kind.
I have taken apart many microwaves for the components, and all capacitors I have encountered have a bleeder resistor attached to drain off any charge from the capacitor.
That's good to know!
Thank you for this video! I have several old microwaves and had no clue they had magnets in them. I could use the magnets to make something to pick up rod stubs, metal shards, ....in my weld Bay! This is a huge help to me! Thank you very much!
Glad I could help! Thanks for taking the time to comment, Sean!
There is also a good hunk of pure copper inside the magnatron as well
The motors are also good to have, and the transformers...there is alot of neat stuff you can get electronics wise out of a microwave
indeed
Hey Phil, just a word on safety. On the Capacitors: ALWAYS discharge a capacitor BEFORE starting work on any circuit. Don't cut any wires, loosen any screws, or poke around with fingers or instruments. Discharging with the screwdriver method is an acceptable way for these capacitors. Some, not these, can hold so much power that they can melt screwdriver blades! (Those have to be discharged through a resistor) The last thing on the safety checklist: Safety glasses! You never know if or when the tube might shatter. Wrestling the bracket off, or prying the magnets out could shatter the tube. Some are cracked already which is why the unit failed. Some tubes are glass, some ceramic, some have a metal shield, some do not. The 'don't inhale' thing, is that a small percentage of the 1200 watt and larger type have a small amount of Mercury Vapor in them, and the whole range of sizes can sometimes contain Americium. (Just like your smoke detectors do- really, look on the back, there's a label telling you so!
AGAIN ALWAYS DISCHARGE CAPACITORS BEFORE DOING ANYTHING ELSE!!!!!
John, I always appreciate helpful and intelligent comments! Thanks!
This video is much appreciated. Well presented with good info. We have recycle electronic bins...I picked up a discarded microwave and kept myself entertained for the evening. I'm 'older'. Turn the clock back 40 years and people salvaged 'everything' for screws, brackets, wiring, etc. I miss those 'get our hands dirty ' days. Yes, those were the folks who got us to the Moon.
yes! I have 2 big boxes in my shop that's labeled "CHOP". like "chop shop".... I throw hardware and other useful items in this boxes that I chop from old junk before I discard.
2:40, that copper coil makes a great addition to any tool box. The wire comes in handy for lotsa things at the strangest times. Also, the older microwaves (don't know abt the newer ones) had great little squirrel cage fans that u can take out, wire up and run on house current.
Great tips!
I installed one in bathroom. As a vent fan.works well
Shorting a large capacitor with screwdrivers can cause it to explode. You should use a circuit with a resistor and let the energy be converted to heat. Do not touch the resistor, as it may be quite hot.
thanks for the tip, Bryan.
Amazing that you still reply 11 years on 👏 I have missed out on magnets on 3 or 4 microwaves so will be sure to try next time, thank you
I have been replying all these years because I love my subscribers. Glad I could help you out even if you don't subscribe. Hope my other videos will help you out as well
Microwave capacitors usually have a bleed resistor built in. I've never come across one that holds its charge for more than a few minutes. But it's best to short it just in case.
yes indeed
Some people are attracted to magnets, others are repulsed. There are both positive and negative comments on the subject. Then there are electromagnets, but I don't know the current thinking on them. Seems like people are poles apart on the topic!
Alan from Brooklyn
Very well said !
Alan from Brooklyn
It seems that the magnet business is picking up.
LOL!
U punny
Electricity, Gravity and Magnetism are different expressions of the same energy field
That pink at the top is a ceramic insulator that is made from beryllium oxide. If you break it or chip it and breath the dust you could get berylliosis, an incurable disease of the lungs. The first thing you should have done is wrap that pink insulator with electrical tape.
lol! I get that comment a lot. I've done my research on this....... it's just like asbestos and popcorn lung. lol. Thanks for watching, and commenting.
I have dismantled several microwaves for the magnets. They are super strong and can pinch your fingers to the point of a blood blister. I use the magnets for various things, like gripping a dust collector vent on the lathe ways, one on the side of the drill press to hold the chuck key, and so on. Fortunately, I knew about capacitors.
indeed those magnets are nice!
Garth sheane thank you you answer my question and I'm sure there may be more uses for them
I have taken magnets off speakers radios dryers and washing machines , fans, televisions but not microwaves, but know I have a good conceptualization on how to get the magnets from a microwave. Thank you
You're welcome, Fernando! Thanks for the comment!
One of the best tutorials ever, super straight forward and great voiceover! I was able to follow along perfectly and got it out with ease, 10/10 thanks for the video!!
so glad you liked my video. Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment, kit
Back in 1971 I needed to install a new part in our TV and when I took the back off and reached in to remove the old part I touched the capacitor and let me tell you I'm 71 years old now and I still remember how bad that thing shocked me ! I had no idea it held power after I unplugged it so take warning when he said don't touch it !!
AMEN, my brother!
HA!
You're a smart man!!!
Indrid Cold: a potentially lethal game you used to play. he should have just destroyed you anyway but i suppose you are a quick learner so it worked out ok or so i am told
BTW: back in 1971.......... i was negative one year in age.
I first took apart a magnetron 55 years ago. It was a take out from a post ww2 radar unit. What I got out of it were two HUGE alnico magnets in aluminum jackets. Taking things apart is a great way to learn.
Bob Pendleton bb
Yytyyyyyyyy
Bob Pendleton gfgggggguy
Yeah I've learned I'm no good at putting things back together, "A man's got to know his limitations" Dirty Harry Calaghan.
Yes, yes and yes. There's nothing like taking things apart--plus it's fun.
old tvs can hold voltage for months and sometimes years and still kill
yes. there are a lot of deadly things out there. I grew up with electric fences crossing the countryside. some were 110V to keep bulls in. Most of the deadly stats were from people who had pre-existing heart conditions.
Better make sure that capacitor is TOTALLY discharged before you touch any of the high tension side of the circuit. Being an ex commercial microwave/induction engineer one of the first things you are told at the Panasonic training seminar is that capacitor will hold 2500 volts at 10 amps. Thats not a 'ouch that hurts'... thats a 'he was thrown across the room and then his heart stopped, and thats why he is now 6ft under. Rest in peace'. Its a killer. The bleed diode is supposed to remove the charge in the capacitor over a period of time (in this case the black package on the right terminal to chassis), but they can go open circuit and the capacitor remains charged. As a side note, a fuse NEVER blows in a microwave for no reason, it is usually lazy door switches/mech. Never 'just' replace a fuse.
great comment, Jason!
Great video, thanks. I've recently begun taking the tiny rare earth magnets out of broken ear buds. I don't have any projects for them yet, but they're on the fridge when I need them. 🙂
I love magnets
I do not recommend shorting the capacitors out because of noise sparks and high discharge that may ruin it! Use 60 watt 220 v bulb that will discharge the capacitor slower and without sparks. This I bet you didn't knew about it!
I didn't know about the bulb trick. However, I still say...."don't touch or mess with it at all".
@@PhilCrockett Bulb's filament acts like a bleeder resistor - to drain the charge from the cap.
Good video, but it should come with another warning....The little pink, sometimes white ceramic ring around the end of the antenna, the part that points toward the micro wave cabinet or cavity, can be deadly, if shattered and the dust inhaled....No treatment can help once it's in your lungs...Just a heads up.
While beryllium oxide used in the magnetron is safe in solid form, it's dangerous in powder form and inhaled which can cause berylliosis. So don't grind the beryllium oxide ceramic insulator and snort it, snort coke instead it's much safer. lol
YES! this has been an on-going exhausted topic over the years in this comment section.
@@PhilCrockett It's exhausted once the last comment is made about it ;-)
you only need to release the magnetron housing plate on one side. it will then be easy to remove, giving you access to one magnet. than bend both sides of the housing to reach the second magnet
thanks for leaving this tip, Ron
I know this is an older video but I am grateful for the information. Thanks for a no nonsense account of removing the magnets. If I neglected to discharge the capacitor, it could turn out differently!!
Cheers
Thanks for watching an commenting, Robert!
Anyone mention being careful not to crack the center ceramic piece due to the chance of it containing beryllium?
Lots and lots of discussion over the years.
@@PhilCrockett Yea, but not here, or is it further down the page?
My Dad taught me to always take apart any broken elec device just in case you can get it to work. My last microwave I did cut the cord and kept. Then took out the screws and put them in the screw bin. But I stopped then and tossed the microwave.
Will have to go further next time.
Good stuff thanks!
I've been told there are plenty of things to keep and/or salvage in a microwave. I keep getting some interesting tips from people. Thanks for the feedback, Jerry!
capacitors can actually build up charge from just sitting there, not sure how, maybe some kind of chemical action inside that separates charge or just static in air currents can slowly add static charge that the device stores up. Most high voltage capacitors in microwaves have a large value resistor between the two capacitor terminals that will slowly discharge a charged capacitor. If you have high voltage insulated screwdrivers, you can clip say a 10 megaohm resistor between the two screwdrivers and use this to contact the capacitor terminals and this will discharge the capacitor in about 30-60 seconds. Most people do not have a high voltage test meter (2000 volts) to measure if the capacitor has a charge on it, so making sure to do a discharge and then clipping a shorting wire across the capacitor to make sure it doesn't build a charge again is a good way to make safe this device.
Also the ceramic portion of the magnetron antenna that sticks out of the device has beryllium oxide just under the the ceramic surface. DO NOT break or scratch this ceramic or this toxic dust can get airborne and cause nasty bodily pain and distress that can't be reversed.
Best to research this because there is a lot of myths.
Shalom Aleichem.
Please excuse my ignorance, but how would a capacitor get recharged after being removed and discharged?
I've been scrapping Microwaves for year's an as a retired mechanic I know how dangerous capacitors an other electrical equipment can be if not handled properly. I didn't realize a capacitor (or did I read it wrong) can recharge itself?
I have multimeters that go up to 2,000vts and beyond because I worked on large boat's with high power shore power an one doesn't wanna make a foolish mistake while in a bilge with saltwater in it or any water for that matter.
Thank you in advance.
Ratson haba b'shem YaHuah
Ratson haba b'shem YaHuah
I just took one out of a microwave and was going to continue to take apart the housing around the magnet and my husband put it out in the trash. I am so livid! These magnets are strong and great in securing things in the car's vehicle trunk.
Don't be mad at your husband....... he loves you!
LOL
There's something about magnets that has always fascinated me. The way they work seems almost like magic.
Me too! I think most people are fascinated by them. The amount of views I got on this video kind of shows that. Thanks for taking the time to comment, my friend!
almost like magnet
Now you're talkin! There's something delightful about invisible forces, especially those that seem to defy the invisible force of gravity.
Its magicnetic
I put one on the oil filter on my car.No metal in my engine.Ive done this for over 40 years.
I have heard of doing this.
Also on my old truck put one on transmission pan.Pulled it to change filter 2 years later and it was a fuzzy gray magnet.
💯 great use, and an easy and smart addition to your beloved vehicles!!
Great idea never thought of that
@@PhilCrockett usually there is installed a magnet in the oil sump pan of your engine.
No warning about Barillium oxide?
Years of comments discussing this subject... it's been pretty exhausting. There are soooo many people misinformed along with myths and pure lies and drama over this subject. Find a link that shows someone dying from Berylliosis from taking a microwave apart, and I'll be interested in further conversation. The fact that modern microwaves don't have Beryllium in them is enough reason for me to not get excited when someone tries to dramatize this.
I appreciate your time and efforts to share this with us. Thank you.
You're welcome! thanks for the nice comment!
Sorry if this has already been said but let's not forget that there's actually three magnets, not two, inside of a microwave. Don't forget about the neodymium magnet inside the turntable motor. it's tiny but mighty 😜
Thanks for the tip, James!
I messed with the flux capacitor and went back to my high school days.
Did you buy Walmart stock?
Cut the cord off to eliminate the possibility of plugging it in. Unplug it first tho'
sometimes I put weird suggestions in my videos so I get feedback. The YT algorithm loves back and forth comments and convo. I know how to play the game.
the older and bigger and heavier the microwave, the bigger and better the magnets are.they are crazy powerfull i put three on a pole and go magnet fishing in my river.,the first thing i pulled up was a microwave...if you put 5 on a bench and dont pay attention they will slam together and crush you fingers .
Yes! very true!
What about the danger of the berrilium on the shaft
There are a lot of myths with this. The dangers come from mining and industrial practices. It's actually bad to inhale the dust particles. So, you would literally have to pound it in the powder and snort it in order to risk harm. People have been taking the magnets out of microwaves since the beginning of microwaves. Modern day microwaves don't even have the stuff in it. Instead, it has an aluminum product for the insulator. Very good question that I get a lot! Thanks for asking. Also, thanks for watching and commenting
I remember a friend of mine's big brother removing a small capacitor from a distributor and handing it to me when I was a kid. Of course he made sure I got a hold of the wire and the housing. POW! And that's how I learned about capacitors.
Finally it's Ed Yea, that’s back when we were kids - just being kids! These days most kids would be “traumatized”!
Capacitors are fun! 😉
LOL, I'm still traumatized. That's why I'm on RUclips. It calms me down. Wait... maybe I'm just old, that's what calms me down. Dang it.
I was watching a friend in a TV shop work on a TV. He reached up and laid a charged high voltage capacitor on the foam pad on the TV I was leaning on and of course I picked it up. The laughter was tempered by the fact that it barely missed a picture tube when I threw it across the room.
ziznf!
Use an isolation transformer to dump the voltage ⚡️ to the capacitor. Almost any radio 📻 restorer will use one to unload the dangerous voltage off of the capacitors. I believe this is the safest way to do it. Happy Thanksgiving!! Just subbed!! Your friend, Jeff.
Thank you for subbing!
a capacitor is a alternate tazer?
that's what I've heard
Should I unplug it before cutting the cord?
Some people should........some people shouldn't........ just say'n.....
No, it will be more fun to leave it plugged in.
If you need to ask,don't,and leave the gene pool
" stars" are called torx screws
thanks for the correction, editing, and emendation.
these screws eventually gave me the excuse to buy more tools. now I have a nice set of them.
I use a magnet to keep all the small drillbits safe
Small bit such as 1 mm is easy to loose and a magnet on the table or against the wall helps when you have to change bits when working on a project and you have to drill different size holes.
great tip!
same here, and to keep tiny screws from walking away on my workbench when working on electronics
You might tell the viewers to use only their right hand and not to touch any part of the MicroWave while shorting out the capacitor. (Tesla used to tie his left hand behind his back so he couldn't accidentally shock his heart on the left side ). I'd prob use a piece of 12-2 solid wire bent in a U" shape to short it out myself.
didn't know that about Tesla. hmmmm.
Yeah, of course he was dealing with millions of volts , able to throw lightening bolts across the yard. etc. But the theory of never using left hand even for stabilizing something electric while right hand does the actual work is a good one. Better to shock 220v down your right side to your foot than across the chest to left arm, right? I got a question: why aren't stirling engine generators for sale everywhere? I can't seem to find any that are at least 5 HP for sale at all really, can you? The idea is to heat one cylinder with some fuel (ie wood, coal, gas, lpn gas, solar , etc) and the engine runs and drives generator to produce electric on the order of 5000 watts (loose approximation is that a 5HP engine is needed to drive a 5000 watt generator). And Stirling in 1816 (?) invented a hot air closed loop air engine that has the highest efficiency of any engine ever so far as I know (he was amazingly a pastor of a church in england). I have seen a simple hot air engine open to air (not closed loop air cycle), it was used to run orange processing equipment in the Florida citrus industry and was 1 HP... it burned coal to heat air to drive a piston connected to a pulley which was connected via belts to the equipment.
You use these magnets to make a brushless alternator for wind turbines. One can easily make a 2~4 kW Hawt with these magnets.
nice!
You could probably use the transformer and amke one hell of an electro magnet
Ceiling fan winding w/these magnets like brushless motor
How? Show me.
I liked the "to remove the door we bent it backwards until it snapped and it come rite off" lol
YES!
These magnets are available cheaply to save extraneous labour of knocking out junk.
Speaker magnets are also available, if one has use of it.
I pry open magnets from speakers and give it away to kids to play.
nice
What about using the capasitors to make a spark gap morse code transmitter?
That sounds interesting. Would like to see that.
Did you know back in the day radio shack would have to tell people not to use the CB radio in conjunction with the remote control airplane.
same frequency?
Marconi used a simple 2 metal ball (+ and -) to create a spark which created radio waves in all frequencies, which were received in England ~3000 miles away ( of course now that would be drowned out by so many radios transmitting, but back then it was free and empty radio spectrum)... he transmitted 3 pulses and then waited to see if they would sent it back.. they DID ! Enter the wireless morse code system speeding communication 10,000,000 x faster !
CB bleeds over many frequencies because its a strong signal (and some use amps to boost it higher).... so it "Jams" the signal frequency for the RC planes of that day and time/ era.
Thx , now I have learned something new. Never knew where those
round,super ,strong magnets came from until now .
Excellent! Thanks for taking the time to comment, Marsias!
Speakers are also a good source of magnets.
But they are brittle and can break if dropped, hit, eyc. They are strong-ish, but not as powerful as rare earth magnets used, for example, in disk drives. Some brick-sized ones can't be removed from sheet steel without tools.
where I live broken microwaves are sold for $30 on Craigslist, while used microwaves that still work get dumped for free in the scrap trailer where we're allowed to grab whatever we want.
That sounds crazy!
Huh??? lol
You can also use the Magnets for Magnet Fishing....
YES! I believe the Magnet Fishing fad is why I started getting more hits on this video.
Going to collect the capacitors so I can go back to the future
Please look me up and tell me to do a more professional job on making this video. Bring me some new editing software. Thanks.
That’s right, never ever trust that the capacitor is discharged, always treat it like it will kill you if it has the chance.
right!
most everything in there can be reused?
Derek Taney
I only salvaged the magnets. It started to become a little overwhelming after I started getting one microwave per day, ..... sometimes two.
😁😁😁😯😕😆
So now that I have the magnets what do I do with them? nothing right?
exactly! If you have to ask, then you don't need this knowledge. However, thanks for watching and commenting.
As I am told, the pink end of the magnetron contains beryllium which is very poisonous. Better not to touch it. How to dispose beryllium compunds?
False. You can handle it without issue. (in fact.... they use to make bicycle handle bars out of beryllium). the danger comes when inhaling beryllium dust particles. Treat it like you would asbestos. There's a lot of myths out there about beryllium. back when they first discovered it, people would consume it due to it's sweet flavor. Once again.....you just don't want to snort the particles.
Phil Crockett is correct.
The only other time Beryillia is dangerous is when it is part of either a reactor core (Think Candu) or exposed to one.
In either case it can become radioactive as a beta emitter
Good info, Hellstrom!
My auto mechanic sewed a pair of these ring magnets in an old wool blanket making the blanket into a fender drape protector that stays in place.
I love that!
one of the best magnets I have recycled came from a computer hard drive, also from the magnetic emergency trailer lights.
Love those hard drive magnets!
I have lots of old hard drive magnets. I wish they were not the shape they are but they are very strong neodymium magnets. Some analogue televisions have large nickel-iron magnets and stick diodes. But more importantly, large capacitors. Sony has extremely good capacitors in their old analogue televisions. Old analogue home stereo units have excellent transformers and even the zener diode to regulate the lowered voltage to 12 volts. Old AM only transistor radios have germanium diodes, transistors, and variable capacitors. After the fall of Radio Shack, I am constantly salvaging components. I know these components can be purchased from online stores. But when you need a 10 : 1 transformer for a powersupply immediately, a full wave bridge for the same power supply, or inductors for a homemade tank circuit for a resonator circuit, there may not be time to wait for a slow online shipment. The salvaged resistors, capacitors, inductors, schottky diodes, and such are always there. The salvage operations are going on constantly. When I find dead electronics, I take them home for processing.
wish i kept my convection MW. Just tossed it last month, it died after16yrs. Always liked magnets for science projects and amazed at how powerful they can be, especially Neodymium ones.
Indeed!
is there a health hazard via toxic chemical associated with taking apart a micro wave magnetron?
I'm assuming you're referring to Be. That element is in older microwaves. Plus, it has only caused harm in mining and manufacturing situations where people are inhaling the Be dust. In fact, Be is used in some electronics, NASA, spark plugs, and at one time was used in bicycle handlebars. When it was first discovered, it was used as a sweetener (tastes sweet apparently).
The saga of its poor reputation can be compared to "popcorn lung" (from manufacture microwave popcorn butter), and "asbestos" issues. Nobody has ever died from Be inhalation while taking out microwave magnets. Here's the final tip: If removing Be insulators from an old microwave..... just don't hammer them in to dust and snort them.
@@PhilCrockett LOL. Great comeback. I have a really old microwave that you barely can get a plate in. It works, but I don't use it. Was some older lady's microwave . Never saw one this old before
I bet it weighs a million pounds! (the microwave, not the old woman, of course)
WARNING - A plastic coated handle on a pair of pliers is NOT the same as insulated! Only use properly insulated pliers rated at 1000V compliant with EN 60900; VDE0682/201. If you want to stay alive that is.
Or like the video says....... don't even mess with the capacitor.
What good are the magnets ? If you want magnet... they're one in every audio speakers and it's a lot bigger.
I'm sure there are plenty of people that would be fine with adding good magnets to the landfill along with the old microwave. I like to salvage good parts from junk when I can.
Yeah but when we're chasing after every magnet you can find... some guys it's women, some (like me too) it's magnets! Time to go chop a microwave!
If you got microwave that has the spinning tray that motor gives out AC power you can power household light bulbs. I haven't tried any thing other than that but it's something to tweek on when your tweeking. Most lol motor you get out of eletronics are DC so here is a change
good call, Rudy!
I'm a dollar late and a day short but, you can use a flat head screw driver to take out security screws
Thanks for the tip!
Depending on the size of the blade, yep. There's also some that you can use a square tip on, too. Done that more than once, especially or stuff I'm just scrapping. 😁
or a knife
You mean slotted screwdriver. Flathead refers to the shape of the head, not its driving means.
Besides simply buying a cheap Torx anti-tamper bit, there is another way if you have a regular Torx bit. Hold a slotted tip against the little rod in the center of the screw and give it a whack. The rod is brittle and will break off, allowing the regular Torx to be used.
I stripped the guts out of a small microwave and made it into a letter box. Where I live in far north Queensland (Aust) we get meters of rain every year so now the mail is dry and it's big enough for small parcels. Didn't need the magnets as I have enough of them. Good video though.
That is a genius idea, Sam! I like the microwave mailbox idea a lot
My wife was like... "DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!" Especially that our microwave still works. They just can't see the beauties of science.
have her nuke a bulb in it. then she'll flip out.
or an old Hot Wheels car
0
You've turned something interesting into a painstakingly slow vid with freeze frames and all !!
YES! I agree. This is one of my old videos back before I had good software and experience. Thanks for your professional critique. I will have to check your channel out for some pointers. Thanks, G4R!
G4R
trolling 5 year old vids ?
LOL
Well, i had a General Electric OTS (over the stove) microwave rated at 900 watts. Not only did its interlocks fail, but its controller failed as well, which resulted in the magnetron turning on when the door opened. Took the thing apart, and i actually took the MAGNETRON apart. Decided to use one as a coaster for my glass, and i still use it on my desk, in my room, even as i Ramble On.
-Franz Ferdinand VIII
excellent!
is it possible to weaponize charged capacitors for use against robotic/cybernetic attackers? asking for science...
Only if the clattispheres are present and well established in the core constraculators.
@@PhilCrockett just as i feared...
@@PhilCrockett Clattispheres as in "bumbaklattisphere" ? It might have begun in Jamaica, mon.
You could also through the capacitor into water.
good call, Alex!
These magnets look almost identical to the old TV cathode tube focussing magnets. These slipped over the neck of the tube and focused the electron beam on the face of the display tube.
Always useful for picking up metal items etc...
Interesting....
I have seen these type magnets in the bases of removable CB car antennas.
When you showed shorting the capacitor with two screwdrivers, you didn't stress keeping your hands insulated from the screwdriver shafts. That section of your video only showed the bottoms of the shafts - the handles weren't visible.
BTW, what do you do with the magnets? Compared with neodymium magnets, they're not very strong. What are they useful for?
Some things I shouldn't have to explain in detail. As far as what I use them for.......
I hang screwdrivers, pliers, saw blades, etc on them. I hold up maps, building plans, instructions, etc...with them. I pick up nails, screws etc... with them..... the list goes on.. AND here's another cool thing I do with them:
ruclips.net/video/n6XXroLojio/видео.html
AND
ruclips.net/video/o1uubKwmz0/видео.html
not to mention, you can ruin two good screw drivers that way. many years ago, in shop class in the 70's, our teacher charged a 45 uf 600 volt cap to 400 volts, with one of the power supplies we were using in the classroom. he blew his perfectly good old timer 3 blade apart, showing us the dangers of capacitors. he was heartbroken over that knife. he talked for weeks about how he missed that knife. i, myself, have tossed screwdrivers away after doing stupid things like that, testing for power. in most appliances today, including air conditioners, the caps discharge themselves within the circuit. i haven't found a live cap in over twenty five years of air conditioning and appliance service.
Same here Randy, there is usually a bleed resistor. ("A little bleeder" as my Dad used to call me!)
What are they useful for? Of what use is a newborn baby
I laughed so much my wife called the mental asylum. I am sure I saw this guy in the ward next to me hahahahah
Was that you next to me with the boot on your head?
@@PhilCrockett 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
A couple of decades ago I worked at a university and we had so many apartments and dorms, that worn out microwaves were being thrown out at a surprising rate. I tried to fix some, but I believe the magnetron is engineered to fail, so that it does not outlast the safety components. It's not worth trying to find a replacement magnetron for an outdated microwave. So since these were going in the dump, I salvaged around 50 of these awesome magnets over the course of my employment.
I actually have a similar story! My neighbor worked as the head of maintenance for a large apartment managment company in a University town. He would drop broken microwaves off in my driveway so I could salvage the magnets. Sometimes I would have 2 or 3 waiting on me when I got home.
Phil Crockett sweet
What do you want with so many magnets? What are they good for?
There's lots of useful parts in microwaves!
Oh Becky, wouldn't you rather get a magnet for FREE or buy one when you realize, damn, I wish I had a magnet right now and I really don't wanna have to go out to the store to buy an effing magnet....eff!
Do you collect many until you have enough to fish for shopping carts?
ha! I don't magnet fish, but it looks like fun.
A word about the capacitor. Mfgrs built bleeder resistors inside the capacitors to bleed the high voltage to ground. Look at the numbers on the cap and usually you will see a resistor symbol that is attached to the leads internallly. The resistor has a very high resistance enough to bleed the high voltage down to 0 volts. It's always wise no matter what to go ahead and discharge the cap as a routine precaution. Like this guy says in this video.
Amen!
I must admit I've never taken apart a microwave despite having taken apart almost everything else you can imagine because I basically make most of my money doing bulk garbage days twice a year. I only take stuff apart for cannibalisation and/or recycling IF and only IF I can't fix and then sell it. Reason I don't take microwaves is that they take up too much space, they're too heavy, and not very profitable to sell. Hence, I'm careful about what goes in my hatchback. For big stuff like microwaves, toasters, vacuum cleaners, deep fryers, TVs, etc. I just cut the cord off AND the plug. 1 night I typically get about 2 bags of 10 kilos gross weight which is about 3 kilos of pure Cu. It's patooshkah but better than leaving there for someone else to take. I do save some with the plugs in case I find something I do need which has had the cord cut so I can reattach it. I've seen guys smash the backs of TVs so they can rip off the head and the wire that goes around the tube but that's only an additional kilo and makes too much noise and rubble.
The most valuable part of the microwave would be the transformer because you can make an arc welder out of it by hacksawing off the primary coil, threading in 1 turn of a standard high-wattage 240 V power cable and making IT the secondary.
For metals you can earn more money collecting aluminium, keyboards for Silver content, and printer heads and/or the ink cartridges for Gold. Same with whole computers. The metals are your bread and butter but what REALLY makes it profitable are the incidentals, like antiques, art, the occasional brand-name handbag, etc. You basically have to be an expert on everything that sells well on eBay. I always take handbags because nobody else does. I also sell tons of them, most for very low prices. But the real reason I take them is that most of them do contain change (even Reichsmarks in one instance), and occasionally something much better, like pills. One time I found 235 Deutschmarks in a handbag because apparently they thought they were useless but you can still exchange them in perpetuity at the Bundesbank for Euros. I find good shit all the time, like an ounce of Gold I'm looking at right now. Had it tested, and it's the real thing. Found that inside an old beer stein. Those sell real well too by the way. Sometimes I find totally off-the-wall items like a Nepalese kukri knife from the 17th century that sold for over 300 Euros. I'm like: how did THIS get into somebody's garbage in southern Germany?
that's a lot of words
@@PhilCrockett i get the impression Sun Rabbit is a fast talker .
@@pappy451 hence the need for (or caused by) the pills. 😏😋
I just finished my first microwave magnet adventure and I was impressed how strong the magnets are! They will hold a pistol if you want to conceal one around your home for self defense.
That's a fantastic idea, Dale! Why didn't I think of that.......
@@PhilCrockett I took a picture of my .38 semi-auto pistol hanging from the side of the fridge, but then realized I couldn't include a pic with my comment. 😏
YT really needs to figure out how to share pics. I'm always wanting to do that when someone has a question that can be answered with a pic. I always appreciate your comments, Dale. I'm assuming you're a cop?
@@PhilCrockett retired and relocated! Lol
I wonder if they don't want pictures shared because it's a video channel? LOL
I have to agree with anyone who would have the first thought of "how to use this to conceal a firearm" LOVE YOUR RESPONSE.
Phil I want you to know that after first watching your vid a couple months back, yesterday I finally dismantled and salvaged the magnetron out of a big old microwave i'd been planning to.. so cheers :-)
-and reading your comments section is a joyful inspiration - I very much appreciate your enlightened attitude - thanks again mate :-D
Glad I could help, BD! Thanks for watching and commenting, my friend!
You can make a welder using the transformer.
Now that sounds like something I would definitely do. Thanks for encouraging my bad behavior! HA!
Hi i need more of the video to make weldering machine
I started playing this video but then I ran to the hardware store to by a bag of magnets. When I got home the video was still playing.
rrriiiiiiiggggghhhhhtttttt
Congratulations Martie !
You wasted money on gas and weak magnets.
Did you also pick up some overpriced, lousy fast food?
Put a magnet on your car oil filter.Ice done this for 40 years.Older cars transmission pan too.
I've heard the oil pan tip before. still need to do it.
What size magnet?
Johnny Doeboy: The idea is it collects any metal partcles from the oil....preventing them going round the system again ...particulary into the bearings.
In days of yore, the sump plug had a magnet attached, and so you had a visual clue, whenever you changed the oil, of any trouble brewing.
Another source of magnets is hard disk drives. These Neodymium magnets powerful. You don't want your finger between two of them. They have a mounting plate with tiny holes. So have them around the basement to hand stuff. You can buy these buy the pound online, BTW.
You're in luck! I have a video on that!
ruclips.net/video/YKzPt18aE_0/видео.html
It was the twenty second day of April, in the year 2021, when i finally realized that microwaves use magnets! I'll crawl back under my rock now.
HA! yes!
I feel even worse. In my country (Netherlands) we use the word "magnetron", and I feel stupid to have never linked that to "magnets".
Also; the transformers from microwaves are used by some hardcore magnet fishers to DIY a very strong electro-magnet that is suspended from an hydraulic garage crane, to lift heavy objects like motorbikes from the waters.
I love watching the magnet fishing videos. When magnet fishing became popular, my video started getting A LOT of views. It's been good for business!
@@tubularap Haha...same! I just picked up a microwave by the side of the road simply for the magnets. Only after I realized they were in the 'magnetron' did I realize that's where the magnets were...and why it was named magnetron... : /
Thanks for the video bro..but you didn't mention any thing about the dangerous berrylium inside the magnitron, it's very toxic,be aware all.
Modern microwaves don't have Be in them. Plus, the dangers come from mining and manufacturing Be from exposure to the dust. Just like asbestos and the microwave popcorn butter (popcorn lung).
Thanks for watching and commenting, Maher
You are okay my friend. Your skills should not go to waste.
There are a good number of mean ones who either die with their knowledge or make hateful comments. Your post is titled taking magnets out of a microwave, why watch and then whine?
I need some magnets. I was wondering where I could get some easily. I so happen to have a microwave that stopped working. Your post was very helpful. Thank you
HA! YES! I always wonder why people seem surprised by what they are seeing when they click on my completely and totally honest title. I have a video on How to Fillet a Bass.... I get sooooo much hate mail on that. They're like..: "Can't believe you did that!" and.... you shouldn't kill bass!"...... and yet...... they clicked on it with both eyes wide open. Anyway...... hope you get a chance to see my bass video too... Thanks for the great comment and laugh! You are my kind of friend, Gye Boor!
I like to put my glass on a magnet from a magnetron with an AUTISM AWARENESS wristband since i was born in April
Those really large old microwaves had capacitors big enough to burn at least a hole in your screw driver. I was in appliance repair school back in the 1980's, and we worked on dismantling microwaves then. One I opened up had a half rotted larger mouse cadavare inside the animal had bit into the wires going to the magnetron. I have no idea on earth how a dang mouse got inside a microwave. It only had a couple set of smaller vents on it and no torn holes or anything.
ya.... I've found dead mice in the most peculiar places. I was once told, that a mouse can fit through a hole the size of a dime.
@@PhilCrockett They dislocate their joints to fit through holes the size of a pencil circumference.
@@PhilCrockett The test in the UK is a pencil; if your (round) pencil fits through then so can a mouse.
It's all to do with having a flat pelvis and skull and certain joints that can be dislocated at will. (Mice that is, not me.)
🇬🇧
That core in the center of the magnetron contains some very toxic elements! Be careful during the disassembly!
The super old microwaves had Be in the insulators. The modern day microwaves uses Aluminum based product
@@PhilCrockett Thanks for the info!
No problem! Thanks for watching and commenting.
the toxic material is called beryllium oxide it's in the ceramic like portion of the center core of the magnetron that stuff is like asbestos on steroids avoid breaking damaging or scratching at all costs just a few particles inhaled can result in small cell carcinoma of lungs in a few years
WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME TO UNPLUG IT BEFORE I CUT THE CORD!!! That woulda been a BIG helpful TIP! Thanks!
ikr!
@@PhilCrockett LOL, subscribed, thanks
Did you get it recorded? :-)
Common sense should prevail in all honesty these videos are full step by step there lossly based for you to then research properly your self in all fairness.
😂😂😂
Sir please help me how to turn old microwave to time machine
Great question! First, unplug the microwave. Second, open the door. Third, climb inside. Fourth, call your psychiatrist and tell him what you are doing and follow his instructions. I absolutely love questions like this! You go boy! Come visit me in the future!
The "star slotted screws" are called Torx head.
Ha! I get that a lot !
A star screwdriver is a Philips in Canada.FYI
you do not short out a capacitor with two screwdrivers that is extremely dangerous specially one of that size you do it by using a half watt resistor which will drain the capacitor then it will be safe to remove
Using screw drivers is fine. Done it many times myself.
@@jakebob6332 I have worked in electronics for over 30 years I know this is not a safe practice because I've seen it done and I've seen people get seriously hurt Capacitors that are as high as 1500 Megahertz or higher can seriously hurt you that's what's in microwave ovens today's microwave ovens you will find resistor strap across the terminals to prevent people from using screwdrivers
@@rayyoudontneedtoknow6887 uh...did you mean megavolts? Voltage is what's responsible for increasing air gap spark distance
@@rayyoudontneedtoknow6887 I'm calling BS on this. Caps aren't measured in Hz or MHz and even hobbyists with no formal training know this. Folks who regularly work around high power and transmitters all use screwdrivers for the small stuff and a chicken stick (US term) for the big stuff. The covered terminals you noticed are to help prevent accidental shocks as much as bleed-down. Anyone who trusts bleed-down resistors is up for a big (and maybe their last) surprise when one fails. That's why you always ground or short everything before doing any kind of servicing.
thanks for the advice
OK! ... Cutting the cord off first is a good idea. Unplugging the cord before you cut the cord is a better idea. Also, cleaning the old gravy from the microwave so someone can't accidentaly eat it would prevent indigestion.
Keep the gravy..... no one will eat it without biscuits.
LOL
Find a roofing company that's scrapping the 36" wide rolling magnet used to pick up stray nails.Takes some work, but inside you'll free up a half-dozen strong magnets, each slightly larger than a deck of cards.If you're really serious, try Amazon for Neodymium Iron Boron magnets.N35 strong, N52, the strongest, (potentially dangerous) not for children or fools.Keep away from pacemakers, credit cards etc.
Yeah, it'll screw a pacemaker up. Instant heart attack.
And large Neodymium magnets... yikes. There's images in the internet of people's fingers and hands being turned to PASTE by getting in between two of them. They're "fun", but dangerous. I imagine some electronics would hate them greatly.
Snails are magnetic???
gotta love them magnets!
HV capacitors have an internal resistor connected to ground to discharge the capacitor to ground in less than a second. turn off the microwave and the capacitor will discharge to ground. to prevent any accident, use protective gloves and jump the leads of the capacitor to the chassis using a 1 Million Ohms resistor. Use isolated pliers and gloves to disconnect the leads of the capacitor.
The resistors can and do fail open circuit so still discharge them. I use a pair of high voltage probes with a 10M high voltage resistor (actually 10 1M 1W resistors in series).
ok. thnx
While in the AF I was an avionic instrumentation service and repair tech. This gave me access to capicitors which I'd charge in a wall socket and then leave lying in a common area of the barracks. It never took very long before someone would pick it up to check it out...Yea I thought that was funny.
I digress, if you're concerned about the capicitors found in electronic devices, I'd advise you wear a pair of decent leather gloves. I've worked on a lot of equipment mainly 480v and lower and it's true many of these capicitors hold a charge that's no joke. The ones I referred to earlier were smaller just enough to give someone a good shock without hurting them. Anyway the leather gloves and common sense will get you through anything you'll find in appliances or the old TV's.
THanks for the tip!
Transformer is very easy to rewire to different use.
You can easy get good amps for bigger battery charger or car subwoofer amplifier in home usage. I have build my own 400watts using car amplifier and I build in power supply using rewired microwave transformer which gave me over 30 amps.
My car battery gave up after playing 30 minutes of havy techno.😃
wish I knew how to do that. Make a vid, and I'll watch!
Now that I have the magnets, what do I do with them?
WOW.... I had to re-read what I wrote after the cuss'n you gave me. It's so hard to express sarcastic humor in text. Sorry for offending you, Chip. I must have a bad sense of humor, I expected you to find it funny. Your profile pic looks like you would be one of my fishing buddies. We are all very ornery.
so... to answer your question......
I hang screwdrivers, pliers, saw blades, etc on them. I hold up maps, building plans, instructions, etc...with them. I pick up nails, screws etc... with them..... the list goes on.. AND here's another cool thing I do with them:
ruclips.net/video/n6XXroLojio/видео.html
AND
ruclips.net/video/o1uubKwmz0/видео.html
Chip Estrada
You add a little bit of hot sauce and you eat them.