If the PCB of my microwave oven is blown out, should I replace the PCB or buy a new microwave oven?

My microwave is broken. Should I send it to maintenance or buy a new one? What factors should I consider in this case?

PCB Assembly
September 19, 2023

You can buy a large Panasonic microwave oven at Home Depot for about $200.

If your microwave oven is blown out, its door latch may break internally and it couldn’t be opened without breaking it. If you are so inquisitive nature that you plan to disassemble it. You will enjoy the cleverness of the device construction.

However, they are not built to be repaired. They are comparatively inexpensive devices that can be used for a pretty long time if not abused.

They are built, inside-out, to not really be serviceable. It is not in the company’s best interest for them to be fixed. It is the company’s best interest for you to buy a new one every 10–20 years, even though fundamentally the feature set doesn’t change.

I have no doubt that you can take it apart. You can probably get the new board back in. But I assume if you can get a hold of the PCB, you’re going to have a terrible time getting the oven back together correctly. And if you don’t get it back together absolutely 100% correct, there is a serious danger that microwave frequency radiation will be leaked when it is operating.

#Consumer Electronic #After Sales

Oliver Smith

Oliver is an experienced electronics engineer skilled in PCB design, analog circuits, embedded systems, and prototyping. His deep knowledge spans schematic capture, firmware coding, simulation, layout, testing, and troubleshooting. Oliver excels at taking projects from concept to mass production using his electrical design talents and mechanical aptitude.

Oliver Smith

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