ugh my girlfriend ran her microwave without a load! EDIT: STILL WORKS FINE

[beer]

Originally posted by: Spooner
How the hell would running it without any food in it kill the microwave?

Anyone that thought this - reread my first post.

Wow. Some of the ignorance here is astounding. I may not have known why, but when I was 5 I knew that this wasn't a good idea.

 

[Cyberian]

Originally posted by: Elemental007

Originally posted by: Descartes

Originally posted by: Elemental007
Why do I call it a load?

We've discussed this problem in my second circuits class. A microwave oven is a linear circuit and can be modeled, somewhat simplistically, as a thevenin equivalent circuit which consists of a voltage source, and a resistor in series.

you can simplistically model a microwave oven by this. Any food you put into it can be modeled as a resistive load. If you run it without nothing in it, it is like creating a short between the terminals of the thevenin equivalent circuit.

Hence the name load.

Yes, and your girlfriend was a ditz for not knowing this?

Even without the technical explanation it should have been obvious that energy is floating around (hence the HEATING) and without anything, it has to go somewhere.

Namely, back into the microwave-generating components.

You have a choice here:

A) Get a new GF

B) Kill yourself

 

[Kev]

Originally posted by: Cyberian

Originally posted by: Elemental007

Originally posted by: Descartes

Originally posted by: Elemental007
Why do I call it a load?

We've discussed this problem in my second circuits class. A microwave oven is a linear circuit and can be modeled, somewhat simplistically, as a thevenin equivalent circuit which consists of a voltage source, and a resistor in series.

you can simplistically model a microwave oven by this. Any food you put into it can be modeled as a resistive load. If you run it without nothing in it, it is like creating a short between the terminals of the thevenin equivalent circuit.

Hence the name load.

Yes, and your girlfriend was a ditz for not knowing this?

Even without the technical explanation it should have been obvious that energy is floating around (hence the HEATING) and without anything, it has to go somewhere.

Namely, back into the microwave-generating components.

You have a choice here:

A) Get a new GF

B) Kill yourself

I say choice B

Even without the technical explanation it should have been obvious that energy is floating around (hence the HEATING) and without anything, it has to go somewhere.

yeah, i mean microwave physics is just common f*cking sense

 

[udonoogen]

i never knew, i know now. doesn't your microwave have a timer?

 

[beer]

Originally posted by: udonoogen
i never knew, i know now. doesn't your microwave have a timer?

Welll, hers is pretty old. I mean, it still says 'Solid-State' on it, which hasn't been a feature advertised in a long, long time. But it work(ed) well. It honesty seems that appliances made in the 80s were made with much higher quality than lately.

 

[bootymac]

Buy her a damn clock next time

 

[ElFenix]

at the end of the 80s, when I was like 3

newb!

 

[Thegonagle]

How about EDIT 3: Does it still work?

Only you can tell us that.

I bet it does.

It's not a good idea to run it empty, but in truth, it rarely causes damage in a very short period of time.

If it still heats up a cup of water HOT in a few minutes, it still works.

Likewise, if it still fully pops a bag of popcorn in the same amount of time as before, there was no harm done.

If it still works, STOP FREAKING OUT!

 

[piku]

Originally posted by: Elemental007
EDIT2 : Why do I call it a load?

We've discussed this problem in my second circuits class. A microwave oven is a linear circuit and can be modeled, somewhat simplistically, as a thevenin equivalent circuit which consists of a voltage source, and a resistor in series.

you can simplistically model a microwave oven by this. Any food you put into it can be modeled as a resistive load. If you run it without nothing in it, it is like creating a short between the terminals of the thevenin equivalent circuit.

Hence the name load.

Ah, gotcha.

However, I will continue to eat my popcorn and you can continue to eat your loads.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Holy, it hasn't even been asked yet.

Pics?

 

[her209]

I can't no one has said this yet: Maybe you should give your gf a load.

 

[CrazyPerson]

it happenes.. just be glad she didnt need a 2 hour timer

 

[SagaLore]

I wonder if by doing that, the microwave chamber acts as a capacitor of streaming microwaves, and as soon as you open the door it bounces out in your direction and nukes you.

 

[Ornery]

"...yeah, i mean microwave physics is just common f*cking sense..."

Do you, or your GF for that matter, know enough not to put metal in a microwave? How do you know this? Perhaps the same way my wife and I learned about generally not using metal in the microwave, and not running it empty? By reading the fvcking manual!

 

[Kev]

Originally posted by: Ornery
"...yeah, i mean microwave physics is just common f*cking sense..."

Do you, or your GF for that matter, know enough not to put metal in a microwave? How do you know this? Perhaps the same way my wife and I learned about generally not using metal in the microwave, and not running it empty? By reading the fvcking manual!

sorry but not everybody reads a manual for a common household appliance that they have used all their lives since childhood. i knew this stuff because i was told when i was young, i never read a manual. so she was ignorant? big deal

 

[Ornery]

You're the one who made the smart ass comment. If it ain't a big deal, why did ya bother?

 

[randomlinh]

out of curiousity, how exactly do the metal racks in microwaves work?

 

[Thegonagle]

Originally posted by: lnguyen
out of curiousity, how exactly do the metal racks in microwaves work?

They're insulated from the metal interior (notice that they either attach to plastic insulators on the interior walls, have ceramic feet, or sit on a glass turn-table), and their wires are far enough apart that the microwaves pass through them, rather than being absorbed or reflected. I'm sure there are other factors, but that's all I know for sure.

 

[Kev]

Originally posted by: Ornery
You're the one who made the smart ass comment. If it ain't a big deal, why did ya bother?

i'm not the one who posted the thread, stupid

 

[KenGr]

I think most newer microwaves have protection circuits to prevent overheating, so it's probably low risk of damage.

That said, I've used microwaves as timers lots of times. All you have to do is set the power level to 0, the power unit never starts and the timer works. No danger.

 

[Chaotic42]

What kind of microwave doesn't have a timer function?

 

[Actaeon]

What are the odds the microwave will ever work again? I know that running it without a load is akin to running a short -circuit. Will her microwave still work or is it effectively toasted? The microwave is late 80s, early 90s, judging from the design - it came embedded into her stovetop on the kitchen.

I remember when I was younger, around 7 years ago, I put it on without anything in it, after about 5 minutes into the whole cooking nothing process, the thing shut off.

Microwave still works to this day.

 

[Ameesh]

you should head butt her then pants her

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: piku
Who calls what they put into a microwave a load?

Hehe, my first reaction as well. In fact, I had to re-read the title due to expecting something other than "microwave".

Elemental has given a reasonable explanation as to his useage, but it seems too Geeky to allow for a "Girlfriend".

I'm calling you out Elemental007! Pics or it's just BS!

 

[Ornery]

Originally posted by: Kev

Originally posted by: Ornery
You're the one who made the smart ass comment. If it ain't a big deal, why did ya bother?

i'm not the one who posted the thread, stupid

It's common knowledge not to use metal in a microwave. Nearly as common to know not to run it empty, and anyone with the astuteness to RTFM would learn this quick enough. Guess it's better to make excuses for being bird-brained.

Hell, you're more GD ignorant than his GF! Birds of a feather, eh?