Just wondering what would happen if a metal container was used in a microwave, but grounded to the phono jack for the temperature probe. Assuming the connection was good, of course.
"Tom Del Rosso" wrote in news:mv80i.43$yM2.8 @bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net:
The 'grounding' would not help.
A 'good ground' at microwave frequencies would be much less than 1/4 wave. The wavelength is about 3 cm.
A good ground would thus need to be much less than 1/2 cm.
A metal container is probably going to arc to the inside of the oven in several places.
It may detune the cavity badly enough to present a high SWR to the magnetron and damage or destroy the magnetron.
The wavelength is too short for any effective grounding, and that is a 1/4" Phone jack, not a phono jack.
Very interesting. I thought the wavelength was a few inches.
So how does the probe get away with it?
He meant to say 1/4 wavelength is around 3 cm. :) The wavelength is a few inches, like around 5 inches.
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Sam Goldwasser wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@red.seas.upenn.edu:
Actually, I was thinking x-band radar was very close to the microwave oven frequency. I was wrong.
The X band ranges from 7 to 12.5 GHz. The microwave ovens actually operate in the S band, the 10 cm radar band. The S band covers from 2 to 4 GHz.
According to
In any case, it is still a bad idea to put any metal bowls into your microwave over, unless the metal object has been designed for use in a microwave oven.
Ok, but the probe is over 6 inches long without the plug, so why doesn't it collect a charge? I always assumed it was because of the grounded plug.
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