probably nobody will care, but I’m sad at the passing of my microwave. It was born in July of 1983, and died march 24th, 2026. I had bought it used in 1992 and it faithfully served me and my family for many years until today, when the keypad decided to partially quit working. Rest in peace Zappy, you will be missed.

I’m looking for a new keypad but unsurprisingly the parts for this ancient thing are no longer in stock so I doubt I’ll be able to resurrect it without some sort of miracle. I know it’s just an appliance but it still makes me sad to see it go.

    • Jay@lemmy.caOPEnglish
      14·
      2 days ago

      It seems to be the membrane switch (keypad). Still a perfectly good microwave if I can end up finding the right parts. I’m going to try and fix the membrane and see what happens from there, maybe I’ll get lucky and be able to salvage it.

      • th3dogcow@lemmy.worldEnglish
        3·
        2 days ago

        The membrane buttons on my also Panasonic bread machine are dying after ten years. No more up, but at least it will cycle around through menus, so down button will suffice. I feel your pain and fear that soon too I will be in the same situation.

        If you are able to fix the membrane switches please share!

        • Jay@lemmy.caOPEnglish
          5·
          2 days ago

          I will be sure to update when I can. I’m hoping I’ll have time this weekend to mess with it but I still have to install hand rails for my neighbor and some other stuff, so we’ll see.

          I’ve decided either way I’m not going to get rid of this thing just yet, even if I have to pick up another microwave in the meantime while I try to get it running again.

          • moonshadow@slrpnk.net
            2·
            2 days ago

            Really glad to hear that, invested at this point. Often just a good clean/little graphite will sort those membrane keys out, it’s just a graphite pad on a little rubber dome that bridges contacts on a pcb when you push it down

            e: even if it’s goofy and hard to get apart, just swishing it in iso and letting it dry has a decent chance of working

    • Jay@lemmy.caOPEnglish
      6·
      2 days ago

      Except this thing was actually useful and did some good for all those years lol!

  • nroth@lemmy.world
    8·
    2 days ago

    There’s probably a ribbon cable from the membrane. You could try buzzing out the keys and making one or adapting an ordered standard part

    • Jay@lemmy.caOPEnglish
      56·
      3 days ago

      Lol I was actually thinking of jury-rigging something together to trigger the dead buttons. I can still set the timer for anything under 9 minutes and 99 seconds, but the “ten minute” button and the “Engage” buttons are stone dead, even when checking the continuity with the tester. I’ve already got the panel out and will probably fiddle with it this weekend if I got time and see what I can do. I’m not letting my baby go without a fight…partially because I don’t want a new microwave, partially because I’m sentimental, and partially maybe I’m just a little bit mental.

      • Beacon@fedia.io
        35·
        3 days ago

        Just be careful if you open it up, because I’ve heard microwaves have capacitors inside that can hold a lethal amount of electricity for months or years since the last time they were plugged in

        • Jay@lemmy.caOPEnglish
          27·
          3 days ago

          Yup, the capacitor needs to be discharged or you’re in for a wild time lol.

          • Jay@lemmy.caOPEnglish
            18·
            3 days ago

            Back in my teens I took apart a small tv, and I took the circuit board out and threw it on a shelf in my closet. 6 months later I was cleaning out the closet and accidentally brushed against the board with my hand, and I can say with absolute certainty that they will indeed hold a charge for a very long time even if unplugged.

          • Redjard@reddthat.com
            16·
            3 days ago

            They absolutely can, that’s why we often put resistors across so they slowly discharge.
            The reason we don’t use them as batteries (yet) is their very low energy density. We’d need kgs of capacitors to match a typical phones battery life.

            • SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.caEnglish
              2·
              2 days ago

              They absolutely can, that’s why we often put resistors across so they slowly discharge.

              what? capacitors discharge naturally, it’s why there has to be a diode to prevent the flow back to the source of charge.

              • Redjard@reddthat.com
                7·
                2 days ago

                Sounds like you are talking about the entirety of a small circuit?
                If the circuit connects both sides of the capacitor, then it will discharge it. But that means the circuit is discharging the capacitor.

                If I am, say, putting a capacitor across neutral and live of an ac cord, then I am charging it. Then if I unplug the cord and connect the live and neutral wires, I would be discharging the capacitor.
                But … you don’t connect the wires of your plug. They are floating. If one is held at 300V from the capacitor because that was the voltage at the moment I broke the connection, then it will remain at 300V relative to the other forever.

                Floating is the default state of disconnection. If I rip the capacitor straight out of the running machine, it will be floating and will usually keep its charge for years. If your remaining circuit doesn’t contain something that can drain the capacitor, it will stay undrained.

              • Redjard@reddthat.com
                6·
                2 days ago

                There are endless specific warnings about specifically opening microwaves, because this exact thinking is what has gotten hundreds to thousands of people killed over the years.
                Specifically microwaves, specifically from feeling safe because they have been sitting in a trash pile or basement for months or years.
                It happens comically often, to my knowledge it’s the most common specific cause of death in diy.

                • thallamabond@lemmy.world
                  2·
                  2 days ago

                  That high voltage glass fracturing is gunning for number one nowadays, though I am pretty sure they’re made with old microwave parts.

      • over_clox@lemmy.world
        7·
        3 days ago

        Its totally doable, just be safe, and there better not be any foolish kids or dumb pets around. Such rigups need to only be handled by grown adults that know what risks might be…

        • Pup Biru@aussie.zoneEnglish
          2·
          3 days ago

          i’d say don’t even let kids (or adults that don’t know better) see you opening up a microwave… don’t give them any ideas

      • Jay@lemmy.caOPEnglish
        4·
        3 days ago

        I’m going to try to do something at any rate. I really don’t want to give up on it.

          • Jay@lemmy.caOPEnglish
            3·
            3 days ago

            Lol I’ll try and find the time by the weekend but no guarantees… I’m working on my neighbor’s house fixing some stuff and installing hand rails for them this week.

  • lichtmetzger@discuss.tchncs.de
    8·
    2 days ago

    I also have a microwave from the 80s, got it from my dad and he bought it when he was young.

    I hope it never dies. I love the Star Trek-like touchpad and the beautiful CCFL display. 😍

    It’s a Panasonic as well, I even have the ridiculous microwave cookbook somewhere, which contains a lot of really bad meal photos.

    • Tollana1234567@lemmy.today
      3·
      2 days ago

      we had one from the early 90s or 80s also panasonic, it last 30+years, then we bought a newish one few years ago, and it died in 2 years. it was the famous overheating one, that looks likes it catching onfire it was 100$, and then it suddenly stopped working lol. the current one we spent a little more and it was working fine.

    • nickiwest@lemmy.world
      3·
      2 days ago

      My mom still uses the Panasonic microwave that she bought in the '80s.

      Meanwhile, I’ve been through four microwaves since 2000.

  • lechekaflan@lemmy.world
    17·
    3 days ago

    For that microwave to last that long is the testament to its durability. Actually, up until the 90s most appliances were built like tanks and so why some people hold onto them, partly they were IMHO easier to repair than supposedly “smart” appliances.

    I also remember how Sony TVs during the 80s that were sold included detailed electronic schematic diagrams helpful to technicians.

    • Jay@lemmy.caOPEnglish
      5·
      3 days ago

      My microwave has the schematics included too, it’s printed inside underneath the cover after you take it off. Handy to have.

  • elucubra@sopuli.xyz
    22·
    3 days ago

    My ex-wife threw away an Amana Radarange, which had a rotating reflector on the ceiling instead of a rotating plate, which I had bought in the 80’s, before I “got” her. When I came home, I went to the recycling center, and was able to retrieve it. I installed it in my home office to reheat stuff, but mainly for sentimental issues.

    She had a habit of throwing stuff out because she decided I didn’t need it.

    Good riddance (her, I mean).

  • tipicaldik@lemmy.world
    27·
    3 days ago

    We recently had to replace a $500 Electrolux microwave that was only 11 years old. We mistakenly thought that brand was supposed to be higher quality :(

    My mom had a microwave that lasted for decades. I left home in '81, so it was bought prior to that. She was still using it when she passed in '16. That thing was huge. I remember that before my dad would sit down to the table to eat, he would open the door on it to just the right angle so he could continue watching the TV in it’s reflection. The only thing wrong with it was the top and bottom rows of red LED lights had quit shining which made it a little tricky to tell how much time was left on it, but that never bothered my mom. Also, they didn’t have turntables in them back then, so you had to frequently turn the food. Mom bought a wind-up platform that you’d sit the food on and you could hear it in there ticking away while it slowly turned your food. She had to give up about 2.5 inches of height for it, but that oven was so big it didn’t matter…

    • Nickelalloy@lemmy.world
      7·
      3 days ago

      Really? In my experience Electrolux devices are really easy to repair and they supply parts for a very long time, was it you or a company that would carry out the repair?

      I recently repaired an oven from Electeolux that was 20+ years.

      But sorry to hear it had to go!

      • SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.caEnglish
        2·
        2 days ago

        In my experience Electrolux devices are really easy to repair

        In the 90s. New stuff is the same shit as everywhere else. Bosch washers are designed to fail.

      • tipicaldik@lemmy.world
        11·
        3 days ago

        The repair company we use told us it wasn’t worth fixing, and I believed them. To repair the microwave would have cost more than the new GE we replaced it with for <$220 on sale, which I installed myself. We also had an Electrolux double wall oven that kept burning out computer boards at about the 10 year mark. We had them fixed twice in 6 months, and when it went out the third time we wrote it off and replaced it with a Kitchenaid. One of the burners on the stove top is slow to heat up, but still usable. The dishwasher doesn’t seem to have a drying cycle anymore, but still cleans, tho we rarely use it. We did a big remodel back in 2011, and bought all Electrolux appliances and were quite proud of them, but alas… The first thing my wife did when the new kitchen was open was bake 6 trays of cookies at once :)

    • 🌞 Alexander Daychilde 🌞@lemmy.worldEnglish
      4·
      3 days ago

      We mistakenly thought that brand was supposed to be higher quality :(

      What you can tell from a single instance of failure: Absolutely nothing.

      It requires statistics to figure out if that’s a trend or a single instance.

  • FollyDolly@lemmy.world
    11·
    3 days ago

    My toaster oven just died. It was so old all the numbers rubbed off and we just ran it off vibes. Guests were like, how long to make toast? And I just told them turn it till it feels right. I’m going to miss that toaster oven, it was the best.

    • Jay@lemmy.caOPEnglish
      2·
      3 days ago

      Lol that must be a sibling! Mine was the 8050c but it looks exactly the same. The last pic isn’t the same one tho

      Built the same month too… that ones serial # is 5697, mine is 4495 so It’s like the younger brother to mine.

      Edit: Now I’m wondering what the “C” is for… is there a difference or maybe the C is because mine was for Canada??

      • Evil_Shrubbery@thelemmy.club
        2·
        2 days ago

        Lol, yes, I did a double take too after seeing the date - but that one RIPed in 2022 as per post I stole the images from.

        I wonder what the “C” variant had more or less or different to the non-C one. … Canada could be one explanation (so maybe different packaging, promos, or labels).

        (The last pic was just an idea how to fix it - or just arduino it to Home Assistant! :))