Do-it-yourself microwave touch panel repair

In detail: do-it-yourself microwave oven touch panel repair from a real master for my.housecope.com.

Image - Do-it-yourself microwave touch panel repair

We fix the "touch" keyboard of the microwave with our own hands.

The repair of the microwave oven keyboard, which I describe in this article, is not my invention. I read it myself on the Internet. My contribution is how to disassemble the "microwave", because each of them has its own characteristics when repairing.

The strange behavior of the microwave oven forced me to start repairing. At one point, when I came home, I found her in a working position. Who turned it on is not clear! But right away I did not consider it necessary to take any measures. I thought it wouldn't turn on anymore. No matter how! And when the oven spontaneously turned on several times, and then it didn’t turn off at all (you close the lid - it turned on!) I had to take action.

On the Internet, on all sites, there is a talk about a magnetron, about high voltage, etc. I read it, and I was afraid, I thought - why not give it to the workshop? I found the material about the keyboard malfunction quite by accident, when I had already disassembled the microwave and already checked the high-voltage fuse, high-voltage capacitor and high-voltage diode. Well, at least I didn’t get to the magnetron!

Microwave ovens that have so-called "touch" keyboards do not actually have any touch keyboards. There are, however, no buttons. They have two films, on each of which conductive paths and contact pads are applied opposite each other. When you press the panel, it bends, and these areas are in contact. A closure occurs. If you approach the issue fundamentally, this is not a touch switch, since the capacitance of the human body is used in touch devices, which makes the switch. And here, the same closure as in a regular button.

Video (click to play).

Image - Do-it-yourself microwave touch panel repair


Of course, it all looks very modern, cool. But there is one disease. Over time, when these films are deformed, the closure occurs by itself. At the same time, microwave ovens begin to live their own lives and either stop responding to keystrokes, or vice versa, they can start working spontaneously. Therefore, with the introduction of so-called "touch" switches in microwave ovens, keyboard failure is one of the most common problems.
  • The first is the replacement of "touch" devices. Pretty easy and fast way. If you can find these very devices, and, unfortunately, they are not so easy to find. Now people themselves are trying not to repair anything, but to hand it over to workshops. Therefore, there are no spare parts in stores.
  • The second is to mount conventional buttons instead of "touch" panels. In this case, you have to tinker, but there will be no more of these malfunctions. But again, the difficulty remains in finding these same buttons. They are not in stores either, as there is no demand for them.
  • And the last. It turns out that the inquisitive mind of the "Kulibins" is able to come up with original solutions. As the saying goes: "There is a lot of need for inventions!". You just need to put, for example, adhesive tape between these two films, then the gap between them will increase, and there will be no short circuit.

So. First you need to remove the "touch" panel. To do this, unscrew the screw that secures the panel from the inside (in the figure above). I don't describe how to remove the shroud here, because I don't think it's difficult - unscrew the screws you can see!

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Then you need to open the door and then the panel rises freely (see above). All wires, before disconnecting them, sketch (or photograph). Remove printed circuit board.Before that, disconnect the cable that goes from it to the "sensor". To do this, pull the top of the block up. It will rise by about 1 mm, after which the cable can be freely removed (see below).

Image - Do-it-yourself microwave touch panel repair


And here is the panel in your hands. Now you need to "unstick" the keyboard. Carefully, with a sharp knife, lifts the lower corner opposite the train. "Tear off" the keyboard. In this case, you need to pay attention to whether the film with conductive paths has separated. It is necessary to make sure that it is separated and removed along with the keyboard. But the second film should remain in place. There is no need to "tear off" completely. Where the cable goes to the PCB, it is desirable that the keyboard with the film on the edge hold onto the panel, as shown in the figure below.

Image - Do-it-yourself microwave touch panel repair


Now you need to glue some gaskets in between the contacts. For this, some craftsmen use rather thick sheets (for example, stickers from old compact cassettes). Then you have to diligently push the keyboard so that it starts working. Therefore, it is enough to stick double-sided (or even ordinary) tape. We cut it into strips (or squares) and glue it between the contacts. In this case, the gap between the films increases.

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After that, you need to glue the outer film together with the keyboard to the panel, rolling your fingers over the surface. We collect everything. And turn on the microwave.

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View of the "touch" panel from the inside.

The author of the article “Do-it-yourself microwave touch panel repair” Sanych

Sometimes technology starts to behave strangely. It turns on when it should not, switches modes or does not respond to commands. Of course, if you doubt your knowledge of electronics, it is wiser to contact a specialist. But what can you do if the buttons on the microwave do not work?

The touch buttons are arranged in such a way that tracks with current are applied to two films. If you push the button, then it can create a contact closure.

Before embarking on an independent microwave repair, it is important to make sure that the button does not work, and not the control system itself. There is a separate technology for this. Let's assume that we are sure that it was the "Start" button that broke. For repairs you will need:

  1. Phillips screwdriver to open the panel.
  2. Thin knife or strong scissors.
  3. Well, if you have tweezers. This will greatly simplify the repair work.
  4. Regular tape or special insulating tape.
  5. Good glue.

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Before you start repairing, do not forget turn off the power microwaves. True, in the microwave there are parts that can accumulate electricity, so working with equipment is not always safe. It is better to entrust the repair to specialists.

If the equipment needs repair, and you decide to disassemble the touch panel yourself, then start by unplugging the microwave from the outlet and follow the instructions:

  1. Unscrew the bolts that hold the lid of the microwave oven.
  2. Slowly disassemble all the available connections. At this point, it is important to remember which part is connected where. It will be good if you take a picture of all available contacts.
  3. We find a special protective panel and unscrew the bolts on it.
  4. We take out the control unit from the panel.
  5. Using a knife or a thin blade, disconnect the sensor plate.
  6. We divide the plate into two parts.

Inspect the plates for the integrity of all conductive tracks. The problem may lie in the violation of one of them. If all the tracks are intact, then the problem is in the closure of the contacts.

So, we got to the problem area. All of the following steps must be taken as carefully as possibleto prevent further damage to your microwave:

  1. To increase the distance between the plates and avoid shorting, it is necessary to stick adhesive tape or insulating tape on the inside of the plate.
  2. Now we connect two plates and connect a cable to them.
  3. Glue the sensor in place.
  4. We assemble the microwave in the reverse order.
  5. We check your device for the functionality of the buttons.