DIY microwave touch panel repair

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

Image - DIY microwave touch panel repair

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

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

The strange behavior of the microwave forced me to start repairs. One fine moment, 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 it is! And when the oven spontaneously turned on several times, and then did not turn off at all (close the lid - it turned on!), We had to take action.

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

In microwave ovens that have so-called "touch" keyboards, in fact, there are no touch keyboards. There are, however, no buttons. They have two films, on each of which conductive tracks and contact pads are applied opposite to each other. When you press the panel, it bends, and these pads touch. A closure occurs. Generally speaking, this is not a sensory switching, since the capacitance of the human body is used in sensory devices, which makes the switching. And here, the same closure as in a regular button.

Video (click to play).

Image - DIY microwave touch panel repair


Of course, it all looks very modern, cool. But at the same time, there is one disease. Over time, when these films are deformed, the closure occurs by itself. In this case, microwave ovens begin to live their own lives and either stop responding to keystrokes, or, on the contrary, can start working spontaneously. Therefore, with the introduction of so-called "touch" switches in microwave ovens, keyboard breakdown is one of the most common problems.
  • The first is the replacement of “touch” devices. Quite a simple and quick way. If you can find these very devices, and they, unfortunately, are not so easy to find. Now people themselves are trying not to repair anything, but to hand it over to the workshops. Therefore, there are no spare parts in the 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, since there is no demand for them.
  • And the last thing. It turns out that the inquisitive mind of the Kulibins is capable of coming up with original solutions. As the saying goes: "The need for invention is great!" You just need to put, for example, an 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 picture above). I am not describing how to remove the cover here, because, in my opinion, it is not difficult - unscrew those screws that you 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 the printed circuit board.Before that, disconnect the cable that goes from it to the "sensor". To do this, pull the top of the shoe up. It will rise by about 1 mm, after which the cable can be freely removed (see below).

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And now the panel is in your hands. Now you need to "unstick" the keyboard. Carefully with a sharp knife lifts the bottom corner opposite the train. We "rip off" the keyboard. In this case, you need to pay attention to whether the film with conductive tracks has separated. You need to make it so that it separates and removed along with the keyboard. But the second film must remain in place. It is not necessary to “rip off” to the end. Where the ribbon cable goes to the printed circuit board, it is desirable that the keyboard with the edge of the film is held by the panel, as shown in the figure below.

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Now you need to glue some spacers between the contacts. To do this, some craftsmen use rather thick sheets (for example, stickers from old compact cassettes). Then you have to push hard on the keyboard to make it work. 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. This increases the gap between the films.

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

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View of the "touch" panel from the inside.

Author of the article "Do-it-yourself microwave touch panel repair" Sanych

Sometimes the technique starts to behave in a strange way. It turns on when it shouldn't, 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 be done if the buttons on the microwave do not work?

The touch buttons are designed 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 starting to repair the microwave yourself, 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 is the Start button that has broken. For repair you will need:

  1. Phillips screwdriver to open the panel.
  2. Thin knife or sturdy scissors.
  3. It's good if you have tweezers. This will greatly simplify the repair work.
  4. Plain tape or special insulating tape.
  5. Good glue.

Image - DIY microwave touch panel repair

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

If the equipment needs repairs, and you decide to disassemble the touch panel with your own hands, then start by unplugging the microwave from the outlet and follow the instructions:

  1. Unscrew the bolts that hold the microwave oven lid.
  2. We slowly disassemble all available connections. At this point, it is important to remember which part is connected where. It will be good if you take a photo of all the 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. Detach the sensor plate using a knife or thin blade.
  6. Divide the plate into two parts.

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

So, we got to the problem area. All the following actions must be performed as carefully as possibleTo avoid further damage to your microwave oven:

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