Comment on [Technology Connections] Video projectors used to be ridiculously cool [34:39]

• frezik@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  Metal is only a problem if it gets near the sides/top/bottom. There are even microwaves that come with a metal rack for the middle that’s suspended by plastic tabs.

  Bigger size makes it easier to stay away from the sides.

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• unphazed@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  I was a kid, so don’t remember everything as my Dad explained it, but it used a more powerful magnetron with a pulse system and used a fan to blow the heat. It also cooked hot pockets without leaving the outside cold and lava inside. Moreso than that, I don’t remember as it was a tech geek dad talking to a 12yr old teenager that only cared to listen to the first half. I was a shit, and I regret ignoring the trove of knowledge that man had.

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  • frezik@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    It might have had something that can shift its frequency.

    What happens in most microwaves is you get a standing wave. The high and low parts of the wave are always at the same spot. You then get a hot spot at the peek (and trough) of the wave, and a cold spot when the wave is near the zero node.

    By shifting the frequency, even just a little, you can shift the hot spots around and more evenly cook the food.

    This is obviously more expensive, and these days you can get it in higher end residential microwaves. Way back when, though, it was only something you’d see in industrial models.

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    • zaphod@sopuli.xyz ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      If I’m thinking about it correctly then either the standing wave is intentional or the oven is designed badly. You know the wavelength so you can make sure the oven is not an integer multiple of it and the hot spots move around on their own, no fancy frequency shifting required.

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      • frezik@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        It’s not entirely by choice. There’s a limited range of frequencies available.

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  • SynAcker@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Thank you for the call out to Service Merchandise. As a kid, that store was awesome.

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    • unphazed@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      I saw my first Jaguar system there… and was immediately told I’d never have one because of its expense.

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• MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  Probably a “strong enough to still heat stuff in a metal bowl” thing.

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