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aM ic r o w a v e O ven!

L o w -c o s t h ig h -p o w e r m ic ro w a v e o p e ra tio n h a s a rriv e d .

b y D a v id P a c h o lo kK A S B Y I

h e m a jo rity o f th e a m a te u r s p e c -

tru m

a llo c a tio n

lie s a b o v e

1 3 0 0 M H z, yet w hen you scan those bands, y o u

r a r e l y

h e a r

a n y th in g

but band

n o is e . H a m s h a v e le t th e s e re g io n s la y

netic field

having a secondary effect

o n th is.

F irs t,I m o d ifie d th e m a g n e tro n c a v i- ty to couple R F to a transm ission line in s te a d o f to th e o v e n c o m p a rtm e n t.I rem oved

th e

in te rio r

ra d o m e ls p la tte r

c o v e r , fie ld

stirrer blades, and

m ag-

n e tro n o u tp u t m a tc h in g s e c tio n . N e x t,I s h o rte d th e w a v e g u id e o p e n e n d w ith a plate (P hoto A ) and installed an E -field p ro b e to c o u p le th eR Fto an N -connec- to r o u tp u t ja c k .

(P h o to

s h o w s th e d e ta ils o f th e c o n s tru c tio n o f th e E -fie ld p ro b e .)

M agnetron current, voltage, and frequency w ere m easured and plotted in- d e p e n d e n tly to q u a n tify p e rfo rm a n c e in th is m o d ifie d c a v ity . In p o w e r o u tp u t vs. cathode current m easurem ents, for a pow er out range of 50-400 W atts, and a cathode current of 50-250

m A,I

fo u n d a v e ry

lin e a r re la tio n s h ip .

S ee

fa llo w

b e c a u s e

o f th e

idea that m i-

P h o toA .

W a v e g u id e s h o r tin g p la te ,

to p r e v e n t th e m i-

Figure 1 for the frequency vs. current

c r o w a v e e q u ip m e n t is c o m p le x ,e x p e n -

crow ave R F ffo m

e n te r in g th e c o o k in g c h a m b e r , a n d to

c u rv e . T h is d a ta s u g g e s ts th a t:

s iv e , o r ju s t u n a v a ila b le .

reflect this energy back to an E -fieldprobe.

1.The 2M 189A

m a g n e tro n

is a cur-

T o be sure, there are concepts unique

re n t-o p e ra te d

d e v ic e . T h e

a n o d e -to -

to m icrow ave design, but they are n it neces-

s a r ily

h a r d e r to g r a s p th a n th o s e in lo w e r

fre q u e n c y

R F

design. And, as m icrowave a p p lic a tio n s fin d a la r g e r p la c e in s o c ie ty , a s w ith ovens, and satellite TV , affordability a n d a v a ila b ility o f s u rp lu s m ic ro w a v e e q u ip - m ent constantly increases.

Project Features

T h e g o a l fo r th is p ro je c t w a s to p ro v id e a n

in e x p e n s iv e , re la tiv e ly

s im p le h ig h

pow er

m icrow ave transm itter using

a m ic ro w a v e o v e n a s th e fo u n d a tio n . T h is p ro je c t m e e ts th e fo llo w in g g o a ls :

*Low cost-less

th a n $ 2 0 0 .

* H ig h p o w e r o u tp u t-2 5 0

W atts m in im u m .

* P a rts re a d ily a v a ila b le fro m c o n s u m e r e le c -

tronic supply houses.

*E m ission

ty p e

c o m p a tib le

w ith

s ta n d a rd

low -cost B IW te le v is io n re c e iv e rs .

* F re q u e n c y

of em ission in

th e 2 3 9 0 -2 4 5 0

M H z a m a te u r b a n d , c o m p a tib le w ith M u lti- p o in t D is trib u tio n S y s te m (M D S ) T Vdow n- converters. (Historically, these

dow ncon-

v e rte rs

h a v e

b e e n

m isused

t o

" p ira te "

te le v is io n

m o v ie

d is trib u tio n

at 2156

a n d

2 1 6 2

M Hz. They

h a v e

b e e n

w id e ly

s o ld

th ro u g h

m a g a z in e a d v e rtis e m e n ts a n d e le c - tronic flea m arkets, so there are tens of thou- s a n d s o f th e m in e x is te n c e .)

FigureI . G raphshowingfrequency versus Ik

fo r

th e m a g n e tr o n . T h is s h o w s th a t o u tp u t ffe q u e n c y is (n o n -lin e a r ly ) r e la te d to c u r r e n t to th e m a g n e tr o n .

* T h e b a s ic tra n s m itte r s c h e m e is a d a p ta b le to other em ission m odes, such as narrow band F M , w ith

p h a s e -lo c k

c irc u itry

d e s c rib e d

b e lo w .

M o d ific a tio n D e s c rip tio n

m icrowave oven m agnetron is a self-

c o n ta in e d ,

c r o s s e d - f ie ld

pow er

o s c illa to r. B u ilt-in c a v itie s p rim a rily d e te rm in e o s c illa - tio n fre q u e n c y , w ith a n o d e v o lta g e a n d m ag-

c a th o d e v o lta g e c h a n g e s o n ly a b o u t1 p e r - c e n t, w itha2:1 change in cathode current Ik. 2 . P o w e r o u tp u t is a lin e a r fu n c tio n o f Ik .

3. Output frequency

is a

n o n -lin e a r (b u t

m o n o to n ic ) fu n c tio n

o f Ik, w ith

in c re a s e d

current causing an operating frequency in-

crease. The average frequency

" p u s h in g "

c o e ffic ie n t is a b o u t 0 .1 M H zJm .4, w ith a use-

ful frequency sw ing of about 20 M H z.

W hatM odeT o U se?

T he

a b o v e

c o n c lu s io n s

ru le d

out AM

double-sideband video, because of the large in c id e n ta l F M th a t w o u ld r e s u lt. O n th e o th e r h a n d , a n F M d e v ia tio n o f 2 M H z w o u ld c a u s e in c id e n ta l A M

o f o n ly

15-20 percent, soI

in v e s tig a te d

w id e b a n d

F M

v id e o

t r a n s -

m ission.

T o c h e c k c o m p a tib ility w ith e x is tin gT V receivers,I used an F M video-m odulated signal generator as a signal source for an M D S dow nconverter and a 5-inch m onochrom e re- c e iv e r.Ig o t a f a ir q u a lity p ic tu re w ith th e te le v is io n a d ju s te d f o rI F s lo p e d e te c tio n , a n d w ith s y n c a n d v e rtic a l lo c k a c h ie v e d a t d e v ia - tio n s o f 7 0 0 k H z t o3 .O M H z . T h e b e s t p i c t u r e q u a lity o c c u rre d a t 2 . 2 M H z d e v ia tio n .

M o d u la to r C irc u it D e s c rip tio n

T he m odulator serves tw o purposes. First,

5 4

7 3 A m a te u rR a d io

J u ly ,1 9 8 9

it is a h ig h -v o lta g e c u rre n t s o u rc e w ith h ig h o p e n -lo o p g a in , s e ttin g th e m a g n e tro n c u r- rent to

a known

value, and

e s ta b lis h in g

frequency and pow er output. See Figure2 .

U 2 , a 7 8 0 5 5 -v o lt re g u la to r,

e s ta b lis h e s a

re fe re n c e

v o lta g e

a d ju s te d

b y

R 5

a n d

R 6.

T h is v o lta g e is a p p lie d to th e n o n -in v e rtin g input of high-speed o p am p U 1 , w h ic h d riv e s s o u rc e fo llo w e r Q 1. The

o u tp u t o f Q l , p lu s

R 9 a n d R 7 , p ro v id e n e g a tiv e fe e d b a c k to U 1

in th e ra tio 5 .7 : 1 . A t e q u ilib riu m , Q l 's d ra in / source current produces a voltage drop across R l 1 th a t e q u a ls 5 .7 tim e s U l 's n o n -in v e rtin g v o lta g e .

T e m p o ra rily ig n o rin g sc re e n g rid c u rre n t, plate current equals cathode current inV 1 (a,b com bined). Since V l's cathode current equals Q l's drain current,V D

rises o r falls

u n til th e

V 1

g rid

1-to-cathode bias causes

I p=Ik= I D= IS . V 1 is th e re fo re a g ro u n d -

e d -g rid v o lta g e a m p lifie r w ith a c u rre n t g a in o f u n ity , w ith e n o u g h v o lta g e c a p a b ility to d riv e th e m a g n e tro n . H o w e v e r, to a n in p u t v o lta g e a tU 1 , a tra n s c o n d u c ta n c e a m p lifie r is f o r m e d , w ith tra n s c o n d u c ta n c e g iv e n b y :

B andw idth of this am plifier m ust be suffi-

c ie n t fo r th e m o d u la to r's

second purpose-

v id e o m o d u la tio n . T h is m u s t b e 4 . 5 M H z , if

y o u

want to

in c lu d e th e

a u d io

s u b c a rrie r. Frequency response m easured w ith a current p ro b e in th e p la te le a d s o f V 1 w as dow n 4 dB a t 4 .5 M H z . A d d in g C 6 (1 2 0 0 p F ) p ro v id e s a p o le

fo r th is fre q u e n c y , fla tte n in g th e

re -

sponse to beyond 6 M H z.C 1 and R 8 serv e to couple an external 4 .5 M H z subcarrier gener- a to r to th e m o d u la to r.

flo a tin g

s c r e e n

supply of about

+1 0 0

v o lts is p r o v id e d , w ith R 2 8 in c lu d e d to lim it

s c re e n

d is s ip a tio n .

T h e flo a tin g

s u p p ly

a l-

lo w s o n ly p la te c u rre n t (m a g n e tro n c u rre n t) to b e in c lu d e d in th e c o n tro l lo o p . A d d itio n a l c o m p o n e n ts w ith fu n c tio n s a re :

.R 3 ,

R 1 4 , a n d R 1 5 , w h ic h p re v e n t p a ra s itic

oscillation in U 1 and V 1.

*R12 and R13, w hich aid current sharing in

V la and V lb .

* D 3 , w h ic h p ro te c ts

Q 1 in the case of V1

a rc -o v e r.

* C o n v e n tio n a l p o w e r s u p p ly

rectifiers, fil-

ters and bleeders.

W a v e g u id e I C a v ity O p e r a tio n

T h e w a v e g u id e c irc u it is d e c e p tiv e ly s im - p le : T h e o v e n 'sT E l o w a v e g u id e fe e d (fro m tu b e to c a v ity ) is s h o rte d w ith a c o p p e r p la te .