The Lightning Stalker
Inside a Microwave Capacitor
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Here is a side-by-side comparison of 2 identical microwave capacitors showing the underside of the lid of the one on the right. This is where the bleeder resistor is usually found. You can see I'm holding back a piece of insulating material with my thumb. Anything between the two terminals here is most likely going to be the bleeder resistor. (This one has already been removed.) It may not look like any resistor you've seen before.
These are going to be special high voltage resistors rated for at least 10kV. The ones Samsung was using in this particular model consist of a rectangle of white porcelain with a carbon film applied on one side and a green insulating layer painted over it. On either end are the solder pads which connect to the carbon film. It's pretty easy to remove, I just ripped it out with a pair of pliers being careful not to damage it. It will be useful later.
Moving down we have a pair of foil wires going down into the oil where the capacitor actually is. It's a good idea to leave these units submerged in the oil since they're higher voltage and the oil helps prevent arcing. I wasn't able to take a picture of the capacitor itself. Samsung glued or pressed it down in there and I couldn't pull it out by the wires. The top which I was able to see is drab and wouldn't come out well in a picture. What it looks like is just a roll of that brown insulating material in the same shape as the can. There are probably layers of foil rolled in there with it.
On a side note, the oil was quite stinky and reminded me of mosquito repellent. It was fairly thin almost like light machine oil.
Inside a Microwave Capacitor
Visit my site for more info: kickme.to/lightningstalker
Here is a side-by-side comparison of 2 identical microwave capacitors showing the underside of the lid of the one on the right. This is where the bleeder resistor is usually found. You can see I'm holding back a piece of insulating material with my thumb. Anything between the two terminals here is most likely going to be the bleeder resistor. (This one has already been removed.) It may not look like any resistor you've seen before.
These are going to be special high voltage resistors rated for at least 10kV. The ones Samsung was using in this particular model consist of a rectangle of white porcelain with a carbon film applied on one side and a green insulating layer painted over it. On either end are the solder pads which connect to the carbon film. It's pretty easy to remove, I just ripped it out with a pair of pliers being careful not to damage it. It will be useful later.
Moving down we have a pair of foil wires going down into the oil where the capacitor actually is. It's a good idea to leave these units submerged in the oil since they're higher voltage and the oil helps prevent arcing. I wasn't able to take a picture of the capacitor itself. Samsung glued or pressed it down in there and I couldn't pull it out by the wires. The top which I was able to see is drab and wouldn't come out well in a picture. What it looks like is just a roll of that brown insulating material in the same shape as the can. There are probably layers of foil rolled in there with it.
On a side note, the oil was quite stinky and reminded me of mosquito repellent. It was fairly thin almost like light machine oil.