While we now think of a magnetron as a microwave oven component, they are important in many microwave devices including radar. They are interesting because all they can do is oscillate.

Clearly, as your bog standard microwave oven can only handle at most one kilowatt; the ‘oven’ needed a bit of an upgrade. A 16 kW water-cooled magnetron. Why not over-drive it to 20 kW for fun?

Dellavalle also notes there are several interlocks in the door of your oven, that will shut off the machine’s magnetron ...

Note that this feature prevents the microwave oven from operating; it does not lock the microwave door. How we test microwaves In addition to speaking with Bob Schiffmann, a microwave heating ...