There is nothing worse than coming home after a long day at work and waiting for the microwave to heat up dinner because the turntable has stopped spinning.
Before calling for service, you should diagnose the problem yourself and save money by finding the bad part yourself. (As a bonus, you can even learn how to fix broken appliances!) You can start by testing the motor of your microwave turntable with a multimeter.
🗲 WARNING! 🗲
Microwave ovens operate at very high voltages. Electric shock can occur even when disconnected from a power source. Always check your microwave oven’s schematics, diagrams, and component locations in your oven’s manual or by looking up your appliances model online if available. Failure to exercise caution can lead to serious injury or even death.
Turntable Motor Testing
Most microwave ovens use a replaceable turntable motor. However, if your oven has a broken turntable, you can still use the microwave and buy a new microwave turntable or repair a broken turntable. This article looks at testing a microwave turntable motor with a multimeter.
How to test the turntable motor? Test the microwave turntable with a multimeter as follows:
- Turn on the microwave and set it for 2 minutes.
- Set the multimeter to measure AC voltage and turn the dial to 10V. Check the voltage between the two connectors. If the voltage is below 5 volts, you know there is a problem with the motor.
- Set the multimeter to measure AC voltage and place the probes on the turntable motor. The multimeter should read 10V if the turntable is working. If it does not, the turntable is not working. If the multimeter shows 0 V, check the fuse, it may be blown.
- Turn the multimeter to the resistance setting. Then insert the multimeters into the two terminals and check the resistance.
- Finally, look at the reading. If the reading is less than 1 ohm, you know the problem is in the motor.
To test a microwave plate motor with a multimeter, you must test the resistance of the microwave plate motor in ohms with a multimeter. The resistance of the microwave turntable motor should be approximately 5.2 Ω. If the resistance of the microwave rotary motor is not 4Ω or less, it must be replaced.
Learn more about the Microwave Turntable Motor
The Microwave Turntable is a rotating plate used to turn food in the microwave so that it cooks evenly. A turntable can be made of ceramic or glass (ceramic is more common). It is powered by a motor (not unlike a speed controller that usually heats food).
Also called microwave turntable motor assembly, microwave turntable, microwave oven turntable, and microwave drive motor assembly. The motor is controlled by a small light bulb. The bulb is connected inies with the motor. If the bulb (or other parts) is faulty, the microwave will turn off after a few minutes.
The rotary motor of the microwave oven is the heart of the microwave oven. Its main purpose is to keep the microwave oven running. This is done with a very powerful electromagnet.
The magnet is powered by AC power from the microwave power supply. If it stops working, the microwave will no longer turn; it remains inserted. It can be dangerous if food or hot drinks are left near the microwave.
A microwave oven with a broken motor is useless for cooking. But how do you know if your microwave motor is faulty? It’s not like you can test it with a multimeter like any other electrical component.
Microwave motors are built to operate at very high voltages and the high frequency AC voltage they use is difficult to test. So, before you pay $130 for a new microwave, you need to find out if the problem is with the motor.
Motor Problem
Many microwave ovens are equipped with a rotating base that rotates the food while cooking. The most common type of motor used in this application is the synchronous motor, which is hidden inside the microwave oven.
If your microwave turntable won’t spin, it could be a sign of a faulty motor or a problem with the motor controller. If you hear sounds from the turntable, it means that the motor is working, but the controller is faulty, which means that you need to replace the controller to restore the cooking function of the microwave. You can even smell burning and sparks when you try to use the microwave.
Before you give up and buy a new microwave, you should first troubleshoot and diagnose the problem. This way you can save several hundreds of dollars. To determine whether or not your microwave turntable motor needs to be replaced, you will need to remove the cover panel and test the motor with a multimeter.
Before you start testing the motor…
Just a quick reminder before the Revit microwave to test if the floppy motor is working. Before you get excited and open the microwave, set the button to about 4 or 6 minutes to make sure the magnetron is in good condition.
If you don’t and the magnetron is broken, you won’t be able to test the turntable! Be careful when testing a microwave plate motor with a multimeter. Make sure your multimeter doesn’t accidentally touch the turntable.
Microwave turntable Motor is an important part of your microwave; if it stops working, you will no longer be able to use the microwave. Fortunately, motor repair is usually a simple job and can usually be done without major problems. Before replacing the motor, it’s worth doing some preliminary tests with a multimeter to make sure it’s the motor and not something else.
Conclusion
Replacing the microwave motor is not difficult, but if you don’t know electronics, it can seem daunting. The microwave door is removed to access the turntable motor behind the metal plate and one part is removed and replaced with another.
The easiest way to find a spare part is to search online for your microwave model number, which will lead you to information about any of its components.
