Vintage microwave oven

[Halcyon]

I know, not strictly a computer but I came across this old microwave oven at an office I was visiting. No idea when it was made, model number or specs, but it's quite old and still works!

[chris_leyson]

The "Rank Arena microwave oven cookbook for Australians" was published in 1982. The styling looks like it's 70's, 80's.

[Ampera]

No dials, booo.

[Halcyon]

One of the "roast" functions is whole fish. I'm not sure how well that would go in a microwave. I suspect the smell would be like a punch in the nose.

Curiously the VFD still looks reasonably bright.

[Whales]

"RADIATION SAFETY TIP"

[amyk]

Late 70s/early 80s.

It probably has a microcontroller, so in a way somewhat relevant to this forum...

[SeanB]

Saw a Sharp Carousel microwave last week, still working perfectly. our family had one circa 1977, the Carousel convection microwave, with 2 mechanical timers and a separate power level and temperature setting for the built in convection oven that formed the top of the microwave cavity.

it's failure mode was the self cleaning inside of the cavity, where the self cleaning top ( and the convection fan impeller) were made from steel, and this corroded away to nothing within 5 years. Dad's solution was to remove the rusted steel and fabricate a new top, made from some 3mm stainless steel filter mesh ( overkill, but it was free) and make a new stainless steel impeller for the fan, and the oven ran for another 2 decades of use after that. Only reason it was replaced was we moved to a smaller place, and it was too big to fit the kitchen.

Myself I have a KIC microwave, made in around 1984, and it still is running perfectly well.

[dexters_lab]

that's not vintage!

i remember our first microwave, a Tricity branded one, no turntable, big push buttons to make it come on and a dial timer... no power control, we won it in a prize draw around 1980

it's interesting to see the Rank logo on a microwave though!

[Silveruser]

http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_1305716

My first microwave was a cousin of the above. Different paint, one button, mechanical timer. No turntable.

[Ampera]

http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_1305716

My first microwave was a cousin of the above. Different paint, one button, mechanical timer. No turntable.

That looks absolutely awesome.

[Halcyon]

http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_1305716

My first microwave was a cousin of the above. Different paint, one button, mechanical timer. No turntable.

That looks absolutely awesome.

Interesting form factor.

[ebastler]

Cory Heisterkamp's collection starts with a 1963 model, it seems:
https://www.radarange.com/

High tech! 

[helius]

Think about how many cancer-causing microwave popcorn bags have been popped in these old units!

[TERRA Operative]

Here's one for you. The first Microwave my parents purchased is still going strong. Predates Panasonic and they still have the original user manual.

This thing is a beast of a science oven.

[Cyberdragon]

Wait a minute...where's the number keypad?

[TERRA Operative]

Ha, the 10/1/10/1 buttons are 10/1 minute increments and 10/1 second increments.

Want 5 minutes and 30 seconds? Press the left most '1' 5 times, and the right most '10' 3 times.

[rrinker]

 I still remember the first microwave I saw - 1975 in a hospital waiting area. They had an automat sort of thing to purchase various food items and it was marked where to set the microwave to cook it - just a dial sort of thing on the microwave. seemed like magic to me at the time that you could cook a hamburger in 2 minutes, and it kept me occupied checking it all out as a distraction from what was probably the most horrible day of my life.

[noidea]

Here's one for you. The first Microwave my parents purchased is still going strong. Predates Panasonic and they still have the original user manual.

My parents had one of those too, it then got handed down through three kids as we grew up and moved out of home. I think it was still going when my younger brother got rid of it in the end.
Do your parents have the recipe book that came with it as well?  I think I'm scarred for life from one of mums experiments with a "roast" chicken.....

[james_s]

That's early 80s, I once had one exactly like it, somebody gave it to me because it wasn't working, I couldn't find anything wrong with it and sold it to someone else.

I remember my grandparents had an early Amana Radarange from the mid 70s, it had a pair of large incandescent backlit dials. When I was a kid my family had an old Litton Minutemaster from the late 70s, it was a gigantic 1200W oven with an electromechanical timer. My aunt and uncle had one of the first Amana microwaves that had digital controls, late 70s to very early 80s, they bought it new and until they remodeled their kitchen a year or two ago it was still in daily use.

[exit_failure]

I think the point you're all missing here is: Have you tried running Linux on it? 

[Whales]

I think the point you're all missing here is: Have you tried running Linux on it? 

No, you'd need the right 2.4GHz drivers.

[exit_failure]

No, you'd need the right 2.4GHz drivers.

I don't see your point. Linux support for WIFI and bluetooth chipsets has been pretty decent for the last couple of years.

[Whales]

I don't see your point. Linux support for WIFI and bluetooth chipsets has been pretty decent for the last couple of years.

This is a very old chipset, remember.  It probably connects over a parallel port.

That and you have to fool/trick the firmware to get anything above 200mW of cooking power.

[exit_failure]

This is a very old chipset, remember.  It probably connects over a parallel port.

No problem there. Linux is famous for supporting old hardware.

That and you have to fool/trick the firmware to get anything above 200mW of cooking power.

See, that's a common misconception. Its not about the power a device can put out, its about the time you are willing to wait.

[chris_leyson]

Predates Panasonic and they still have the original user manual.

But National is(was) a Panasonic(Matsushita) brand name.

[TERRA Operative]

My parents had one of those too, it then got handed down through three kids as we grew up and moved out of home. I think it was still going when my younger brother got rid of it in the end.
Do your parents have the recipe book that came with it as well?  I think I'm scarred for life from one of mums experiments with a "roast" chicken.....

Good question, I do remember the chicken though, we forbade my mum from trying it. She agreed.

But National is(was) a Panasonic(Matsushita) brand name.

The now defunct National brand name was used by Panasonic (Originally Matsushita) to sell appliances until the late 80's or so in Australia.

[pamperchu]

I have a RR-4 from 1971.

[james_s]

I have a RR-4 from 1971.

Wow, that's exactly what my grandparents had, I recognized it instantly from the picture.

My grandfather loved gadgets, he had everything. The first color TV in the family, the first microwave oven, all those silly widgets they sell at the county fair. Electric carving knife, crepe maker, waffle iron, sandwich maker, soda maker, hand mixer, electric knife sharpener, electric can opener, automatic apple peeler, you name it, he probably had one.

[exit_failure]

Except for the colour, that's the one my parent have been using for the last 35 years or so (Siemens Mikrowelle Plus).

Even the rotary encoder on the top right under the VFD (which yet hasn't dimmed visibly) still works a treat.

[free_electron]

Think about how many cancer-causing microwave popcorn bags have been popped in these old units!

oh yeah. that olestra stuff is very nasty ... especially the fake butter flavor.

[Halcyon]

Think about how many cancer-causing microwave popcorn bags have been popped in these old units!

oh yeah. that olestra stuff is very nasty ... especially the fake butter flavor.

I've never understood microwave popcorn. Just buy the kernels for a fraction of the cost, heat a little oil and/or butter in a saucepan, add corn, cover and shake. Much healthier and takes hardly any more time.

[james_s]

It never occurred to me to make popcorn in a saucepan, that's probably true of most people. When I was a kid we had a hot air popper that worked really well. These days I usually use the microwave stuff although I don't have it often. Toss it in the microwave and hit start, 2 minutes later with zero effort there's a bag of popcorn. If I had to get out a saucepan, get out oil, put it on the stove, heat it up, find something to cover it and then stand there shaking it I probably wouldn't bother. Yeah it's not like cooking a 3 course dinner but it still seems like a lot of work for something like popcorn where I could take it or leave it. I have it so rarely that the cost of microwave popcorn is a complete non-issue.

[rdl]

Ever tried "Jiffy Pop"? Comes in a pan with a handle and expanding foil cover. Turn on the stove and heat it until popped. Pour the popcorn into a bowl and toss the disposable pan.

[Rolo]

Except for the colour, that's the one my parent have been using for the last 35 years or so (Siemens Mikrowelle Plus).

Even the rotary encoder on the top right under the VFD (which yet hasn't dimmed visibly) still works a treat.

I know that series. I Owned the Siemens branded model with all foil buttons. Great machine. Ended with a big bang after many years of use.

[james_s]

Ever tried "Jiffy Pop"? Comes in a pan with a handle and expanding foil cover. Turn on the stove and heat it until popped. Pour the popcorn into a bowl and toss the disposable pan.

Oh yeah, we used to use that stuff on our sailboat when I was a kid, no mains electricity to run a hot air popper or microwave even if there was space for one and microwave popcorn wasn't really a thing back then. It's still a lot more work and even more expensive than microwave popcorn, although it's also more fun.

[Don Hills]

No problem there. Linux is famous for supporting old hardware. ...

Which 4 bit distro do you recommend for my old microwave?

[exit_failure]

No problem there. Linux is famous for supporting old hardware. ...

Which 4 bit distro do you recommend for my old microwave?

How about Mandrake/Mandriva? Its so old, it probably hasn't been updated since they cracked Enigma at Bletchley Park.