# What's an inverter microwave **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 22, 2002, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-an-inverter-microwave/138207 "2002-11-22T18:59:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![tudza](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@tudza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tudza)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2018, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-an-inverter-microwave/138207/22 "2018-05-01T01:27:26Z")
If you split a grape in half, under some instructions leaving a small bit of skin connecting the two halves, and microwave it you can generate plasma. I’ve done this and so far as I can tell done no harm to my microwave. However, moderation in all things. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2018, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-an-inverter-microwave/138207/23 "2018-05-01T11:10:41Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > All it does is cycle from mostly off at 90 all the way up to continuous at 900… Yes, but the old ones were off for up to 20 seconds at a time , out of 25 or 30. The invertor ones are varying the on/off must faster, so that it is only off for tiny fractions of a second at a time, while still doing a ~ 10% duty cycle. Whether it is adjusting current (and hence power), or just pulse width modulating, I dont know, but the effect is that the inverter one is very smooth and avoids the issue with heating up the outside to a higher temperature than desired. ---
**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2018, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-an-inverter-microwave/138207/24 "2018-05-01T18:23:18Z")
> [@tudza](#): > > If you split a grape in half, under some instructions leaving a small bit of skin connecting the two halves, and microwave it you can generate plasma. > > I’ve done this and so far as I can tell done no harm to my microwave. However, moderation in all things. 10 years. 4 posts? Damn. I’m not sure why I find that so intriguing. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2018, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-an-inverter-microwave/138207/25 "2018-05-01T21:57:23Z")
> [@steatopygia](#): > > 10 years. 4 posts? > > Damn. I’m not sure why I find that so intriguing. That’s some dedication to the principle of moderation in ALL things. ---
**Author:** ![warnmar10](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/5e9695/32.png) [@warnmar10](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/warnmar10)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2019, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-an-inverter-microwave/138207/26 "2019-02-24T21:09:35Z")
> [@steatopygia](#): > > 10 years. 4 posts? > > Damn. I’m not sure why I find that so intriguing. Still waters run deep. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2019, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-an-inverter-microwave/138207/27 "2019-02-24T22:33:12Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I once saw a “how things work”-type article about microwaves that explained that the physics of microwaves made it inherently absolutely impossible to vary the power of microwaves (which I recognized as balderdash immediately). I wonder if the author of that article has since retracted, given how common it is now? What they meant (and what is often meant by such statements is: “inherently absolutely impossible (at a reasonable cost)”. It was certainly possible back then, but only with very expensive circuitry. Now, with much cheaper high power switching power supplies, it’s possible at a much cheaper cost. (And it gives a ‘new feature’ that the company advertising department can push, and use to justify higher prices.) ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2019, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-an-inverter-microwave/138207/28 "2019-02-25T00:39:43Z")
Old microwaves had massive high voltage transformers. “Inverter” microwaves have cheaper smaller transformers, and expensive semi-conductor switches. Except that the price of those semi-conductors has dropped dramatically, while the characteristics of those semiconductors has improved dramatically. An “inverter” air conditioning unit gives you better control and isn’t as noisy. An “inverter” refrigerator would be an interesting artefact. An “inverter” m/w oven is mostly a way of making a cheaper m/w oven. Last I looked (which was years ago), an “inverter” m/w still worked like an “old” m/w at low power levels. Except that it switched the power on and off faster, because it could. So it’s interesting that people report that they work batter at low power levels, and not so well at high power levels (where they try to vary the actual tube power) ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2019, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-an-inverter-microwave/138207/29 "2019-02-25T01:08:55Z")
> [@warnmar10](#): > > Still waters run deep. An intriguing introductory post. How did you find this ancient thread with its many resurrections, and what made you post to it? ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2019, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-an-inverter-microwave/138207/30 "2019-02-25T07:25:31Z")
“balderdash” or “codswallop”? Just tape a water glass in front of the microwave inlet. (That piece of mica on the side) That’ll attenuate the signals. Spraying Pam into the cooking chamber would also reduce the amount of microwaves absorbed by food. The lit candle in a mason jar might work, but can be hard to control once the plasma ball gets rolling. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-an-inverter-microwave/138207.md?page=1)