Gosh, this Westinghouse looks exactly like a Midea! - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: 5U4GB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 07, 2025, 07:13:43 am
content: I was looking around for a new microwave oven earlier today and reading through the manuals when I noticed that the Midea one looked quite familiar:They even have the same dodgy English, e.g.:Radio and TV reception may be interfered when microwave oven operating.There are however a few differences, for example in China "It is forbidden to run the unit without any food inside. It is very dangerous" while in Australia it's merely "Do not run the unit without any food inside. It is very dangerous".I'd always assumed these weremade in Australiabut it looks like at least some stuff is outsourced elsewhere.

author: kite31
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 07, 2025, 07:31:24 am
content: Some is manufactured here (by Electrolux I think), some is imported. Check for the Australian Made logo on the item.

author: 5U4GB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 07, 2025, 07:36:43 am
content: Yeah, I think their wall ovens at least are made in AU.And I've just found another stealth Midea from another brand, again using the manual page to identify it. It's actually not bad, less than half the price of the Westinghouse and even cheaper than the Midea-as-Midea, but still a Midea product.Now I'm scared to look at the Panasonic manual in case that's a Midea as well...

author: 5U4GB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 07, 2025, 07:51:37 am
content: And another one, this time a house brand, "Sheffield". I'm starting to get this creeping Bodysnatchers feeling, everything around you is slowly turning into Midea.

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 07, 2025, 08:05:59 pm
content: Most appliances are OEM'd. "Made in X" usually just means final assembly, or enough assembly to qualify for a legal definition.Even if they weren't from the same OEM, if it's a functionally identical product, it makes sense to just do the same thing as all your competitors (look at how datasheets for equivalent components are often copy-pasted); I'm not sure how copyrightable such information is.I'm more curious about the "minimum installation height". Searching for that phrase reveals dozens of microwave manuals with the same 85cm number, and others with 91.4cm and 910cm, but no explanation why. The clearance requirements are necessary for ventilation, but the minimum height makes no sense.

author: AVGresponding
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 08, 2025, 11:48:21 am
content: Presumably so it's out of reach of smaller children

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 08, 2025, 12:51:28 pm
content: As far as I know, Westinghouse has been just a name for decades now.

author: johnboxall
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 08, 2025, 01:22:45 pm
content: There are many OEM appliance manufacturers in China. They'll put your brand on anything.Purple Monkey Dishwashers? Joe Kickass Blenders? Kogan and his TVs. Etc.Always amusing to see retailers with multiple brands of things that are very, very similar.

author: jh15
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 08, 2025, 02:26:11 pm
content: Cleaning is always, use a damp cloth, no harsh cleaners, etc.

author: paul cotter
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 08, 2025, 07:38:27 pm
content: How many members of the general populace would know what a mica window, or a magnetron for that matter?

author: 5U4GB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 08, 2025, 10:48:14 pm
content: Veering slightly off topic and a bit of a rant from trying to replace a recently-dead microwave (magnetron gave up the ghost after 15 years), but almost everything out there right now seems to be a case study in how not do make a microwave: Instead of simple controls there's a space-cadet interface that would look excessively complex on a PLC, a mass of membrane-keypad controls in black against the black background of an all-black microwave ("this is obviously some strange use of the word whiteware that I wasn't previously aware of") with no door handle.Compare this with a typical Japanese microwave with its clean, elegant complement of a door handle and one or two dial controls, one to set the cooking time and one to select the mode.Someone, possibly Don Norman, devoted a section of one of his books to the fact that, at least in the US and Europe, people equate complexity with better and so manufacturers introducing a more expensive model will add unnecessary complexity to it otherwise people won't pay for it. You can see this by going to the Toshiba web sites in Japan and the US and comparing the best-selling models (and note in passing the size of the US-market SUVwaves vs. the compact sizes of the Japan-market microwaves).If there's any Japanese folks reading this, could you comment on whether this abomination would sell in Japan?

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 08, 2025, 11:32:52 pm
content: Quote from: johnboxall on September 08, 2025, 01:22:45 pmI always loved the "Joe Master" electrolytic capacitors Dick Smith used to sell.They were actually quite good.

author: 5U4GB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 08, 2025, 11:36:05 pm
content: Quote from: vk6zgo on September 08, 2025, 11:32:52 pmI liked his Dickhead matches. You can still find them on eBay at around $10-20 a box.

author: squadchannel
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 09, 2025, 02:22:05 am
content: Quote from: 5U4GB on September 08, 2025, 10:48:14 pmI don't know if it will sell, but I hate designs that are cluttered with buttons and make you feel confused.and I hate MONOCHROME. where's the stop button? putting in the aluminum and sparks flying, where the hell do I press?but often only have a few buttons. Just buttons for rice, drinks, and dishes, power, timer setting, and start/stop.there were plenty of microwaves that weren't even digital and just had a mechanical timer that ding a bell when it hit zero seconds, but don't see them much anymore.starts around 7000 yen, but for about 15000 yen get an encoder, and for around 20000 yen get an oven function.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 09, 2025, 02:39:58 am
content: Midea is the largest domestic appliance OEM, barely anything they produce is sold under their own brand. It's very common to find some Midea branded IC inside when repairing stuff from popular "manufacturers". There are just a few actual microwave oven manufacturers left, the vast majority of what is sold are rebadges of those.

author: 5U4GB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 09, 2025, 03:06:49 am
content: Quote from: squadchannel on September 09, 2025, 02:22:05 amThat's exactly the one we had that died after 15 years, 99% of all the things you want to do with it are a single operation, turn the dial and let it run. It led to some great comebacks for visitors who looked down at the "manual" microwave, "can your giant PLC-wave do this?".

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 09, 2025, 04:28:52 am
content: Quote from: 5U4GB on September 08, 2025, 10:48:14 pmI don't think that's a Japanese thing. The very first American microwave ovens had two knobs:https://www.radarange.com/They are still made today. Just search for "2-knob microwave" or similar.

author: 5U4GB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 09, 2025, 05:22:21 am
content: That was only because they couldn't turn them into PLCs yet. How many manual microwaves have you send in people's homes in the last 20 years? You can still get them in the same way that you can still get phonograph players, but most people won't have them.I did find one locally, keyword "turn dial microwave", but it costs more than many of the cheaper PLC ones and it's sold through the most dubious anonymous online storefronts of whichthisis the least dodgy looking, a warehouse in the hinterland of Surfers Paradise handling motel supplies (makes sense given that Surfers is mostly hotels and motels).[Quick Google].Oh, it's another Midea. That makes it less dubious.

author: johnboxall
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 09, 2025, 06:49:22 am
content: Quote from: 5U4GB on September 08, 2025, 10:48:14 pmHere's a range of microwaves at a popular retailer in Japan:https://www.biccamera.com/bc/category/001/153/005/005/

author: jonovid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 09, 2025, 09:49:24 am
content: as forrecycling microwave ovens, most have about 12 AUD of copper in them, the rest is mild steel.has A4 size tempered glass in the door with smooth edges - suitable for repurposing.mostly copper magnetron has two large ferrite ring magnets, 4 micro switches a large 700W or 900W power transformer.being phased out in fever of switch mode power supply's that are less weight. & not suitable for repurposing.dangerous items are the 1,000 volt capacitor, the two pink insulating ends the magnetron & sharp edges of sheet steel case on the inside.poor SWR is what will kill a magnetron as it is a microwave transmitter in a steel box that uses food moisture content as the impedance loading.