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by londons_explore 1575 days ago
This tech will soon enough get cheaper than classic magnetrons.

Magnetrons require quite large magnets, a vacuum and filament which eventually burns out, and a large transformer with a lot of copper and steel.

The solid state solution is just a bunch of mosfets. Less material means it'll be cheaper eventually when the patents etc. run out.
2 comments
Gibbon1 1575 days ago
I work with low power RF stuff. My gut feeling is RF transistors will run you about a dollar to fifty cents per watt. Notable though high power RF transistors are a niche product. So you might have a good discount if you ordered a million of them.

One advantage is if you can direct the RF energy you could cook TV Dinner and Airline meals without over or under cooking. Could use machine vision and bar code to select the program.

Also wouldn't need a rotating plate.

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londons_explore 1575 days ago
Non-RF MOSFETS can be about 2000 watts for 10 cents... [1]. RF transistors aren't substantially more difficult to make either. They're only pricy today due to low volume.

[1]: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32993849971.html

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tinus_hn 1575 days ago
I want to believe but what I see as the result is TV dinner DRM where you this only works for selected premium dinners.
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londons_explore 1575 days ago
To get decent quality, there is going to need to be integration between the meal-maker and the device maker.

The meat needs cooking one way, the veg another, and the salad on the side needs to remain chilled. To get all that right is going to require quite detailed data from the food manufacturer.

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mikewarot 1575 days ago
Magnetrons are basically like a sportsball coach's whistle, except it's electrons instead of air resonating.

The filament in them apparently lasts for decades, as you can usually find working Microwave ovens at yard sales for $20.

On the other hand, this is essentially most of a phased array radar, with all the attendant cost and complexity. The costs will come down, but not anywhere close to that of the magnetron.

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londons_explore 1575 days ago
The website doesn't provide a lot of technical detail, but I don't think there is any phased array stuff going on - there is just one transmit antenna, and it's measuring the reflected energy and using that to decide how to adjust the frequency and power.

It's really just a high power version of a 50 cent doppler radar unit [1].

[1]: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32861277615.html

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