Lab-Grade Tube Microwave Design
Budget: $250 – $750 USD
I need a seasoned microwave engineer to transform the guts of a standard household microwave—plus any additional components you specify—into a purpose-built heating tube roughly 4 ft in diameter and 7 ft long. The unit will be used for laboratory experiments involving organic material, so field uniformity and safety are non-negotiable.
Key objectives
• Deliver a design that floods the full internal volume with microwave energy, eliminating cold spots.
• Build a control system capable of dialing temperature in to within 1 °C, with smooth, repeatable adjustments rather than the coarse presets found in consumer units.
• Provide schematics, parts list, and clear assembly instructions. 3-D models or HFSS/CST simulations are a plus.
• Address cooling for the magnetron or alternative RF source, shielding, interlocks, and all other safety requirements you would expect for a cavity this size. The internal platform can remain fixed; rotation is unnecessary.
Acceptance criteria
– Final documentation must let a competent technician replicate the build without guesswork.
– Bench tests (or simulations) must verify uniform heating and ±1 °C stability on an organic load.
– All RF leakage kept below regulatory limits.
If you have hands-on experience with waveguides, impedance matching, and custom microwave cavities, I’d love to see how you’d tackle this first phase.
Key objectives
• Deliver a design that floods the full internal volume with microwave energy, eliminating cold spots.
• Build a control system capable of dialing temperature in to within 1 °C, with smooth, repeatable adjustments rather than the coarse presets found in consumer units.
• Provide schematics, parts list, and clear assembly instructions. 3-D models or HFSS/CST simulations are a plus.
• Address cooling for the magnetron or alternative RF source, shielding, interlocks, and all other safety requirements you would expect for a cavity this size. The internal platform can remain fixed; rotation is unnecessary.
Acceptance criteria
– Final documentation must let a competent technician replicate the build without guesswork.
– Bench tests (or simulations) must verify uniform heating and ±1 °C stability on an organic load.
– All RF leakage kept below regulatory limits.
If you have hands-on experience with waveguides, impedance matching, and custom microwave cavities, I’d love to see how you’d tackle this first phase.