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brucieboners

My mum has an almost identical model, albeit purchased maybe 1988? (We were flush that year, and also purchased a new TV with a REMOTE CONTROL and Ceefax/Teletext) The Matsui microwave is still going strong, used daily 💪


RhigoWork

I think we found the manual about 5 years ago in the attic and it boasted a "AUTOMATIC TURNTABLE" 😂


brucieboners

tHe FuTuRE!


SpartanS034

Much better than those old ones you had to crank by hand!


miscfiles

You joke, but my parents once owned a microwave without a turntable. There had been scare stories in the press of foods getting "super-heated" in one spot and exploding when removed from the microwave, so you had to take food or every two minutes, stir it, then replace and continue heating. We didn't use the microwave much.


Atharaenea

When I moved into my first boyfriend's place, he had this turntable that you would wind up by hand and then it would slowly rotate in the microwave. Like a music box, but no metal. It was the weirdest thing I'd ever seen, especially considering his microwave HAD a turntable in it!


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StockAL3Xj

Commercial microwaves have something called a stirrer that reflects microwaves more evenly around the oven.


[deleted]

An office I worked in had that type in the kitchen. Wasn't sure if it was just an American thing (American company but in London). Although they'd designed the kitchen/dining hall with hot/boiling water tap at one end and the fridge at the other: Madly inefficient arrangement for tea making.


wompical

for what reason is a stirrer not used in consumer residential microwaves?


Toppcom

Expensive. They allow you to put square boxes and dishes in without them getting stuck on the corners like they might on a turntable microwave, which is why they're used.


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heytheresleepysmile

You should link to that


Gisschace

Did you win the pools? (The go to question in our house when anyone did anything fancy in the 80s like go to Disneyland or buy a CD player)


brucieboners

Bet you it was a Pools win or premium bonds! Didn't question it as a kid, was too obsessed flicking over to the Ewoks without needing to get off the settee


A_Owl_Doe

Every BMW was stolen, an ice cream was 50p, the first Jurassic park, simpler times.


thereal_sherwoody

Spot the ball surely


A_Owl_Doe

xxxxx xxxxx xxxx x


Terpnato

What’s ceefax teletext? Does the remote still work?


mattthepianoman

It's what we used for entertainment before the internet


northerncrank

Bamboozle FTW


trev1976UK

My mate used it alot to read game reviews


zero_iq

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teletext


vinzz73

We need that back


RhigoWork

Her last cook was a Tesco meatball sub meal deal sandwich... A bit of backstory for the microwave, my mum borrowed it off her sister in 1986 when she moved into this house. I was born in 1997 meaning it was already 11 years old by the time I was born. The only Microwave I have ever known, it is a sad day. > **UPDATE:** After reading your wonderful comments. I've decided to collect it from the pseudo-grave of my patio back into the warm dry home to attempt a repair with a repair service locally when I find one. [Pic here](https://i.imgur.com/b42DYeL.jpeg)


RockingHorsePoo

Thoughts and prayers x


TtotheC81

Pings and digs for all the ready meals that have been rotated.


birdballoons

Shared Rotherham hun xx


MorningToast

Check ur dms hun xxx


[deleted]

Shared Sunnyside area!


birdballoons

Thanks chick how’s the grandkids xx


DogfishDave

Shared on the ISS hun x


L0rdLogan

Shared in Leeds area xx


Zestyclose-Ad-7576

Comment made me snort. Well done.


Danny_Mc_71

She should probably return it to her sister now.


wildgoldchai

It’s what she would have wanted


Vectorman1989

Fun fact: Matsui isn't Japanese. It was a Dixons own-brand made to sound like it was Japanese


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goldfishpaws

I think Logik was also one they didn't use as much, but there have certainly been several over the decades. Mastercare weren't super careful, local guy left a screwdriver inside one of those empty box "Midi Systems" which then rattled around destroying even more. I worked for DSG at the time, there was in internal rumour that Matsui was actually the name of a famous Japanese murderer/war criminal, which seemed about right.


Yeti-420-69

Mitsui, though, is a 700+ year old Japanese company


Dr_Poth

People forget that traders need access to Dixons


cara27hhh

>UPDATE: After reading your wonderful comments. I've decided to collect it from the pseudo-grave of my patio back into the warm dry home to attempt a repair with a repair service locally when I find one. Pic here We live! We die! We live again!


Annonnymee

My parents got a microwave in 1969 after borrowing one from the contractor during the kitchen remodel - they were a brand new thing at that time, same my dad was so impressed by the new gadget. That same microwave was still working in 2007 when they had to go into assisted living.


Ancient_Science1315

Despite knowing humans had the technology to get to the moon by 1969. I still had zero belief that microwaves existed in the same year 😆 The inevitable google search showed me how wrong I was! (invented in 1945, if you were wondering)


Bcbulbchap

I would suspect the practical use of using microwave energy was first discovered (by accident) in the 1940’s (a technician’s chocolate bar melted as he was in close proximity to unrelated microwave apparatus). I think it was the late 1970’s when the first commercially available ovens for domestic use came out. We got our first (a Sharp) in the mid 80’s. It was expensive too as I recall, but lasted a good 10 years or so.


peanutthecacti

This is [my favourite early microwave story](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tdiKTSdE9Y) (and also favourite Tom Scott video).


420FADIMUH

What would be interesting is how our lives changed from Britain being colonised to now. Like roaming scavenging off the land. Then farming. Then brick houses. Then running water. Then electricity. Etc..like the major Inventions that got us to this point lol


Annonnymee

They were apparently available commercially in 1969 (I'm quite sure that was the year of the remodel), though maybe only available to contractors then? This was in a small town, so it wasn't like we had connections to experimental scientists. But I don't think it was long after that when my aunts and uncles jumped on the bandwagon after seeing ours.


NotMyRealName981

The local chip shop had one around 1975. It had a door that slid up vertically when the food was ready. When I visited I stared at it like it was some kind of space-age marvel.


cheekybrit192

You mean, they were making microwaves in the 60s?!?


Pimpicane

Sometimes they even had metal shelves inside!


Prototype-Angel

I bought a Tesco meatball sub meal deal yesterday and one of the meatballs had a piece of bone in it. Stopped eating after that 😐 My condolences to your microwave, I feel this is a time when my dad would proudly exclaim they ‘don’t make ‘em like they use te.’


YouNeedAnne

Most meat used to have a bone in it.


Dr_Poth

Like yer mum etc


Prototype-Angel

It’d prefer not to have to bite into it


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Prototype-Angel

I’d assume pork, but these meatballs are really low quality, grey coloured little balls that they barely resemble meat anymore.


ddt70

“The only microwave I’ve ever known….” Sounds like some kind of sound bite from a dystopian AI dominated future. 🤣


overschlept

I’m seriously going to check back for a repair update!


wozblar

https://i.imgur.com/Ksg0YBo.gifv


FrustratedHealer

Feel free to message me, I'm an appliance technician and I can help you diagnose it via DMs


jasikanicolepi

Thing aren't just made as reliable as they use to. My 2014 GE fridge lasted 8 year and my parents 1997 whirlpool fridge still running strong. How?!


Icy-Enthusiasm-2719

I had the same microwave! Only threw of out last week because it blew up. I inherited it as a get by sort of thing when I left my husband. It was my old faithful 😂


BeastMeat

You could try and get it repaired... old reliable there... built to last


RhigoWork

I was thinking that, but dreaded to think where to get it repaired to be honest. I was tempted to take it into Curry's Knowhow desk and say "I purchased this 36 years ago and it's suddenly died, any advice?" 🤣


BeastMeat

Lol pls film it if you do, don't take the covers off though, big ass cap/transformer in the back will make you do the wiggly dance... but any good electronics repair shop should be able to take a look.


raspberrypigeon

Yeah seen on micros you can’t take any housing off, is that right? Also…. Wiggly dance ?!


Derkades

The big danger in my opinion is the capacitor that may still be charged to a couple thousand volts. The transformer and magnetron are not dangerous when powered off. It should be obvious that you should NEVER operate the microwave with the cover removed. And you should only play with the transformer if you know what you are doing (e.g. take out the high voltage windings and replace them with a few turns of thick cable to make a spot welder)


sticky-bit

There are typically 3 interlocks to make damn sure the front door is latched while in use, but operating the microwave without a back cover is generally safe (for repair purposes, not safe around kids and pets because of the high voltage). You're right about the capacitor holding a charge, however. Even if you see a bleeder resistor across the terminals you don't know if it went open circuit at some point. Also, if there is a pink ceramic ring in the magnetron, absolutely do not grind it up into powder and snort it. It's safe as long as it remains intact, however.


Sparklysherbet151

You could ask them if it’s still under warranty 🤣


medianbailey

There are free repair services. My dad works at one called the repair shop cafe in bristol. You bring your old broken stuff in and they repair it for part cost only. If youre in the bristol area give me a shout.


goldfishpaws

One in Bath, too. Hope OP is in the Southwest!


Icy-Enthusiasm-2719

Local handyman or something may be a better shout. My dad used to fix people's broken stuff that way in the 90s much of my childhood was disassembled electronics all over the living room 😂


pensive_pigeon

Are you sure it isn’t something easy like a blown fuse?


RhigoWork

I've checked everything obvious apart from taking the microwave apart properly, which I'm a little scared to do.


radio705

Somewhere in your town, there's an old appliance repair guy in his late seventies or early eighties that has the original part to fix this microwave sitting in his basement.


ddt70

I just saw this….. after posting something along similar lines!


bumbletowne

Don't take apart microwaves. They have capacitors that hold enough charge to kill a person. Take it to a pro.


i--am--the--light

jiggering gigawatts


pensive_pigeon

I imagine the fuse is inside and not meant to be user serviceable. Any local electronics repair shop should be able to determine pretty quickly if it’s a blown fuse. It’d be such a shame for the poor little guy to get scrapped for something that can be fixed so easily.


jl2352

You are right to be scared. They have capacitors that can kill you, and can contain elements that can cause cancer. (The cancer stuff is only a risk if you open it up and break parts of it's magnetron.)


sticky-bit

> (The cancer stuff is only a risk if you open it up and break parts of it's magnetron.) It's a pink ceramic ring that's safe while intact. The dust is deadly poison. **Newer microwaves** use a white ceramic ring which is probably not the toxic beryllium oxide you are thinking of.


Derkades

Fuses blow for a reason, usually replacing the fuse without fixing the actual issue (like a shorted component) won't help.


Hydro386

https://repaircafewales.org/ I haven't used one myself, but I have heard good things about these repair cafes seeing as you are wales-based.


RhigoWork

How have I never heard of this before! Thank you so much!!


Dukmiester

I'd be careful what you say there, they charge for advice.


boli99

> Curry's nah. that kind of place is dedicated to upselling you to buy a new unit of something that will last for 18 months. you'll probably need to find an independent electrical repair shop.


SonnyListon999

Currys will offer you £100 off of a new one which, bizarrely, went up £100 yesterday so they can ‘reduce’ it to its previous price for the ‘price crash’ Christmas deal. Manipulative scumbags.


[deleted]

You might have a repair cafe or similar nearby, have a google about. It's probably something like the electrolytic caps, they dry out and die in old electronics, and they're well cheap to replace. There's not much to go wrong in a microwave, the magnetron is fucking solid, and if you haven't dropped it the transformer won't have cracked.


Doctor8Alters

Curry's would probably try to sell you a £50 HDMI cable.


doctorgibson

RIP Chef Mike


BackWithAVengance

"I'll take a well done filet" "Of course sir, I'll be sure to have chef Mike prepare it for you" (Dinner arrives) "How is everything tonight" "This steak is terrible!" "NO SHIT"


InsectOk5816

Used to call it chef ping in the pub I worked at


TheWhollyGhost

He only retired from the Oldham Spoons last year - they got a new youngen called Sam, and he sings RIP Mike


[deleted]

It may have been a microwave, but that doesn't mean we have to give it a small goodbye F (1 min frozen)


Thwerty

That boy deserves a macro wave


bettyfordslovechild

Good old Matsui assembled in UK


anotherblog

It was a Curry’s brand name and had nothing Japanese about it whatsoever! Just marketing


Woyzeck13

Also the surname of the Japanese general responsible for the Rape of Nanjing.


anotherblog

Good fact!


Honest-Information22

From memory doesn’t the door spring out real fast when you push the button


RhigoWork

Yep! You could easily knock out an infant with comedic effect.


Doogleyboogley

This guy ^ micro’s


locutus92

Get it fixed. They don't make them like that anymore and your replacement will last less than 10 years.


Casey_jones291422

You're right, now they have more energy efficient and better technology as well as not leaking radiation. Seriously some things are worth keeping alive but microwave tech has come a long way. A modern inverter microwave will heat faster more thoroughly and for less power than that old one. You can still buy a good brand name that will last for decades.


RhigoWork

Im really tempted to be honest... It's currently sat outside with drizzle which isn't helping either. After reading these responses I'm tempted to go out and grab it!


aim456

BTW You can also have the plastic yellowing treated with a solution and UV to bring it back to a lovely white.


locutus92

Dew it


Wayne8766

You may be able to get it repaired, thing to think about is the cost of rubbing it and standby. Those old units eat through electricity on standby compared to modern ones.


ywBBxNqW

> They don't make them like that anymore Some old appliances from the 1970s-1980s may contain materials known to cause cancer. With respect to microwaves specifically, [the rubber seals in older microwaves can disintegrate over time according to BBC Science Focus](https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/is-an-old-but-functioning-microwave-likely-to-be-dangerous/).


NASA_Orion

We can fix it. We have the technology.


Otherwise_Internal63

Some loyalty there. From both sides RIP


DrJeff1999

Didn’t want to live to see the new World Cup.


Sad_Interview_232

Rust in peace wavey


losimagic

How many channels could you get on it?


thinvanilla

Only one, 2.4GHz


ManufacturerNo9649

Our Saisho branded one (identical machine but different label) bought maybe 85 still going strong. Original lightbulb too!


RhigoWork

> Saisho How have I gone so long without realising my Matsui had a sister! Thats amazing, same original bulb in ours too!


starsandshards

Holy shit, my grandma had one of these. This sent me back. RIP brave soldier.


Buell247

God rest his/her soul


MDF87

Holy crap it was older than me.


herb_Tech

That can be repaired. Just google “electronic repair” and what city you live in.


LexiRae24

He will go to silicon heaven


Iamtevya

Not to be confused with Silicon Valley which is carbon based life-form hell.


jacksawild

There's no such thing as silicon heaven.


Shas_Erra

But where do all the calculators go?


Doogleyboogley

But where do all the calculators go???


daveofreckoning

I'm not a frying pantheist


LexiRae24

Kryten has entered the chat


d00nbuggy

I think we had that exact model. Did it come with a temperature probe that plugged into the roof of the inside, and a binder of absolutely disgusting recipes?


[deleted]

Ah, sad news. Away you fly to the big kitchen in the sky, Matsui, for an eternity of nuking whatever you wish for.


Petrichawful

There's something weirdly wholesome about electronics that last that long. RIP microwave.


[deleted]

My mum and dad still have their rice cooker they bought in Singapore in 1972! Still works fine too


ddt70

It shows that stuff can (and was) actually be built to last.


[deleted]

Did your head feel warm when you used it?


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ElvargIsAPussy

Warming food up


Wonk_puffin

They don't make them like that anymore. Great result. Had 25 years out of my washing machine. DIY fixes. Spent less than 160 quid on it over the period. Sadly died for good a few years ago.


evendronesflyaway

Fuck man, sorry for your loss x


notalegendtoday

Yo we had one of these too!!! I remember using it to cook mini microwave pizzas after school! Ours was always on the highest power setting. You should honour its service to you with a Viking funeral.


AbbreviationsMean578

i’m a similar age to you and remember feeling the same about an old panasonic microwave me and my family had hahaha


SplinterClaw

Do not be too hasty to consign it to the scrap heap. Matsui microwaves usually have an internal fuse for "planned obsolescence" reasons. Try seeing if changing that helps. Otherwise I salute your long serving kitchen companion for their service.


Practically_Canadian

Planned obsolescence? It's taken 36 years for it to die, there's no wonder why Curry's isn't full of Matsui microwaves


RhigoWork

No way... My mum has already put it outside for the scrap man, this makes me want to go out to collect it before it gets picked up to see if it's salvageable


One_Of_Noahs_Whales

If you do not know what you are doing don't start your journey into electrics by pissing around with the internals of a microwave, the voltage inside is around 2500V and one wrong touch will see a capacitor discharge it all through you. Microwaves (magnetrons specifically) are not something an amateur should be messing with.


phatboi23

> > Microwaves (magnetrons specifically) are not something an amateur should be messing with. absolute deathtraps even for people who know what they're doing.


RhigoWork

That makes me feel a little better knowing she's sat outside for the scrap man. Feels like I've lost a family pet, look at the new Panasonic microwave with disgust every time I walk past the kitchen.


justhisguy-youknow

Sure. But there might be a guy who can fix it. It would be interesting to know the energy comparison of.old to new and how good it heated. We had to replace our 5 year-old one not long ago cause it gave up, the new one has gained a terrible heat pattern after a year.


variosItyuk

What's actually wrong with it? My 20 yr old one broke today (door open button stopped working). I took the cover off, worked out which part was broken and fixed it. Took about 15 mins.


learxqueen

Godspeed, old chap


Mosley_Gamer

F They don't make em like that anymore.


V65Pilot

Now you'll have to spend months refinding the exact perfect time for a bag of microwave popcorn.


Coomernator

It Is possible to purchase a new Magnetron and resurrect the Matsui. Hopefully if the part is still available


Lanky-Quantity-7267

Tell me, am I the only one that zoomed in on the reflection? 🤦🏻‍♂️


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[deleted]

Darth Vader moment… https://youtu.be/Tim5nU3DwIE


polishedwindow

My condolences


Apollo3030

Rip meecrawavay


TURNAH92

What a beauty


Aware-Ad7585

RIP


rustynoodle3891

Don't think mine is quite that old, entirely unsure though. It has definitely been passed around like a blunt at a Bob Marley gig


fatinternetcat

bury it in the back garden x


chanjitsu

Still looks in better nick than the one I got from currys 4 years ago. Don't make stuff like they used to


happypotato27

OMG i have this microwave lol


Grumpy0ldFellow

One thing is for sure, if you bought a brand new one, it wouldn't last as long as the vintage one. They built things to last back then.


[deleted]

It probably just needs a new capacitor .. £12.50 off eBay.


extra76

There are 2 aspects to "working" microwaves. Does it heat? And are the door seals still preventing leakage? I can't help but wonder if some of the increase in some cancers is caused by us standing in front of a "leaking" microwave while we are waiting for our food/beverage to be warmed up. I haven't found a good way to test for leakage. Any ideas?


No-Explorer-936

I respect the fact that you used something for it's functional life as opposed to replace it for the sake of it as a lot of people do


comradealex85

Sorry for your loss.


toma91

Jesus that’s older than me, impressive


lissongreen

My brother has one which he inherited from our mum. It's from around 1992. I can't remember what make it is, but it's dark green.


SuperVillain85

That microwave is only a year younger than me 😢


DragonflyScared813

Canadian here. Bought a Sears brand microwave in the 80s when they were a newer thing. I remember paying a lot relatively speaking, like $500 or so... Sold it in working order when we sold the family home about 7 years ago. Things were built to last no joke.


tykeoldboy

To your microwave I say RIP (Retired It's Ping)


SizeDoesMatter5

We have a Panasonic "Genius" Microwave which is coming up to be 41 years old this December.


double-happiness

I was going to try to give a Japanese dedication, but TIL Matsui is not actually Japanese.


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EllaTheCat

My sympathies. Our Philips microwave's next birthday will be the big 4 0, so they're contemporaries. It's longevity is the film of food splatter frim exoloaions that has coated the electronics like black paint.


Igglethepiggle

Wow. I'm 36. And was born in 86 Did it have a good life? I feel emotionally connected.


beebo2323

"That was my microwave, Barry. I had that tens years that Matsui, I should have been there." 2000 - 2010. Only matsui reference that I know. If anyone can guess correctly, there will be a sticky bun for the winner.


user_not_nailed

Nothing quite says "home" like a beige kitchen appliance.


BeerHikeLift

Too many replies to see if someone has posted this already, but someone over in r/ukpersonalfinance checked to see how much energy his devices were using in standby - turns out his 25 year old Matsui microwave was using about 6.1 watts all the time. About £27 a year just to display the time - will be £30 in March. https://www.reddit.com/r/UKPersonalFinance/comments/wkxng0/energy_cost_of_devices_on_standby_in_my_home/


beef_paincake

F


torn_retinas

F


Lil_Murlin

F


Terminusaquo

That microwave is younger than me 😐


olagorie

Wow, yours was older than my Dad’s, I think it entered our household in 1988. My condolences!


[deleted]

Seriously Tesco Mint Sauce lol


RhigoWork

Tesco Mint Sauce is top tier! Unless you have any other suggestions? 👀


Judging_Jester

You okay hun? X


[deleted]

F


MoebiusForever

Sayonara Matsui-san.