wonder how user serviceable it actually is with all that glue on each button. if he cracks that plastic removing a failed switch he’ll have nothing to mount the new one to

Those aren’t microswitches. They’re tactile PCB buttons, which are far less reliable. In fact, they use the exact same internal mechanism as membrane switches.

most stuff today is throw away.

microwave, window air conditioner many cooking appliances all made to be thrown in the garbage after a couple of years

the fact you fixed yours shows you intend to keep your microwave for a while longer.

Total of 22 microswitches, if each cost $0.25, the total repair (not counting the labor) would cost $5.50, not bad at all.

Ever since the egregious concept of “planned obsolescence” came up, products are built to last not a second longer than what consumers still consider as acceptable. Nobody ever builds anything anymore to last as long as possible.

They realized a long time ago there’s no money to be made that way, and having a great reputation for endurance and quality nowhere near measures up to the money that can be made by selling a slightly cheaper thing 3-4 times to the consumer in the same time frame he might otherwise have to buy just one.

Take a good look around, and you’ll notice that every single business entity today would much prefer you (and tries his best to get you) to _rent_ stuff from him as a subscriber rather then _buy_ and never pay again (as long as the product keeps working). From banks to mobile providers, music stores, and yes, even OSes (MS would love that). Nothing beats a guaranteed steady revenue stream, innit?

So there’s nothing to be surprised about really. But I do find this approach devious and immoral and I fight it every time I can. Much like the featured DIYer here did – nice job of keeping that oven in service!

Okay SO I have a Jeep Key Fob that doesn’t work. The rubber pads have seemed to worn out. When I take a flat screw driver and short the contacts for a button everything works just fine.

I was thinking of installing micro push buttons on the pcb, any other ideas. I’ve tried cleaning the contacts with Alcohol no luck. The rubber pads arn’t metalic anymore.

Maybe I should start a thread in the Forums.

For conductive rubber membrane keypads, of all kinds (from Motorola Centracom dispatch consoles to key fobs, and probably microwave ovens, too):

I have had a 100% rate of success using Deoxit DN5 to just clean up the rubber and the contacts a bit. Squish the fluid around with on the contact area with a Q-tip to slightly abrade and absorb things, wipe up the remaining mess (if you feel like it), reassemble, and it works like new.

Every. Single. Time.

Lesser methods (pencil eraser, alcohol, Windex, conventional contact cleaner, sand paper, whatever) have been far less effective, in my experience, than a quick shot of DN5.

I bought a can of Deoxit DN5 5 or 6 years ago, and it’s finally getting to the point that I’ll need to replace it — it doesn’t take much to get it done.

(Nope, I don’t work for them, or sell the stuff. It’s just my experience.)

Congratulations for the nice job!!! But if I were you, I’d put the switches in a perfoboard behind the panel, so it would be stiffer and you could press it without being afraid of ungluing a buttom.