Fixing the Microwave Oven Membrane Keypad

A microwave oven is one of those standard kitchen appliances. You find in every other kitchen to make the cooking tasks more manageable. In particular, users love it because the microwave oven membrane keypad does all the work for them besides preserving the nutrients in the food.

Since this appliance is used frequently in day-to-day kitchen activities, it is likely to halt your work in case of sudden malfunctioning of its keypad. For example, the display lights up, but the keypad does not respond. You may also observe that a few buttons do work, but other buttons on the keypad don’t work.

To avoid suffering from untimely embarrassment, fix the issue carefully because the membrane keypad is usually made up of soft-touch buttons or switches. Any forceful action with them can disable them permanently. Before moving ahead, we should understand how an oven membrane keypad works.

How a Microwave Oven Membrane Keypad Works?

The keypad in a microwave oven acts like an input device. The membrane keypad contains buttons made up of two flexible layers of Mylar plastic. The layers have conductive coatings on either side facing each other and a bubble in between them.

Each button acts like a bubble with the flexible membrane on the top. When the user presses the flexible membrane, the layers appear in contact to form an electric circuit that directs a signal to the control board.

The control board is like a command and control system in a microwave oven that operates the appliance in the required manner. On pressing any button on the membrane keypad, the control board directs relevant components of the oven to start heating.

How Does Microwave Oven Membrane Keypad Stop Working?

One of the most common microwave failures is its broken-down touchpad. As the microwave oven is frequently used in the kitchen, the conductive coating on the back of the membrane keypad is disposed to wear down.

As a result, it degrades the membrane’s capacity to complete a circuit and direct the signal to the control board. It might not be just one reason for the keypad to malfunction. It may break down due to any flaw that causes the control board failing to receive and process the signals.

Let us discuss some of the significant issues that make the membrane inactive and fix them conveniently.

Fixing Unresponsive Membrane Keypad

If you feel that your microwave keypad is not responding at all, it means that you should gear up for troubleshooting. The blank display or functioning of a few buttons are the signs of incomplete signals and indications for fixing the right thing with your microwave.

Now how to deal with it? You can’t move on fixing the real problem on your own if you do not have a clue. If you have a multimeter and know-how of its use, you ought to use it and press all the buttons one by one to check their response.

For this purpose, you might need online help to understand the mathematics behind the layout of the membrane keypad so that you can check each button’s resistance once you press it. On pressing the buttons, the multimeter should display a few ohms of resistance.

If that does not work, it is a clear signal that your microwave oven membrane keypad has failed the multimeter test because it has lost its sensitivity. Your microwave oven is completely useless without a fully functional keypad, and you should, therefore, opt to replace the keypad.

Checking the Control Board in Case the Membrane Switch or Buttons Response

In case you get the response, that means there is something wrong with the control board. You may apply the same check with the control board to see if it is getting the signals and accurately handling the electricity.

If you find that the control board fails to read the right resistance, it is time for you to consider repairing or replacing this unit.

And if you’re replaced both the membrane switch and the control board, and the microwave still isn’t responding, it may be time for a new microwave.

How to Upkeep the Microwave Oven When One or More Membrane Buttons Stop Working?

There might be a case when you find that only one membrane switch or button has stopped responding. There is a strong likelihood that the membrane has completely deteriorated beneath the printed button tag. Since the conducting coating diminishes overtime on the back of the membrane, it vitiates the button’s proficiency to function correctly.

You might get some sign of signal, but on the other hand, you don’t get the desired utility, you may be making an incomplete connection for this purpose.

Another probability is that only one button is out of action and a collection of nearby buttons is faulty or non-responsive. The main reason for this is that the two-layer membrane is flexible and if only one button damages, it can have collateral damage on the rest of the panel.

To fix this issue, you have no other option but to change the entire membrane keypad instead of taking the membrane separately. You need not worry about a soft membrane or specific replacement once you have a completely new assembly fixed in the microwave oven.

Remember that a factory-aligned membrane keypad functions eat its best by sending the right signals to the control board.

In order to dismantle the faulty membrane button, take out the mounting screws to open the microwave oven’s cabinet. Uncover the metal wrap-around shield over the top and sides of the oven.

After that, get access to the microwave's front panel because the membrane keypad is generally attached with a flattened ribbon-style wire connector. All you have to do is to switch it to the new membrane to fix dysfunctional keypad issue.

Fixing the Microwave Oven Membrane Keypad When Microwave Display Flashes Blank

There could be a situation when you try to press a button on the membrane keypad, and the display lights up without showing any data. In that case, probability lies in the fact that the control board has gotten an issue.

In other words, the membrane keypad does send the signals. But the control board remains blank and does not perform the right job. You may observe that the display is lightened up although the oven is not performing any action. There is yet another possibility that the control board acted inversely to the directions it received.

When such symptoms take place, the control board requires to troubleshoot. Unplug your microwave oven, get the multimeter and open up the oven. You need to gain access to the control board and once you locate it for testing.

If the control board remains silent on checking with the multimeter, replace it with an identical one. Carefully transfer all wired connections onto it. By doing so, you can fix the signal problems of the microwave oven’s membrane switch. Even if you observe the signalling issue, it might be the result of wearing out of the membrane switch. So, this means you should replace it.

Abstract:

Many microwave users tend to get edgy about repairs when they find something wrong with the microwave oven membrane keypad. They think that fixing any problem with this delicate component is the most challenging thing to do. However, with simple fixing tools, they can get the right replacement of the faulty part.

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