Part of the keypad on my microwave does not seem to be working. I can key in the cook time, although the zero is not working. The start and cancel buttons will not work. The message "press start or cancel" shows but I can't start or clear it. Any ideas?

I surmise there's a short in the Quick Defrost button on the keypad. Either the keypad has collapsed there, or some contamination has gotten in. Another possibility is a failing program memory bit in the controller chip, but a contaminated keypad seems most likely. What happens if you press and hold that button while trying to key in another instruction? Is there any change in behavior?

From your description you have a bad door switch, there are usually a few of them located inside the microwave under the keypad control board that will need a digital meter to trouble shoot.

Hello

Check the power supply. Make sure the microwave is firmly plugged into a working electrical outlet and that your wall outlet is active if your home uses outlets controlled by a wall switch. Check your home's fuses or circuit breakers to ensure they have not been tripped. Without power the microwave will not respond to any input.


Make sure the parental lock is inactive. Some ovens, like the one shown in the image above, feature a keypad lock to prevent children playing with the controls. Most keypad locks can be cancelled by holding down a button or combination of buttons for a few seconds.


Make sure the door is firmly closed. Some microwave ovens will not allow any control panel input if the door is open.


Remove the microwave from the power, wait 10 seconds, then plug it back in. This will reset the microwave oven if there is a temporary problem with the software.


Press the "Stop/Cancel" button several times to cancel the current operation and return the microwave to standby mode. Re-enter your cooking instructions using the keypad as usual.

Push the microwave door tightly closed. The computer will not start cooking until the door is closed for safety reasons. Some models of microwave will give a warning on the screen if the door is open.


Ensure you have programmed a heat setting, entered a cooking time and pressed the "Start" button on the microwave's keypad. Check that the microwave is not set to "Defrost" mode.


Unplug the microwave and wait for one minute. This measure will reset the microwave's internal computer if it has frozen or scrambled. Plug the microwave back in and try again.


Ensure the keypad lock mode is inactive. Most microwave ovens have a lockout feature that prevents children from starting the microwave while unsupervised. Lockout mode is usually deactivated by holding down the button that bears a padlock symbol

HELLO.

The problem with your microwave's touch pad needs some simple troubleshooting steps to rectify the problem.

1 Check the power supply. Make sure the microwave is firmly plugged into a working electrical outlet and that your wall outlet is active if your home uses outlets controlled by a wall switch. Check your home's fuses or circuit breakers to ensure they have not been tripped. Without power the microwave will not respond to any input.

2 Make sure the parental lock is inactive. Some ovens, like the one shown in the image above, feature a keypad lock to prevent children playing with the controls. Most keypad locks can be cancelled by holding down a button or combination of buttons for a few seconds.

3 Make sure the door is firmly closed. Some microwave ovens will not allow any control panel input if the door is open.

4 Remove the microwave from the power, wait 10 seconds, then plug it back in. This will reset the microwave oven if there is a temporary problem with the software.

5 Press the "Stop/Cancel" button several times to cancel the current operation and return the microwave to standby mode. Re-enter your cooking instructions using the keypad as usual.

Reach me for further assist.

Thanks.

The clock must be set before you can use the microwave. When you plug it in, it should read all zeros. Enter the time, and press "Clock Set." Time is in 12-hour format. There is no daylight saving time.

For basic microwave use:
1. Press "Power."
2. Press the keypad corresponding to the desired amount of power, e.g., "High," or "Defrost." (The numbers on the keypad have little words on them, like "Warm," "Med," and "High".)
3. Press "Time."
4. Enter the desired cooking time, e.g., "1-0-0" will be 1 minute; you could also do "6-0" for 60 seconds. You can do as little as 1 second, up to 99 hours 59 minutes. "1-0-0-0" would be 10 minutes. "2-0-1-2" would be 20 minutes 12 seconds.
5. Press "Start."

NEVER operate the microwave when it is empty. Put at least a glass of water in it. Never put a glass in it empty; make sure the glass has something in it, like water. Be careful when taking out a glass of water that's been heated; the water has been known, in rare instances, to "explode" and severely scald people.

It is okay to use the approved metal rack (it's coated with ceramic to prevent arcing) when using the microwave in microwave mode. Of course, the metal rack is also fine for use in the convection/combination mode.

"Defrost" cycles between microwave and nothing, microwave and nothing, microwave and nothing. You can hear the cycles. If defrost takes too long, try "Low." Try to avoid using "High," as it kills most nutrients in the food. Opt for "Medium" for slightly longer time; it'll be more evenly heated and healthier. Some things, like popcorn, require "high" power.

To stop the microwave in the middle of cooking, simply open the door. (There's no such thing as microwaves escaping the oven and bouncing around the kitchen and zapping you. I have a microwave tester, and the moment you open the door, all microwaves dissipate; the reading at the door is "Zero" once it's opened.) Or, press "Cancel." If you open the door, you may test the food, and if it needs further cooking, you may close the door and press "Start," and it will resume where it left off. If you're all done, just press "Cancel."

There is no way to disable the 5 beeps at the end of the cycle. If the baby is sleeping and you don't want to hear the beeps, simply open the door right before the beeps when the countdown is at zero. Pressing "Cancel" will give you one beep.

If you have the Combination feature, that cycles between microwave and convection heat, giving the best of both worlds (cooking inside with microwaves and outside with convection), for things such as a whole meats.

To use Combination:
1. Press "Combination."
2. Consult the chart on the microwave (below the keypad) and choose a number from 1 to 4, depending on what type of food you're preparing (i.e., lamb, pork, etc.).
3. Press "Time."
4. Enter the desired time, using the method described above.
5. Press "Start."

The Convection feature simply blows hot air across the food, at the temperature and duration that you set. It's a great way to toast slices of bread for the whole family at once, or bake a pizza.

To use the Convection feature:
1. Press "Convection."
2. Choose the temperature (the degrees are printed on the keypad, such as "350 degrees."
3. Press "Time."
4. Enter the length of cook time, using the method described above.
5. Press "Start."

Be sure to cover foods (with a paper towel or suitable plastic cover) that are prone to splattering. Don't let foods explode and get up into the motor. Clean the inside regularly with a soft sponge and mild detergent, NOT harsh or abrasive chemicals like Comet. Then rinse the soap off with a clean sponge.

Be sure to close the door firmly before cooking, but don't slam it. Slamming it will wear out the latching part, but being too gentle in closing the door may cause the safety switch to not engage, and the microwave won't work (it'll count down and the light will turn on but the motor won't run).

Note: the Convection feature uses more wattage than the microwave counterpart. The volts and amps are listed in the door jamb; multiply them together and you get total watts (although the actual amount will vary depending on your "power" settings).

Sounds like you have a faulty control panel. I would use a meter and test the power from the control board to the magnetron and circuit board. Chances are the control panel is faulty

Pressing "timer/clock" button 4 times turns on and off demo mode.

It sounds like the keypad is worn out. The fact that you can get them to work sometimes by what direction you push on them, tells me that the contacts are not working correctly.

Did you have this problem prior to the fuse blowing or did it start after you replaced the fuse?

I don't believe the fuse blowing is related to the keypad problem. I also don't believe that you have a microprocessor problem because you say that the function buttons work but the number keys don't work right. If the microprocessor was faulty, it would not be able to read any of the keys.

The fact that the number keys are not working doesn't surprise me. When you go to cook something, you will press the number keys several times, while only pressing start or stop once. This is why your number keys have worn out first. These keys have a limited number of cycles (presses) and it sounds like its time for a new keypad.

Please let me know if I can be of further assistance to you.

Good Luck!

- Jim

I would check your onwer's manual for any other specific reset instructions. Generally it reset by unplugging it from the wall for a few minutes. Does the microwave require you to set the time and date before it will work? Are all the keys on the keypad working or do they seem to? If not, you may have a bad, damp, or corroded keypad or control circuit board. I can follow up more on these if it seems like your problem. Please met me know what you find.