With a high voltage transformer, magnetron, diode and big capacitor you can make a microwave gun. The gun itself consumes about 1kW of power.

Microwave Gun

Disclaimer: Only experienced personnel can build and use such devices. In almost all countries, it is illegal to build a non-certified radio transmitter.

With a high voltage transformer, magnetron, diode and big capacitor you can make a microwave gun. The gun itself consumes about 1kW of power.

The main thing in this device is a special lamp, called a magnetron. Why magnetron? Because this lamp has, two big and powerful magnets put on it. Only a few volts are needed to heat-up this lamp but a few thousand volts are needed for generation. Every oven has a big transformer producing 3.5V for heating and a few thousand volts output for the lamp. Electronic lamp need DC so one diode and capacitor is used for it.

A magnetron lamp must be cooled by forced airflow. For a few seconds radiation, cooling can be avoided. For heavy loads and long radiation, you can use water-cooling.

Place magnetron into a metal box- it will be your microwave chamber. Do not use an open microwave chamber. Microwave radiation can't kill you in few seconds, but it can be dangerous especially for a long exposures. You can use metal foil for sealing holes. Sometimes sparks can make holes in foil- it is normal. It means that somewhere there is a bad seal and high voltage is making current paths in the air. These sparks are very hot and simply melts the foil.

A photograph of a microwave gun

Just a simple 'tube' lamp used in many cases. The light is produced by a special white coating inside the tube. When the lamp is working the current flows inside the tube with the help of mercury vapours and some inert gas. This mixture produces ultra violet radiation. UV rays react with the special coating on the tube.

Small neon lamp used in the microwave

This is a small lamp used in older devices for some indicating purposes. The light is produced when the current goes through neon gas inside the lamp. Net is used for safety.

Simple light bulb in the microwave

Simple light bulb. The light is produced from very hot tungsten wire. In the microwave case the light is produced in part from this wire and in part of argon gas used in every lamp.