These are interesting experiments, though if I wanted a high voltage diode
from a microwave oven, I would be tempted to take the small one made from
silicon instead.

What is the advantage over using several secondary windings, each with its
own rectifier made from 1N4007 (or better) diodes, and then connecting the
DC outputs from the rectifiers in series?

(or the standard old technique of using several 1kV diodes in series, with
a
capacitor and resistor in parallel with each diode, to keep the voltage
sharing even)

Chris
You are missing the point........ :-)


Why would someone use a large heavy piece of equipment weighing up to
several hundred pounds with several large heat generating glass things in
them, several large metal cubes in them, with operating voltages ranging up
to a thousand volts..... When they could use a little light square box,
about the size of two bricks, with a fancy display, that runs off of an
almost harmless 12V DC, and will do the exact same thing?

Because they want to!!!!!!!

Magnetron tubes are too neat looking to throw away, or leave unused.

I think that a set of magnetron tubes that have been removed from the cases,
and set on a set of ceramic standoffs would have definite cool appeal in a
HV power supply.

I wonder what the internal electrode to electrode breakdown voltage would
be? That would be the PRV operating limit if you took a magnetron tube and
put it in a one gallon paint bucket filled with mineral oil. It wouldn't
have a problem with arcing over on the outside in that setup. Wouldn't need
cooling fins on the tube any more, and you could put the filament
transformer in the bucket with the magnetron. all you would have coming out
of the bucket is the AC line running the transformer, and the two HV
feedthroughs for the HV connections to the magnetron.