Ion thruster: Microwaves

Microwaves don't really have anything to do with Ion thrusters, except that they have diodes in them.
Diodes are electrical components that only let electricity flow in one direction. I found out that I need them for my thruster when I tried to turn it on. At first I thought that it wasn't doing anything- the air didn't seem to be moving at all, although it was making a buzzing noise. Than I realized the air was just vibrating! It turns out that the electricity that was powering it was AC (alternating current- basically it quickly alternates between plus and minus). So it was working, but the air was just changing direction so fast that it never really had time to go anywhere.
Luckily, there is one good way to turn AC into normal current (DC), and that is with a rectifier. A rectifier is made out of four diodes connected end to end. I actually have a small pre-made rectifier, but it is not nearly adequate for the required 12,000 volts. So I'm making my own!

But meanwhile, this is what I found inside the microwave:

This is the cooling fan. The part at the bottom is the high voltage motor.

This is the motor that turns the glass plate:

This is the light:

These switches detect if the door is open or closed:

This is a heat sensor; it will turn off the microwave if it gets to hot.

This is a huge capacitor. Capacitors are like short-term rechargeable batteries.

This is the transformer that supplies the high voltage required for the magnetron.

This is the main circuit board. It includes a controller chip, a beeper speaker (It beeps), two relays, a quarts timer, a seven segment display, and a small transformer. There are also a bunch of other components, including diodes, resistors, capacitors, and transistors.