Microwave power

Mostly rubbish. "Requiring an Egg Made Instant Cake Mixes Sell"?

One of the problems with such stories that have a marginally believable explanation is that some companies try to repeat the experiment, expecting a different outcome, because they had changed or added something. As far as I can recall, I participated in two such exercises in futility and have read about a few more. The lesson is always the same. In the Betty Crocker case, the reason the instant mix didn't sell is that it tasted awful. The reason sales picked up after they removed the powdered egg is that a real egg made the cake taste reasonable.

In my case, the company decided to advertise the "modern kitchen" where all the various appliances would communicate with each other via wire, fiber, and RF (in that order). When something was placed on a shelf or in the fridge, a bar code reader would add it to the inventory. When it was used, it would be automatically subtracted (by weight to deal with leftovers). Portions and weights were calculated by the various cooking appliances. The location of an item in the fridge or shelf was indicated by a light. Shopping lists were printed on demand, or faxed to the market. All this was rather ambitious when the current microprocessor was an 8085.

To avoid running into sales resistance problems as in the cake mix and egg, the company assumed that operating the controls of the "modern kitchen" was sufficient to make the housewife consider herself to be part of the operation rather than an uninvolved bystander. If adding a little work was good for sales, then adding a bunch of work must be better. Unfortunately, there was no reason or incentive for her to want a "modern kitchen", which offered marginal benefits over the existing traditional product. There was also a substantial learning curve the proved to be more difficult than expected. That's because this was in the days when becoming a computer literate user meant leaning to program. In other words, the proposed solution to the cake and egg problem turned out to be an even bigger problem which immediately flopped when tested.

So, are we ready for the Star Trek food replicator and synthesizer? Are we lusting after 3D printed dinners? Will the table top long chain hydrocarbon cracker fed by mined coal tar be as tasty as the natural variety? Are you ready for 3D printed and robotically assembled delivered pizza that was assembled in the back of the delivery van? If you feel the need to be part of the system, we'll just leave a few bugs in the software where you can find the bugs and fix them.

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Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com 
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com 
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com 
Skype: JeffLiebermann     AE6KS    831-336-2558

35 min full scale mechanical timer: With a little practice, one could probably set it to a 1/2 minute interval setting. Since there are no detents, accuracy would probably be between +/-0.25 and +/-0.50 minutes. The dial looks like 50 minutes = 360 degrees or 3.6 degrees per 1/2 minute Yeah, I think I can set it to 1/2 minute resolution using both hands and little profanity. This one looks even more difficult:

I've noticed that most microwave meals have cooking times in 1/2 minute intervals. Therefore, the user interface would require only a

1/2 minute button. I believe that there are some that specify 1/4 and 3/4 minute intervals. That would require adding 3 buttons. This is not sub-optimal or rocket science and can easily be done.

I have one of those in the office. It's very easy to program it in 1 minute intervals. Anything else is a PITA.

I think it would be easier to redesign the frozen microwave dinner packaging and cooking time format, than to redesign the microwave oven.

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Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com 
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com 
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com 
Skype: JeffLiebermann     AE6KS    831-336-2558

Wrong again, you are.

I still think you were targeting the wrong audience. To sell a fully automated "modern kitchen" you should target the audience that considers cooking an unavoidable chore, not the housewive that wants to care for her family.

re hairdryer wattage

you're more clueless than I expected.

In message , Ian Field writes

End -of-life , the magnetron is losing emission. Mine certainly takes a lot longer; ok it's 20 years old.

You can measure the output by how long it takes to heat a specific quantity of water and do the sums .

A few years ago, there were solid state sources mentioned as replacing magnetrons, but I guess it's not commercially viable yet,

past-part-2

Brian

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Brian Howie

I can just see it now: A revolutionary solid-state heat source for ovens, toasters, coffee and tea machines, etc,: 100% percent efficient, simple, robust, cheap, safe. Oh wait, we already have that...

Jeroen Belleman

They are available, but it appears they are used primarily for the lowest output range and in devices to be powered from DC. (e.g. a Truck microwave)

One thing that has changed is that the bulky 50/60Hz AC transformer has been replaced by a switchmode powersupply in some microwaves.

Probably true today, but this was the early 1970's, when the traditional roles were more entrenched.

As for unavoidable chores, do you shave every morning? I do as do most men that I know. There are some days, when I'm in a hurry, that it really does feel like a waste of time that should be automated or discarded. Yet, there are devices and concoctions available that will retard or eliminate the growth of facial hair sufficiently to only require an ocassional shave that have been available for quite some time. Just one problem, they're all for women. It's much like the kitchen drudgery problem. As long as operating a kitchen is exclusively a womens domain, the drudgey, inefficiency, and manual tasks will remain simply to keep the men out of the kitchen.

Remember Disneyland and the Monsanto house of the future? Lots of space saving, cost saving, and efficiency ideas. Some sold, but most were rejected by the public for various non-obvious reasons. I think it included a microwave oven. Yep. The "step saver kitchen". Seen any ultrasonic dish washers lately?

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Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com 
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com 
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com 
Skype: JeffLiebermann     AE6KS    831-336-2558

Ummm, the standard commodity AC receptacle and associated circuit breaker in California is 15 Amps. You can get 15A/20A receptacles, that use a different plug, but I've never seen a 10A.

--
Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com 
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com 
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com 
Skype: JeffLiebermann     AE6KS    831-336-2558

The recepticle will have a rating higher than the branch circuit provides. They have to. The CIRCUIT, however, is a 10 Amp feed.

The NEC is what declares it.

Kitchen outlets can be 20 Amp, but most are not. A lot of custom homes get done right, but the pre-fabs usually get 10 Amp branches.

Looking now, it appears that 15 Amps is the new baseline.

Looks like I have away too long.

Most I've seen where somewhere in the general direction of 50% efficient.

When I serviced them for a back street bodger - one came in with low emission.

Not much salvage on it, so I stuck a screwdriver in the fan and cranked up the timer.

The eagerly awaited pyrotechnics never happened, so i let it cool down and fired it up - it wasn't all that far off good as new.

It went out the door as 1/2 price bodger's seconds.

Yeah, and folks here are saying that they say what they make on the front and what they use on the back. I have not seen any that say what they make on the front.

And at a 50% efficiency that would mean that a 1200W mw uses over 2400 W from the service feed. That does not sound very realistic either.

snip

Don't you mean a 1/6 m button?

don't baffle him with facts.

NT

The typical 15A duplex receptacle will provide 2 time 15A per receptacle for a total of 30A. I have my house wired for circuit to have no more than 8 receptacles (or 4 duplex receptacles) for a grand total of 120A per circuit. Each circuit is connected to a 20A breaker which limits the maximum load and which I just realized is not correct. It should be 15A. (Yet another project). The box is 100A, which I should upgrade to 200A, except that I don't really need 200A service.

You stated that "So if the max power consumption from a 10 amp residential wall recepticle is..." Could I trouble you to find a photo of a 10A residential wall receptacle? 117VAC 15A and 20A are common enough, but I don't see anything that's limited to 10A service: This chart looks usable: Hmmm... I still don't see a 10 amp connector.

I don't suppose you could provide me with the relevant chapter and verse? Here's the current NFPA 70 NEC electrical code online:

Mine is definitely "custom" and was built in 4 stages. Compliance with the county building code and quality of workmanship varies:

Yep. Everything you know is wrong. I've given up trying to recall the details and usually resort to Goggling for the numbers.

Many things have changed. For example, some jurisdictions now demand GFCI or AFCI breakers:

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Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com 
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com 
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com 
Skype: JeffLiebermann     AE6KS    831-336-2558

Well, I wouldn't go that far.

Some alternatives:

- The more you know, the less you understand.

- That of which you are certain, beyond any need of checking, is probably wrong. (This is my problem).

- The consensus is usually wrong.

- Assumption is the mother of all screwups.

- All arguments soon collapse upon he who guesses.

- If you repeat something often enough, and Google finds it, then it become a fact.

- Science is the study of exceptions.

- Never underestimate the power of assertion, pontification, threats, and intimidation.

- To error is human. No proof of being human is necessary.

- The more trivial the error, the more vocal the denunciation.

- It is often easier to derive an answer, than it is to Google for it.

- When in doubt, guess. When out of time, plagiarize. When confused, baffle them with technobabble. When lacking proof, cite only dead authorities and unpublished works.

- For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't believe, no proof is possible, but threats of violence are often effective.

- etc...

--
Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com 
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com 
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com 
Skype: JeffLiebermann     AE6KS    831-336-2558