Post by thread:[OT:]Toaster Oven - Death of the solitary invento

On Sat, 3 Jul 2004 10:42:08 -0700, Scott Fraser wrote: > At 06:41 AM 7/3/04, you wrote: > >In message <200472155431.978045@dragon> > > Matt Pobursky <piclistKILLspamMPS-DESIGN.COM> wrote: > > > > > the "$100 SMT Toaster Oven". > >Does anyone have any idea where the heck I can get a toaster oven in the UK? > >I've never seen anything even remotely similar over here... > > > Phil, > > You might want to use the search terms > mini cooker > or > mini kitchen > > looks like you guys have a real nice small oven that is larger than toaster > ovens, about the size of a small microwave oven. Another thing you might want to look for is an oven with a small circulation fan -- they normally refer to these as "convection ovens". I bought a DeLonghi oven with a fan and it helps tremendously in smoothing out the thermal gradients in the oven vs. without it. I also looked for an oven with (4) heating rods, (2) on top and (2) on bottom fairly equally spaced in the cooking compartment. By using multiple thermocouples, I've found that the oven heats more evenly w/fan and driving all (4) elements than other ovens I've measured with only (2) rods and no fan. I really need to get my controller done, so far I've developed a simple profile that I run using a stopwatch and manually controlling the oven. Matt Pobursky Maximum Performance Systems -- http://www.piclist.com#nomail Going offline? Don't AutoReply us! email .....listservKILLspam.....mitvma.mit.edu with SET PICList DIGEST in the body

We use the DeLonghi also, Matt, so just for curiosity sake, what's your stopwatch profile? Here's ours: very important: preheat oven at least 10 minutes at 250F in bake mode put in boards on top rack wait 90 seconds switch to broil mode (top heaters) from here, it usually takes around 2.5 to 3 minutes to finish after seeing all paste turne shiny, turn off heat, leave door closed after 1 minute open door, wait another minute to cool remove MD At 05:29 PM 7/3/04, you wrote: {Quote hidden}>Another thing you might want to look for is an oven with a small >circulation fan -- they normally refer to these as "convection ovens". >I bought a DeLonghi oven with a fan and it helps tremendously in >smoothing out the thermal gradients in the oven vs. without it. I also >looked for an oven with (4) heating rods, (2) on top and (2) on bottom >fairly equally spaced in the cooking compartment. By using multiple >thermocouples, I've found that the oven heats more evenly w/fan and >driving all (4) elements than other ovens I've measured with only (2) >rods and no fan. > >I really need to get my controller done, so far I've developed a simple >profile that I run using a stopwatch and manually controlling the oven. > >Matt Pobursky >Maximum Performance Systems > >-- >http://www.piclist.com#nomail Going offline? Don't AutoReply us! >email EraseMElistservspam_OUTTakeThisOuTmitvma.mit.edu with SET PICList DIGEST in the body -- http://www.piclist.com#nomail Going offline? Don't AutoReply us! email listservspam_OUTmitvma.mit.edu with SET PICList DIGEST in the body

the other thing that moving the air does is to break the air film that is normally over a surface and insulates it, and of course it moves heat from the elements to the object being heated better, just like a fan on a heatsink, i.e. it helps pump the heat from the source to the object you are heating, it doesn't just make the air a more uniform temperature which by itself isn't really very important. what is important is uniformity of the surface temperature of the object being heated and how fast you can pump heat into it, especially with food where you have evaporation cooling the surface and other cooling phenomenon happening (i.e. the chemical reactions that make the food "cooked" use heat and actually cool the food while it's cooking). however, for a hobbyist or very low volume, i'd prefer to buy a cheap used oven or build one and add my own fan, much cheaper that way. convection ovens tend to be a bit expensive, and for the hobbyist it doesn't need to be that pretty and ease of repair/substituting different fan motors etc. is important. all things considered, now that i realize that 2 ovens are needed i'll be checking garage sales etc. for another large one like i already have, it's hard to build something for less than you can by used and then modify with parts laying around. as far as solitary inventors, there are plenty of relatively simple things left to be invented, and the level of technology actually allows a solitary inventor to build their own equipment and work in fields that would otherwise require a large research facility. i myself have an idea to work on if i ever have the money that was impossible for any one to do 50 years ago, which is why my solution to the problem was never developed, people continue using variations of the "bad" solution that was easy 50 years ago and no one has gone back and looked at the original basic problem in a flexible way to reconsider development paths that are now possible but weren't originally practical or needed. i'll also be simulating/modeling a lot of this research soon so that i may actually be able to build prototypes and test them without some of the advanced equipment i'd like to build, and that has only recently become possible on a home computer (the software has only been reasonably available for about 2 years in this particular area, and it's very sophisticated software). now as far as simple product development, it's never been reasonable for an individual to compete with corporations on mass market items like tv sets etc., but that's different than inventing new solutions to a problem which is becoming easier for a creative individual to do, particularly if they are willing to go back to the basic problem for new solutions rather than trying to enhance current solutions. Matt Pobursky wrote: --------- > Another thing you might want to look for is an oven with a small > circulation fan -- they normally refer to these as "convection ovens". > I bought a DeLonghi oven with a fan and it helps tremendously in > smoothing out the thermal gradients in the oven vs. without it. I also > looked for an oven with (4) heating rods, (2) on top and (2) on bottom > fairly equally spaced in the cooking compartment. By using multiple > thermocouples, I've found that the oven heats more evenly w/fan and > driving all (4) elements than other ovens I've measured with only (2) > rods and no fan. -------- -- <http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article3267.htm> proof that the U.S. media is now state controlled! Ask your' local tv station why the hell they aren't airing the news any more! Our system of government requires an informed public, with their eyes open. -- http://www.piclist.com hint: To leave the PICList @spam@piclist-unsubscribe-requestKILLspammitvma.mit.edu

> as far as solitary inventors, there are plenty of relatively simple > things left to be invented, and the level of technology actually allows > a solitary inventor to build their own equipment and work in fields that > would otherwise require a large research facility. I know that many of my ideas are world class as I subsequently find that a certain percentage have been stolen by people and made them rich years or decades before I think of them :-) I have a few hundred ideas filed away. I'm considering whether I should spend next year working on a few tens of them (there area number of factors to consider) to see what I can really achieve in a single year. I can imagine that I'd probably have to unsubscribe from PICList though :-) RM -- http://www.piclist.com hint: To leave the PICList KILLspampiclist-unsubscribe-requestKILLspammitvma.mit.edu