Appliances fail, but that doesn’t mean it’s the end for them. This impressive hack from [solopilot] shows the results possible when not just fixing but also improving upon its original form. The toaster’s failed function selector switch presented an opportunity to add smart features to the function selection and refine control over its various settings.
Before upgrading the toaster, [solopilot] first had to access its components, which is no trivial task with many modern appliances. Photos document his process of diving into the toaster, exposing all the internals to enable the upgrade. Once everything was accessible, some reverse engineering was required to understand how the failed function selector controlled the half-dozen devices it was wired to.
Next came the plan for the upgrades—a long list that included precise temperature control and the ability to send an SMS showing the state of your meal. A Raspberry Pi Zero, a solid-state relay, a relay control board, and a thermocouple were added to the toaster, unlocking far more capability and control than it had originally. Some tuning is required to fully enable these new features and to dial in the precision this once run-of-the-mill toaster is now capable of.
The work wasn’t limited to the toaster itself. [solopilot] also seized the opportunity to create an Android app with speech recognition to control his now one-of-a-kind Cuisinart. It’s probably safe to say his TOA-60 is currently the smartest toaster in the world. If you check out his documentation, you’ll find all the pinouts, circuits, code, and logic explanations needed to add serious improvements to your own toaster. We’ve featured several other toaster oven projects over the years, most of which have focused on turning them into reflow ovens, so it’s exciting to see one aimed at improving upon its original design.
Howdy-doodly-do, how’s it going?
How about crumpet?
Ah, so you’re a waffle guy!
I toast. Therefore, I am.
Something, something, frakking toasters.
“The toaster runs a web server…”
This line makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
:) … Me too…. I’ll stick with the dial for timer and let it pop when done, or check, and manually pop if getting to done :) ! No gimmicks. No internet connection, no blue tooth connection. Simple is as simple does :) .
But hey, if robotizing your toaster is your game … enjoy!! Next up is add wings and make it a flying toaster. Of wait, M$ did that I think with a screen saver already :) .
Jefferson Airplane did the flying toaster first. Berkely Systems did the screen saver, first for the Mac and then for Windows.
It has also been done IRLL https://www.flitetest.com/articles/flying-toaster
Thank You…!…
Happy SOMEONE remembers the Mac was usually THE groundbreaker for most things the PC gets unearned valor for, until somewhat into the 2000s…
Oh boy, this is going to attract Technology Connection isn’t it.
Whatever you do, don’t say “latent heat of vaporization” three times in a darkened room.
Heat pump man can’t hurt you. He isn’t real.
No cloud based subscription service? That’s just plain baffling. How can it possibly even work?!
….thats the kickstarter version…coming soon!
Sorry, I’m with Dave on this one:
https://youtu.be/LRq_SAuQDec
Well that was no accident, that was first degree toastercide!
I have this same toaster oven and it failed in the exact same way. Meanwhile my previous one was 25 years old before the element finally gave out….
With all those mods, I wonder why it didn’t include settings for “reflow”, “sinter”, “pyrolyse”, “incinerate” and “cremate”
No onboard speaker for voice output? Sorry, but that’s a big fail :-)
Once upon a time in a kingdom not far from here:
https://www.danielsen.com/jokes/objecttoaster.txt
Toast by color dial please
I have a different model, and the selection dial went within a year. Seems like a design flaw putting the electronics above the heating elements. I don’t want a web server, but I should probably fix it.
and a built-in smoke detector
The Internet of Things has officially hit peak stupid, courtesy of this smart toaster
Griffin Technology wants to sell you on the idea of a smart toaster. We’re increasingly sold on the idea of living on a remote island far away from companies that think slapping Wi-Fi and an LCD on to already-functional kitchen hardware constitutes some meaningful advance in the human condition.
January 5, 2017
https://www.extremetech.com/electronics/242169-internet-things-officially-hit-peak-stupid-courtesy-smart-toaster-griffin-technology
Just evenly toasting toast should be the goal. I had a friend point out his expensive toaster. It didn’t toast any more evenly than mine which is not horrible, but not perfect. I looked inside his and it had the same crappy, probably Chinese nichrome heating element plate that mine has and every other toaster I’ve seen has.