7 HN users recommended this explainer3 months2020–2025score 3
Years with an HN recommendation, 2007–2026
Cited again and again in microwave and smart-appliance threads as proof that older appliances were smarter, especially for steam-sensor cooking.
Technology Connections examines an old feature-rich microwave and shows how it uses a humidity or steam sensor and lookup data to cook food well, arguing it beats many modern ones.
“it explains how microwaves use a humidity probe to sense steam escaping from say a microwave-popcorn bag to determine when its done.” (HN, 2020)
Tangentially related, Technology Connections published an interesting video just a few days ago, "The Antique Microwave Oven that's Better than Yours": [this video]
Great 'Review' of an old Microwave loaded with features. [this video] Why can't we have nice things by default, especially with appliances like microwaves, toasters, printers...
Technology Connections just put out a video about an old microwave that he contends has better features that most you can buy today. Also it explains how microwaves use a humidity probe to sense steam escaping from say a microwave-popcorn bag to determine when its done. [this video]
Old microwave with better features; explains humidity probe sensing steam
Since everyone is mentioning Technology Connections (he deserves it, great channel), I want to bring up this video: [this video] To me, this really shows the sad direction smart appliances have gone in. I would love to see that smart appliances would have continued to evolve in this direction. I don't like the current state of smart appliances, but going back to the absolute basic seems like an over-reaction to me.
Shows sad direction of smart appliances versus smarter older designs
Don’t forget a physical handle to pull open the door. I’d take a steam sensor as well. Thanks to Technology Connections, great channel. Convinced me to read all the fine print until I found a Breville that had it. [this video]
Convinced commenter to seek out a microwave with a steam sensor
We have a microwave at work, I used it once and it took me 5 minutes do actually make it do something. It is like someone just slapped some buttons and dials and a display on there without thought and created some twisted logic just to annoy the user. I only ever bought two dial microwaves. Power and time, two variables, easy to understand and intuitive. Granted, I might try the microwave Technology Connections demonstrated [0] because it sounds like it actually works.. but no chance of getting an old model where I live... or anywhere else. 0: [this video]
> Though some kind of temperature sensor could be nice Some microwaves have a steam sensor, and use that to detect how cooked something is Source: [this video] at 3:59
Shows microwaves using steam sensors to detect doneness
You don't even need fancy cameras. Just a steam sensor and a dictionary with info on how foods release steam as they cook. The Antique Microwave Oven that's Better than Yours [this video]
Steam sensor with food lookup data suffices for doneness
Technology Connections talk about Microwave tech stagnating, or even going backwards - The Antique Microwave Oven that's Better than Yours [this video] It mentions lookup tables for the steam sensor, which fits for pre internet technology.
You might need to go back in time. Microwaves peaked in the late '90 when they had humidity and temperature sensors to detect when the food was property cooked/warmed. Things went downhill after that as the cost cutting race to the bottom happened. [this video]
Late-90s microwaves had humidity and temperature sensors
This video from technology connections shows exactly the same but with microwaves, specifically one from 1997. [this video] What I don't understand is, you have done the development, the cost of the rest of things is marginal. Why don't keep giving those features into all microwaves manufactured by the same company?
A 1997 microwave with better features than modern ones
Technology connections made a video about this a few years ago, apparently microwave technology already peaked in the 90's, but it never caught on: [this video]
Microwave technology peaked in the 90s but never caught on
This one? [this video] Sharp Carousel Multiple Choice. It seems to use a moisture sensor and lookup tables to adjust cooking times and power. I was expecting something more complex!
Sharp Carousel uses moisture sensor and lookup tables
You can't mention the Technology Connections video without linking it! [this video] I owned this microwave back in the day. It was awesome, but its awesomeness didn't stand out that much because we really didn't need all those different recipes -- if we had changed our habits to Microwave All The Things then it would have been more compelling, but really our use cases came down to: 1. Reheating food 2. Popcorn 3. Potatoes very rarely did we actually cook in the microwave.
Commenter owned this microwave; was awesome but features rarely needed
The Antique Microwave Oven that's Better than Yours [video] [this video] I owned one of these, it was indeed awesome. It really did cook food intelligently.
Commenter owned this model; it cooked food intelligently
The popcorn button on a microwave actually does something unique, or at least it does on microwaves with a real popcorn button. I think microwave designs are only bad insofar as they have been made so cheap that the special functions have been made vastly less useful. Obligatory Technology Connections. [this video]
Obligatory citation on microwave special functions
Espressif's ESP32 line uses an MCU IC, either sold by itself ( [link] ) or with flash memory and RAM ICs, all packaged together in a system-in-package footprint. (e.g. [link] ) There are various options for which flash and RAM ICs are packaged together, but the ESP32 die itself is very much an MCU and has only has 520 KB of SRAM. A managed switch is very computy heavy, and does usually run a microprocessor with a full RTOS, if not Linux itself, which probably costs in the mult-dollar range. It's also not something most people have at home, outside of the switch built into their router. Everything elese you mentioned usually runs on microcontrollers with under 1 MiB of RAM. For example, Infineon's CYUSB306X series ASICs for webcams come in two RAM sizes: 256 KiB or 512 KiB, despite handling gigabits per second of data, and having an MCU at all isn't even necessary. ( [link] ) The Pinecil's Bouffalo BL706 MCU has 123 KiB of RAM, despite being a low-volume product where design time matters more than component cost. ( [link] , [link] ) Microwave ovens are so high volume that they often don't even use packaged microcontrollers, mounting the die directly on the PCB, with an epoxy blob protecting it, and there's no way any would splurge on megabytes of SRAM. The most advanced microwave oven I've seen was from the 90's and definitely didn't splurge on an microprocessor. ( [this video] ) A slow MCU with external memory could run anything, like booting into linux on an AVR ( [link] ) but it
Example of an advanced 90s microwave without a microprocessor
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