Simmerstats: The genius old tech that controls your stovetop

Hehe. Doody cycle.
Links 'n' stuff:
My video on turn signal flashers
• Why it's not possible ...
The US electrical system and that 120/240V stuff
• The US electrical syst...
The Pinball Machine video (part one)
• Old pinball machines a...
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[@WanJae42]

"My favorite channel is talking about stoves today" ... My friends have learned to expect this sort of remark from me.

[@dedaloskprs9013]

Me 2 years ago: "If you excuse me i have to watch an hour long video on dishwasher detergent"

[@jasonwomack4064]

This channel really is the adult version of Mr Rogers showing us how crayons are made.

[@Pentti_Hilkuri]

The recent lack of toaster ovens is disturbing.

[@dedaloskprs9013]

Personally I miss a good ol' video on automotive lighting. He hasn't done fog lights yet, right?

[@WanJae42]

@@dedaloskprs9013 We could do with a good nerdly rant on the difference between fog lights and driving lights. That wouldn't be a snarky video at all. Nope.

[@JD3Gamer]

Home appliances be like “Wait it’s all bimetallic strips?” “Always has been”

[@MostlyPennyCat]

Ooh, I'm gonna go design a pocket calculator that uses only bimetallic strips.

[@atmel9077]

@@MostlyPennyCat Well... Calculators are made out of logic gates, logic gates can be made out of relays, a relay is a switch and a coil, the switch and coil can be replaced by a bimetallic strip and a heater (like the ones used to control streetlights), so yes, it's technically possible to build a calculator out of bimetallic strips, albeit a very slow one !

[@craigmccune6066]

@@atmel9077 can doom run on a calculator made only of bimetallic strips?

[@atmel9077]

@@craigmccune6066 No

[@SunroseStudios]

​@@craigmccune6066not at a playable framerate probably, but in theory sure

[@98Timothy]

I'm a licensed electrician and I tend to just send people to your channel as you explain this stuff better then I ever could 😂

[@VishalDudhani]

You're god's messenger!

[@chiefpacman]

All wrong! You need to gatekeep all the information to keep homeowners calling!

[@TheEDFLegacy]

I'm just waiting for a video on AFCI's!😅

[@alanhilder1883]

Where I just tell them that the electricity runs in smoke, when you let the smoke out it doesn't work anymore...;-) Also a lecco in Australia. Most of the new "old style" simmerstats have a neutral link so the extra elements don't affect the "timing". I have seen newer ones but haven't had the time/opportunity to pull one apart. Seems like the main time I'm working on stoves/ovens is just before Xmas as people decide that they may need to cook for the whole family on that day and so it is urgent... ( haven't really needed that one for 3 months, haven't worried about fixing it )

[@albynton]

My takeaway from this channel is that the bimetallic strip is the pillar of pre-electronic control circuits. Good job for a small piece of metal!

[@st0rmforce]

It's either a relay, a bimetallic strip, or both

[@TheMadJagger]

Piece of TWO metals :D

[@RoryGlynn]

*metals

[@2ndfloorsongs]

​@@TheMadJaggerI think the singular "metal" could work in this instance. Since they're welded together, you could think of them as a very coarse alloy. 😁

[@I_Santos_]

@@2ndfloorsongsI started off mildly disagreeing with your definition and then you hit us with “very coarse alloy” and I lost it 😂😂

[@djhsilver]

"Didn't imagine this script would get so out of hand" my Brother in Christ, you have never written a script that is in hand.

[@zendell37]

Clearly because he uses a teleprompter.

[@oz_jones]

@@zendell37 Get your like and think what you did.

[@VocalMabiMaple]

​@@oz_jonesthey did good

[@jonathanbalko9684]

Idk man, did you watch the one on hurricane lanterns?

[@meski42]

That's simmerstats, PID controllers do it better.

[@andrew2473]

Babe wake up, toaster boy is making another connection to… somehow every other video they’ve ever made.

[@niacdoial]

nah, it's missing a tangent on audio/video storage media but still, pretty close

[@nurmr]

I'm sure he could cook up some sort of connection; It's a pretty hot topic. (Sorry. Not sorry).

[@jebeda]

I'm only half way through (I came down to give a thumbs up to whoever might have mentioned the cam-cam) and am now wondering when the heat pump will make an appearance...

[@resneptacle]

Not enough heat-pumpage!

[@iamjustkiwi]

Toaster boy. My favorite super-ish hero!

[@boredincan]

With many of my favourite KZbinrs giving up the game lately, I'm glad to see one that say "bugger the algorithm, I'm going to make videos about stuff I like at (mostly) my own pace". Thanks for keeping up the informative entertainment that fits right into my wheelhouse.

[@dekopuma]

I love the bit about "I added lights, because it pleases me. I'm not going to show you how." I can't help but assume there's some questionable wiring going on inside that box.

[@Preinstallable]

I’m calling it. Our old friend, Mr. Bimetallic Strip.

[@VJK102]

And you where right kkkkkk

[@PunakiviAddikti]

You win!

[@tapio_m6861]

I am starting to think that none of our world would work without that sneaky little thing.

[@nebulous962]

yeah i also knew it.

[@billfargo9616]

A bimetallic strip can't produce pulse trains.

[@iTzDritte]

“Through the magic of buying two of them”🤗🤗🤗 My favorite line in any Technology Connections video!

[@Arihantplaying]

The line play in my head before he say it🤗🤗

[@PayterX]

Really? Is it basically like a catch phrase from a 1980's sitcom to you? Genuinely curious, because to me I've never thought twice about him saying it in nearly every video. To my brain it always just came off as another necessary information giving line.

[@Atmatan_Kabbaher]

​@@PayterXWeird strawman argument. Want to try making that point better?

[@finlaycameron4553]

@@Atmatan_Kabbaher??? That want a strawman argument? He’s just saying he never really thought of it as a saying

[@Atmatan_Kabbaher]

@@finlaycameron4553 I don't see OP mentioning implying they thought it reminded them of a sitcom? Braindead argument dude, it's literally a strawman. Like, blatantly.

[@bwoods311]

I’ve been a professional appliance tech for over 12 years. I work on ranges of all types almost daily…. and I just learned a shitload! Alec is just the best.

[@Gigaheart]

LIke Greez says, "You don't have to know how something works, to fix it."

[@therealromster]

@@Gigaheart No but it does help fault finding at times.

[@corviraptor]

Technology like this where logic is accomplished through clever use of materials science and geometry is so fascinating to me. I tend to imagine that there's just a PCB or something in these kinds of devices, but I never really thought about how they made electric stovetops work before you could just stick circuit boards in everything. It takes a lot of creativity to engineer things like this!

[@KingcoleIIV]

"I added the lights because it pleases me" I LOVE the matter of fact honesty lol, they please me too.

[@DoctorOnkelap]

did you get lightheaded?

[@jc40337]

This is me designing things at work. Who cares if the LED costs $30? It pleases me.

[@wobblysauce]

And me.

[@zeratin218]

🧠Do not translate. ... 😮🔎 አንተ የተረገምክ ነህ። ከጥቂት ቀናት በኋላ, ልብ መምታቱን ያቆማል. መሰረዝ ከፈለጉ እባክዎ ይመዝገቡ።😊

[@BrandonDoran00]

At lest when Alec adds LEDs you know they wont be blue...

[@MercurialJester]

"I don't know how I live with me either." This line was delivered with such a straight face and with zero weight given to it, I had to pause for 5 minutes to catch my breath from laughing so hard.

[@randomnobody8770]

@18:45

[@jeffreystroman2811]

Our power system is not weird, it's genius, but kudos to you for calling it split phase rather than single phase. Depending on your reference point it's more accurate

[@johnnolan2306]

I was a repair man for a famous company for about 30 years. When I started working for them, they only had washers, dryers, dishwashers and disposers. Suddenly, they bought another company that made kitchen products. At that time, the cooktops used voltage controlled infinite switches. no matter what the wattage of the element, the switch cycled as expected. It was great because all the elements took the same switch, the only difference was knob direction and mounting screw location. with the advent of disc elements and glass tops, they quietly introduced the type of current controlled infinite switches that you demonstrated in this video. If the guy who ordered the parts didn't look carefully at the part numbers, you would get the wrong switch for the size element and then the fun would begin. I'm not so sure why they became so popular with design engineers but they weren't so popular with technicians. I suspect that by having a resistor in lime with the load made the arc flash a little less noticeable when the switch cycled but, as you shower, it was still there. I actually met a man who claimed that he was a scientist who worked on a project to make the purest tungsten possible so that switches would not flash when they opened or closed. he said that it was not possible to make tungsten switch contacts any purer but another research team had come to the conclusion that pounding switch contacts together at high speed reduced the arc flash to an acceptable level and the modern switch was born. Luckily, the arc flash is conveniently hidden by metal pannels so very few (not nobody_ complain about it

[@ZergrushEddie]

I saw the thumbnail and went "why would I watch a video on that?" and then I realized it was Technology Connections and I went "oh boy, that sounds more wonderful, sign me up!" It isn't just the topics and interesting discussion, amigo, YOU are the reason this works.

[@subliminalvibes]

If you used your subscriptions tab instead of using the recommended videos tab you'd already know a video is worth watching without seeing the channel name or subject. Delete your watch history and turn off watch history to enjoy a version of KZbin which only serves you what you want. You'll still be given recommendations under the video you're currently watching but at least those recommendations will be based on the current video you're watching and not on your watch history (which many people don't realise contains hundreds of videos you DIDN'T necessarily 😅want to see). I'd love if KZbin could base their recommendations on my favourites and liked videos, instead of lazily suggesting new videos based on my blanket watch history. Just because I watched a video from Fox News doesn't mean I liked it! Hahaha. Know what I mean? It's so backward. I hope using your subscriptions tab instead of the home tab will be more enjoyable for you now. You'll also notice the home tab recommendations have NOT been showing you all the latest videos from your subscriptions, but using the subscriptions tab will show you everything.

[@logicalfundy]

@@subliminalvibes I watched some flat earth videos out of curiosity, and had to delete them because guess what showed up in my recommendations . . . no thanks. Your watch history is a pretty powerful indicator in the KZbin algorithm.

[@subliminalvibes]

@@logicalfundy agreed. - it makes no sense why KZbin recommends videos based on watch history. I've turned my watch history off, so I get a totally clear home page. From there I can go to trending to see what the rest of the world is watching, or my subscriptions to see what I want from my favourite creators. Best of luck with the flat-earthers! 👍😎

[@2ndfloorsongs]

​@@subliminalvibesThank you, thank you, thank you. You have made my day.

[@patrickbroyer5518]

​@subliminalvibes I don't want to thumbs down a video just to keep ones like it from showing up too frequently in my feed. And I don't want to be fed only more of what ive already seen. How strange that I can't edit the list of tags and weights the algorithm is tweaking with each video I watch. I suppose they'd have to name the tags accurately to facilitate my editing their weighting intelligently.

[@decb.7959]

If there's one thing this channel has taught me, it's that the simplest and cheapest way to reliably cycle something on and off is a bimetallic strip coupled to its own output.

[@SinHurr]

In programming, we call this "recursion"

[@Bacteriophagebs]

At a manufacturing level, yes, but if you ever have to build something yourself, you're NOT going to want to make and calibrate your own bimetallic strip.

[@2ndfloorsongs]

​@@BacteriophagebsUnless you're not after time efficiency, but are obsessively involved in a mindless hobby. I have actually made my own by metallic strip (he said flexing). I used it to add day and date to my homemade sundial.

[@Bacteriophagebs]

@@2ndfloorsongs Neeeeeeerd! 😝

[@DieterDuplak314]

now lets forward this to one of the other tech channels and challenge them to build an analogue/digital computer by heating bimetal strips to make them act as flip flops

[@MinnesotaGuy822]

At 5:30, Alec threatened not to go down a tangent, the savage. I held my breath, alarmed! I was deeply relieved when he stayed true to his brand and went down the tangent! By gum, we come for the tangents, nerd stuff and witty observations, dang it! :) Keep up the great work, my man!

[@stewartbladensb]

9:40 for those who don’t speak American, he is actually saying DUTY cycle, not doody cycle.

[@Oren_Janus]

We're gonna potty all night !

[@USAltefore]

It's "Judy cycle" across the pond, right?

[@malightydog]

Nah, it's the Dewey cycle. The dude was crazy, making that decimal system and then being involved in every home appliance for the next century! /s

[@nzlotrfan]

I thought he was saying doody actually haha. Thank you.

[@yeahitskimmel]

You bedder believe it

[@adamvargo7830]

Please never change your humor. "Cam cam" was so funny

[@UEGSamurai]

He said "cam cam" and thought "hmm, that didn't make sense and wasn't funny". That shortly went away when after the cut to the cam lobe and I immediately understood and laughed out loud

[@JesusVillanueva]

I welcome these little breaks that add levity to the normal content dense videos you make. Please don't stop dropping these little gems of word play.

[@JonahDyer]

Did you notice he was playing the Can Can over the cam cam?

[@donkmeister]

​@@JonahDyerOne cannot *play* the can-can. The can-can is a *dance*, the tune he played was an excerpt from the overture to Offenbach's "Orpheus in the Underworld". The can-can is simply this tune... With context. 😉

[@jackielinde7568]

The only thing that would have made that scene better is if he played the CanCan song in the background at that time.

[@grammaurai6843]

"Does that mean that this is a hob knob?" "I don't know how I live with me, either" Alec was sure feeling his Wheaties for this script!

[@nowster]

Hobnobs are oat and syrup biscuits (cookies).

[@DustinKreidler]

I burst out laughing at work on that second one. LOL!

[@quinton1661]

He's clearly feeling better since the move.

[@erikziak1249]

"I don't know how I live with me, either" Like he had a choice. He must live with himself. 🙂

[@ABrit-bt6ce]

@@nowsterChocolate Hobnobs are now on my shopping list. To the store.

[@Septimius]

I remember when my dad explained how the thermostat for our electric heater worked. It was a wall-mounted thermostat, where you simply set the temperature you wanted. Easy enough. It was in series with the heater, so when you reached the temperature, it opened the circuit. Easy enough. But the thermostat had a wall plug?? Oh, my dad loved to explain this one. That current heated up the bi-metalic strip just a tiny, tiny bit inside the thermostat, so that the heater would now believe it was hotter than it really was. Throw any crude timer device on this, and now you have a thermostat with night time adjustment! Today, I have a smart home with 100 devices, rules as complex as the Apollo 11, and besides it knowing if today is a banking holiday or not, it does the exact same thing. There's a real appreciation in rudimentary technology that I wish we never forget.

[@tiagosartori433]

The fact that you laid out all the concepts AND presented related connections(ha) while clutching the temperature in Celsius is awesome. Always top content!

[@kilpatds]

"Touch controls on a stove would be like taking away a car's turn signal stalks" ... Excellent.

[@Xavior12]

Good thing no major electric car company would ever do that.

[@tschuuuls486]

Even worse is selling said car in a country that uses roundabouts.

[@redsquirrelftw]

There's no way anyone would be crazy enough to do that!

[@psirvent8]

@@Xavior12 Tesla did that with the shifter though. (Slide the car forward for Drive and backwards for Reverse).

[@jayhom5385]

Having spent 3 months in a rental with a touch control stove, yeah it feels off.

[@MinecraftTestSquad]

"I'm not tearing these apart because I need it" Well fortunately, due to the configuration of your stove, there's the magic of having bought four of them :3

[@dontquestionjustbelieve5757]

Shit thats so funny

[@eDoc2020]

Honestly if he started taking it apart he would most likely find the packet of basic service data. That would include a wiring diagram with the answers he is looking for.

[@RobinTheBot]

​@@eDoc2020that's funny

[@zobook]

We LOVE and EXPECT and DEMAND for the script to go out of hand. It's what makes this channel awesome!!

[@leaf5073]

I just told a client they needed a new one of these YESTERDAY. I'm an electrician and they wanted me to look at their stove. Took me a minute to figure out but i got it. It was EXACTLY the same as the one in your video. The cams on the knob were worn down so it never fully engaged the bimetalic strip.

[@stuartjoynson9908]

As a Brit who loves puns I can’t believe I left it to Alec to come up with Hobnob. My wife agrees he must be some kind of genius. Cam cam just proves it.

[@cecilkorik]

It's a hob knob cam cam.

[@goosenotmaverick1156]

That was absolute gold 😂

[@TiredOcean]

It's such a good joke

[@fredbear3915]

I thought it really took the biscuit...

[@m1geo]

I was expecting a biscuit joke, too.

[@LokiScarletWasHere]

I love how each video draws more connections to all the previous ones. It's like that's what the channel is about or something.

[@paulec252]

Once we unlocked the latent heat cycle, we started connecting stuff left and right!

[@grumpysteelman]

It’d be even better, if it was focused on something that would seem like magic to someone from the Bronze Age.

[@22Kalliopa]

Yeah, gadget links or something like that...

[@Ag89q43G0HyA]

what if he gets to the point of having no conection to anything else? is it the end?

[@mikethejrrk]

The bi-metal strip needs to be at the very top of your thank you list. It gave you your entire career.

[@bkiffter]

the part on "this script being faster" made my day :) thank you

[@alexbanks9510]

The lamp turning on and off periodically was a paid actor

[@paulec252]

He expensed that too

[@roymarshall_]

Damn the deep state got me again

[@nickwallette6201]

Nah, it was AI. Who would pay for actors these days?

[@MonkeyJedi99]

"The flashing makes them more noticeable." Obviously. But if a HUMAN does it for the same reason, they get all arrested and stuff...

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

There's actually someone sitting behind the table switching it on and off.

[@HungerGamesFan88]

"Through the magic of buying two of them" may be my favorite running bit

[@guiorgy]

"And some other stuff"

[@rudeskalamander]

My favorite was when Steve mould copied it

[@Kumquat_Lord]

We will need some merch that is a pair of socks with that on them

[@MonkeyJedi99]

@@Kumquat_Lord Maybe a cross-collab with Hank and John Green's sock company?

[@sion8]

​@@MonkeyJedi99 I would love that and they know each other!

[@florians684]

I just noticed that your channel is basically the same thing as "Die Sendung mit der Maus", a german children TV series where things are explained very simply and with great visualizations. I loved this as a child and i still enjoy watching it today and i use it when i'm curious about how something works.

[@Based_Brett_Crypto]

toster boyyyy

[@PauIieWalnuts]

What

[@MP-oh9lt]

Did you just assume toaster entity's gender?

[@61rampy65]

@@MP-oh9lt Alec called himself 'toaster boy' in one of his videos from ages ago. I love it.

[@doorhanger9317]

Why do I keep seeing this spam bot account on all the videos I watch, really should get reported

[@allie-howe]

Stop trading crypto x

[@nate_0723]

I did appreciate the glass top stove tangent. I was genuinely curious how those were different.

[@rubiconnn]

If you don't have one already, stay away from them. They are such a bad design. I guess if you value looks over function they are fine, but who had the bright thought to cover a cook top with a really fragile material that is also a great insulator?

[@username7763]

I didn't realize that they were different until this video. Always nice learning something new. I had assumed they were the same coils just under a glass top to look cool. It being radiated heat instead of conducted heat makes a whole lot more sense now.

[@nate_0723]

@@rubiconnn I have used both types and prefer the glass top. Maybe it depends on the brand. It is easier to clean and ive never broken the glass. It seems tough.

[@hanifarroisimukhlis5989]

@@nate_0723 Glass is glass and glass breaks. Personally, i wouldn't trust load-bearing glass (except maybe polycarbonate), too risky.

[@luelou8464]

@@hanifarroisimukhlis5989 Car windscreens seem to cope alright. Unless your stovetop regularly gets bricks dropped on it from overpasses it's shouldn't be too much of a concern.

[@JonahDyer]

Playing the Can Can over the cam cam was brilliant.

[@Hyraethian]

Your enthusiasm for the mundane and attention to detail brings me a lot of joy.

[@BadPenny3]

Thank you for diving into subjects and items I never would have thought to loon into. It's amazing how fascinating something like a stove top burner can be.

[@KSharpei]

So I didn’t realize my headphones were connected in another room, so I hit play and there’s no sound despite me turning it up. So naturally I reasoned that TC was making a visually striking, avant garde intro to the video. I was here for it, it was very deep and thoughtful. I had no clue what he was trying to say with the piece, but man it was deep. Turns out he was not doing that thing.

[@Atmatan_Kabbaher]

Thanks for sharing

[@DelanAbbas]

Everyone should go back and watch the first 38 seconds without sound. Its so entertaining to think that's what he could have been going for.

[@Atmatan_Kabbaher]

@@DelanAbbas Nah. I'll take your word for it.

[@BarafuAlbino]

I once had a video player break in the middle of a movie and start showing black screen with sound going on as usual. Since it was a horror movie, it took me 20 minutes to understand it was not intentional.

[@alex13902]

​@Atmatan_Kabbaher shame that literally nobody asked you

[@lordmarshmal_0643]

You have now convinced me to always call stove burners "infernal frisbees"

[@SimuLord]

I call air fryers countertop convection ovens because of Adam Ragusea and now Alec has given me another reason to confuse the heck out of people with my KZbinr-induced linguistic shift.

[@DoctorOnkelap]

lets hope electroboom never hears the phrase infernal frisbee

[@grn1]

@@DoctorOnkelap Lets hope he does and maybe teams up with StyroPyro to make something (that looks super dangerous but is actually relatively safe when done by professionals) happen.

[@Paul-od9fr]

I enjoy almost all of your videos, but this set a new variable bar. It even inspired me to share the link with friends and family. Well done, sir!

[@justin-g-360]

Answering all the questions I had about my glasstop stove I never had, love it. Thanks Alec!

[@deanhutchins841]

Maintenance guy for 250 apartments here. I’m glad you went on the tangent about the range elements. I actually ordered 2 today exactly like the one you have there. Reason: one of my ranges ‘hot cooktop’ light is always illuminated…meaning 1 of my elements has shorted. Through the magic of buying 2 of them, I’ll have one in stock for the next time this happens. Love what you do.

[@matt65535]

A tangent... a 100% accepted and demanded tangent!

[@neatoelectro3687]

Seeing how far you've come in finding your voice is amazing. I think at this point you might have a really interesting perspective on the actual process of teaching. Thanks for the great videos explaining the everyday things around us! You've really become one of my favorite channels!

[@forgiveman]

I will always love subtitles in these videos, especially because English is not my first language and I love all of the bloopers and explanations about things that usually don't come in the script.

[@oglordblight]

Me “Hey, you ever watch technology connections?” Every family member “Is that the smart guy in the jacket, seen all of his videos”

[@onslaught147]

I'm jealous of your family. Mine would ask how you even find specific channels on youtube. They just click something random then let autoplay take the wheel for the day. I don't understand how they live.

[@SupremeRuleroftheWorld]

"the smart guy in the brown jacket?" you: "brown is not a color!"

[@SimuLord]

@@SupremeRuleroftheWorld The smart guy in the orange-with-context jacket.

[@oglordblight]

@@SupremeRuleroftheWorld well played

[@oglordblight]

@@SimuLord another well played

[@chrisj9961]

The best channel on KZbin. Honestly. It’s like how it’s made without the ad breaks. It’s like Tom Scott for objects that fit in my house. It’s like Mr. Rogers for adults. I loved those cutaway books as a kid, and I’ve never changed apparently.

[@TheGuitarman1968]

Yep, this channel and Project Farm are two of the most entertaining and educational channels on KZbin.

[@JMMC1005]

I'd never consciously noticed the lack of ad breaks, but now you mention it - this is one reason why it's so easy to settle in and watch a half hour video on the seemingly most mundane household objects. One of my all time favourite channels.

[@tbird81]

Yeah, but why such a sycophantic comment? It's more interesting to actually read information rather than gushing bs in the comment section.

[@loficampingguy9664]

Holy hell, I never noticed until now how I got a similar feeling from this channel as five year old me got from cutaway books and it all makes sense now

[@tyttuut]

​@@tbird81Why such a cynical comment?

[@mikegrimaldi5844]

One of the smartest guy on YT with great communication skills and overall quality. Thank you for explaining complicated electrical stuff (I’m a mechanical engineer) to control things.

[@thegingineer0]

He's getting more self aware and more unhinged each video and I'm here for every second of it.

[@OmegaErkz]

I can't believe this. How does Technology Connections make videos about switches, timers, stoves and washing machines and make them so damn interesting?

[@michait3866]

The answer is simple and complex at the same time: it's because of Alec😁

[@fredbear3915]

@@michait3866 And the fact that these things ARE actually interesting, but you need a great teacher to present them. Thats Alec.

[@61rampy65]

Don't forget about heat pumps and, of course, toasters.

[@61rampy65]

i was really impressed with how he actually figured out the pinball machine's wiring diagram.

[@OmegaErkz]

@@61rampy65 The one that got me was the video he made about WATCHING PAINT DRY. HOW? HOW WAS THAT INTERESTING? I STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND.

[@gannas42]

These videos are the right mix of deeply informed and snark. Keep up the fantastic work and teasing part 3 of the pinball series. 😂

[@ncooty]

You are truly great at this. It should be dry and boring, but you're endearing, earnest, and entrancing.

[@r.1599]

"Infernal frisbee", "Zig-zaggy thing"...I'm learning so many technical terms thanks to your videos, Alec. Thank you. 😊

[@jurjenbos228]

I'm looking for an occasion to use "infernal frisbee" in any conversation.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

That is, of course, the technical term.

[@maxhammick948]

32:43 "I added the lights because it pleases me" The best reason to add lights!

[@bulbman2564]

Exactly!

[@AstraeaAurora]

I figured something like this was going on; thanks for confirming and explaining! On a semi-related note, an explainer on induction ranges would be really neat!

[@rutherford2580]

Your Videos are completely and utterly amazing.

[@creato938]

a 36 minutes video about a bimetallic strip on a box, amazing.

[@housetent9176]

It’s even better cause it’s like the 5th 40 minute video about a bimetallic strip in a box

[@badjulie]

the cam-cam was incredible lmao

[@TheSuzberry]

A man who can give me a good pun has my heart.

[@arcaegecengiz]

What's funnier is that the music playing is called "Can Can"

[@ryanpitasky487]

@@arcaegecengizactually that's the name of the dance which goes with the music, but this is useless pedantry.

[@tami6867]

such a beautiful profile pic

[@adora_was_taken]

@@tami6867 madeline celeste

[@billharshbarger7191]

another magnificent video, and have to give props to your editing which is immaculate

[@justalabratmr.6858]

Ya know just a few days ago i was wondering how the variable heat of my stove top burners worked. And here you are just explaining the whole thing to me! What a wonderful world 😊😊

[@tyler558806]

Technology Connections: A 2 hour documentary titled: "WHY YOU'VE BEEN USING YOUR LIGHT SWITCH INCORRECTLY" Me: This is gonna be good.

[@tichu7]

I did discover a third mode for a light switch. When I was a kid, I'd make the switch settle at a position just between on and off. The light would be about 50% bright and I thought I was saving energy. There would be a neat buzzing from the switch, and eventually the smell of smoke would emit from what was probably arcing from inside the switch. So if there is an incorrect way to use a light switch, I discovered it.

[@grn1]

@@tichu7 I'm pretty sure Alec did a video on that. The reason light switches snap open and closed is prevent arcing which can of course cause a fire. Presuming you had incandescent bulbs as a child the bulbs plus the switch would probably be using a lot more energy than usual in that mode (incandescent bulbs are more efficient the hotter they run but also burn out faster, also a video on this channel, and of course a lot of power was also wasted traveling through the not quite large enough air gap in the switch).

[@teslafreak]

"Why did I think that? I don't know, it never works!".......super relatable sentiment there.

[@KurtRichterCISSP]

Thank you for your "tangent" - it really is relevant to the topic!

[@OGKenG]

I've known about turn signals having the bi-metallic switching for a long time, but I never thought about stoves (mainly because I've never owned one) and I just barely qualify as dabbling in electrical/electronic wizardry, so I feel it's safe to say I learned quite a bit when I stumbled upon your video.

[@eainmonster]

On the glass-top stoves, the switching frequency absolutely matters! We couldn't make popcorn on our old glass-top conductive stove, because for popcorn you need 450°-500° F, but the low switching frequency meant that it varied from 290°-600°, which were both bad temperatures.

[@dadahlberg3]

This! I found that my glass top stove was great at ruining candy. The temperature pulses were too big and I was not able to control the temperature with enough precision. I burned so much caramel... The coil stove I have now works much better for candy, presumably because the thermal mass in the coil keeps the temperature somewhat steadier. Granted, this is a "but sometimes!" case. In my experience, for non-candy-or-popcorn cooking needs, the glass top stove was adequate.

[@meneldal]

At least you can fix this by using a big block of cast iron on top of the glass and that will keep a constant temperature. It just takes forever to get to temp.

[@diegomontilva6039]

You are the only channel that manages to keep people interested in a box with a bimetallic strip

[@HortenseCGroce]

Touch controls on a stove would be like taking away a car's turn signal stalks" ... Excellent.

[@2ndfloorsongs]

Yes, I love his understated snide remarks. But he's wrong about it being for no reason. The reason is: "the cheapest part is no part".

[@Cinneray]

Europe here, touch controls can be bearable, you get used to them if you have a good model. The real bonus is they’re a breeze to clean.

[@listlesscasual4106]

I think-... OP is a comment bot

[@that_danishdude]

Yes they are. They're quite common in KZbin. They just copy/paste another comment to accrue "up votes", to gain some sort of account credibility.

[@2ndfloorsongs]

@@listlesscasual4106 3-day old account... You're probably right.

[@JesterByte86]

its like your living in my mind and decide to post a video when ever i have a how does this actually work lol. love your videos keep em coming

[@Abrasive-Heat]

This is the wholesome educational content KZbin was made for. I worked in a shop that repaired these stoves years ago and now I know why they last so long.

[@HalLevy]

KZbin started as a dating site....

[@grn1]

@@HalLevy At first I thought this was a random troll but apparently it's true. Another fun fact, The Peanuts Gang started as a small series of cigarette ads.

[@mathevideos9909]

The Cam Cam with the music and everything: *chefs kiss* Cracked me right up.

[@johnpaulcolthrust8207]

As an electrical power engineer with a strong side interest in control systems let me say that this was excellent! All the important concepts were hit.

[@Tera_GX]

It's amazing that just the day before this came out, I literally was asking myself this question, "Why does it pulse instead of just hold at a lower output". This is perfect.

[@kenmicmarkey2363]

I don't know how you taught the lamp to have such great timing with your dialogue, but I'm impressed

[@mikhailjairnisbett441]

IT WAS PERFECT

[@Cthulch]

you scared me there for a sec when you made it seem like you may not explain the normal resistors lol. I'm happy you've expensed them :) To the potential IRS agent reading through these: we loved the normal resistors part too. Thank you.

[@jimmylightfinger1216]

You and Sanderson are the best at script production and oral presentation...if only more of my professors could have been. ❤❤

[@ChaosMarx]

Ah, that's so cool. This might be my favorite of your videos!

[@MrHeisenb3rg]

I feel like he was talking directly to me when talking about PWM v Duty Cycle operations.

[@andersjjensen]

He was. When producing nerdy content it's a universal law that any miniscule detail left out or any simplification for the sake of brevity will make the entire comment section go "Well, achually..."

[@andymouse]

@@andersjjensen LOL!

[@AdamMansbridge]

He said it just exactly after I thought "that's a lot like pwm, but not at the per wave level"

[@ak983625]

There’s something to be said for simple old school tech. I bought a 50 yo home ten years back. The warranty card in the Beaumark stove manual says it was new in 1994. Has worked flawlessly daily for 30 years so far, thanks to simple devices such as this. Many of my friends have cycled through many “modern” touchscreen appliances.

[@kensmith5694]

The same goes for laundry stuff. Motors working a drum with contact things works well. The micro processor based ones contain a little counter counting down the days until the warranty runs out.

[@ak983625]

@@kensmith5694I should add, that I also “inherited” a 25 yo washer and 42 yo dryer with this house purchase. With their old school low tech electricals , they probably also have many decades to go.

[@grn1]

@@kensmith5694 If one could prove that they indeed had it programmed that way it would be an easy lawsuit to win (not a legal expert but pretty sure lemon laws apply here). It's more likely that fancy tech is cheaply made and not sufficiently protected against heat, vibrations, and/or humidity which could also be cause for a lawsuit but would be a lot harder to win.

[@kensmith5694]

@@grn1 My comment was intended to be semi humorous. There isn't literally a counter.

[@grn1]

@@kensmith5694 I figured as much but still wanted to comment on the legal aspect of it. Honestly wouldn't surprise me if one of these was actually found to have a countdown timer.

[@JonathanArmstrong514]

This video really helped me understand why many cooks like natural gas burners as the heat is constant and why the only real replacement is induction stovetops.

[@shanelyon414]

“Too bad we have to talk about it” I love your dedication to understanding! Seriously, few creators have your genius for detail, science and history/background. PS I am still looking for that Sun Beam radiant toaster every time I am at a thrift store!

[@uncouver]

"It's electric, Bill" "...Still gets pretty hot"

[@CalebFrey]

I was going to be so disappointed if you didn't explain how the glass-top stoves work. Just as you "threatened" to tangent I was thinking "gee I wish I knew how that works"

[@1906Farnsworth]

Thanks for this. I wondered about stove controllers for a while(I'm such a nerd), and figured they were using duty cycling to regulate, but then I noticed no clicking sounds from them. I started to wonder about more complex approaches, such as thyristors, but that sounded too expensive. Now it makes sense.

[@Sh0nX]

What can I say, I'm addicted to this channel, these random things are facinating, someone had to discover this for us to not care, but we need to

[@Dudeguymansir]

Thank you, Mr. Connections. I would pay good money to see you perform live. I don’t know what you would perform, but I’m here for it

[@stevenbrannen1568]

Maybe at a tech conference. :)

[@grn1]

How would he manage to get all the bloopers at the end of the video though, and the great closed captions. I'd love to see a live demonstration where he talks about how to do a live demonstration addressing those problems.

[@travertinerphilipp6757]

I think Alec missed out on exploring 7-level stoves in which three different heating elements are switched from all in parallel for maximum power, deactiving a couple resistances on the medium settings and switching all three resistances in line for the lowest setting.

[@friede88]

I was looking for this comment :)

[@Steezey7]

What??

[@user-ox6ql5zb8r]

Seems like parallel-series approach will not work for radiant stoves. Radiation intensity is a fourth power function of temperature, and I think it's crucial for these elements to receive the designed amount of power to radiate efficiently. But several elements is a great way to do it, and it's interesting why not every stove is like that.

[@jorellaf]

Let me tell you about 'logic'-controlled electric stoves. I have an IKEA cheapo glass ceramic stove with its two burners so close together you actually can't cook in both unless you use tiny pots, and also has these awful touch controls right below the big burner (mercifully they don't get hot). But the worst part is that it's computer controlled, and whomever programmed it was slacking at their job. Whenever you change a burner's intensity, it TURNS THE BURNER ON REGARDLESS OF HOW HOT THE STOVE ALREADY IS. You thought you were going to lower the heat on your food? Tough luck! You get full intensity burner heat for 10 seconds before the thing tries to figure out its proper work cycle. Such a great way to overcook your food. I've given up at this point and learnt to just turn it off instead. Great work guys. You made it so turning off your appliance is the best way to use it. 🤦

[@TradeWorks_Construction]

Great piece of Old tech that achieves a pretty amazing result. It’s one of those mass produced things that if you tried to reproduce mechanically would be outside the capability of most all but the most well equipped (or extremely patient) people.

[@GeneralJabroni]

The way you timed the simmerstat going on and off with the script... magnificent.

[@philhobrla8489]

“Simmerstat” has a delightfully Dutch ring to it.

[@Plons0Nard]

And/or German. "Simmen" is not an official Dutch word but kind of slang. It translates to moaning, nagging, keeping on about something not very important. Looking forward to a German viewer explaining. Cheers

[@dembro27]

Simmensta(d)t: City of Whiners? 🤔

[@fighter3823]

German here and i have never heard of it. Google says "Simmer" it is an old unit of measurement for volumes, but it predates the Simmerstat by a lot. The more useful meaning is found under the Wikipedia article "Simmering" (in English), which is a food preparation technique.

[@Okand2]

Agreed about the knobs. I chose the specific induction stove I did because it still uses knobs. It still uses touch buttons for the timer but that's less essential functionality so I'm okay with that.

[@cigersuz]

Once again serene ending music that engulfs you into nostalgic feelings that you are not sure if you should feel sad or happy.

[@irbricksceo]

This channel has taught me so much, principally, that all magic is just bi-metallic strips!

[@Me-zo8yc]

Did something 'click' for you?

[@gargoyle7863]

@@Me-zo8yc nice one 👍😅

[@matthunter1424]

Ohhh what about the rice cooker? No bi-Mems there!

[@tigerzero5216]

LOL Just like what controls that base board heater.

[@acubley]

Not all, can't forget about buying 2 of something.

[@Blinkerd00d]

I was explaining these to my wife a few weeks ago.... now I can let her watch this to REALLY explain something that she really doesn't care about lol

[@whatevername4873]

It instantly reminded me of a memory I had with my grandmother where I told her her oven doesn't get to a specific temperature, it just turns on and off. It freaked her out so much, I felt so bad, she was very worried about her roasts never turning out well and she ended up changing her cooking style because of it

[@shawnsg]

I can already see my SO's eyes glaze over and turn on the "uh huh, really, interesting."

[@lennardman562]

I really like listening to you talk about things

[@Hailingfromcork]

When you said 'may seem inconsequential' was literally less than 5 seconds after I went 'WHOA, that's so fucking cool! Genius!' haha

[@catfish552]

I'd noticed my stove turning the heating elements on and off - both visually and from the hum - and I kind of figured it was doing something like this, so it's great to get the full story! Simple but genius. Appreciate the explanation of glass-top stoves as well, been wondering about how they work.