Comment by dusted

1 year ago

There exists only one correct design of microwave ovens. It has zero ICs. It has exactly two direct user-inputs and one indirect.

The two dials select on-time and duty-cycle (cooking time and "power"). The third input is the safety switch which deactivates the cycle when the door opens.

This design is the most userfriendly, the most economic and the most reliable.

This is the hill I will die on.

Simple is good but another approach to simplicity would be more sensors (weight, thermal, steam, optical?) and a single "cook" button (or a menu/dial with few different cook options, defrost, warm, hot).

For casual use the UX is superior as it requires less micromanagement. Also lot more difficult to engineer well, though.

You are exactly correct, and I'll die on that hill alongside you.

  • But the properly made microwave of that kind will probably carry on living after you. Mine (Moulinex) outlived my mother and has been working for me for the last thirty years.

I'd be interested in such a simple device, but does anybody even produce tech _that simple_?