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

"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.

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 😂

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!

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

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

With many of my favourite KZfaqrs 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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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!

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

"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

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

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

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

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.

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!

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

"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.

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.

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.

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!

"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!

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

toster boyyyy

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

Playing the Can Can over the cam cam was brilliant.

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

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

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.

The lamp turning on and off periodically was a paid actor

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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!

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

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

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.

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

The best channel on KZfaq. 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.

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!

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. 🤦

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

Congratulations! You have unlocked PWM! My stove just uses combinations of separate "circles" in the heater to regulate power output and I think it's clever.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

I love that the conclusion of Like 90% of your Videos is just bimetal and as an electrician i am surprised every single time

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

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

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 😊😊

As a blind person, I heartily agree with your comment reguarding replacing knobs with touch buttons. I can cook on a stove with knobs. Even with the glass cook-top, I can generally center the cookware on the elements by bo hovering my hand on either side of the cookware and blocking off the heat. With knobs, I can adjust cooking heat by feel. But with those cheap touch buttons, I cant't tell what the stove is doing.

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.

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

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.

I think you're an excellent teacher, actually, because even before you said it was bimetallic, I was thinking of the other times you'd talked about similar devices and going "Oh, I wonder if it's a bimetallic strip," and despite your worries that it would be complicated to explain, didn't get lost because you've explained similar concepts so well in other videos.

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

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

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

I am Finaly Operating my Microwave. Thanks. This is of the same order, I think. 80 power, 60 power, 40 or lower, many years have I used the Microwave at full blast. Now, usage of the percentage is a miracle. Thanks again.

the cam-cam was incredible lmao

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

The "Cam Cam" is now my favorite segment. :)

Incredible how well cost cutting was able to archive some device like this for a few cents of production cost. It looks so flimsy, but still works for a few years everyday. Crazy

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.

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

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!

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

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"

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.

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

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

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

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.

Put this one on the greatest hits playlist. A common complaint against electric glass cooktops, and thus their believed inferiority to gas, is how long they take to heat up a pan. Knowing the duty cycle control behind this tech, you can shortcut your way to a pre-heated pan in no time by temporarily setting the stove to high, and then backing off once at temp. This is what I've been doing since moving into a new place last year, and this video has confirmed my approach. Thank you! Also, the "powerboil" on my electric glass cooktop is far, far hotter than the highest setting on any residential gas range I've ever cooked on. Don't buy the fossil fuel "cooking with gas" propaganda.

30:25 I was half expecting you to say "Through the magic of buying a second stove..." Also the second you said "When power returns." Perfectly timed to the light I was VERY tempted to just skip to the outtakes to see how many tries that took. Great video! You never cease to amaze with your content! Also the jokes at the very end were quality dad joke tier.

“Simmerstat” has a delightfully Dutch ring to it.

6:30 Oh, as a repairsman who fixes those exact stovetops, I felt the heat radiatiation right away. What an amusing video this is. Thank you, Alec! I am a long-term subscriber of yours and the pleasure is all mine. I could suggest a topic for a small but interesting video: microwave oven's dish motor. Why is it turning the dish in random direction? Little people noticed that. Keep up the good work, I adore your style and all the puns and references.

There actually is a way to create a continuous, regulated, heat with electric stove. I've seen this method fairy often in other parts of the world. It requires a heating element that consists of 3 separate resistors of different resistance (all of them are used for heating, no wasted heat), and 7 position switch that gives you 6 power levels and 1 OFF positions. This switch creates a 6 different combinations of the resistors connected in series/paralell. I've seen this in action on a glass ceramic stove and you can see different parts of the element glow in different intensity on different power levels. The disadvantage is that, of course, you get only 6 fixed power levels, no fine variability. It also doesn't create that ramp up/ramp down effect when changing the power level. I am not sure if there is some standard name for this control scheme, but I was able to find the parts wit googling "4 wire heating element" or "7/6 position stove switch"

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

As an owner of one of them newfangled induction cooktop stoves, thank you for pointing out the absolute stupidity of the touch buttons. I mean, the heating tech is great, and can boil water in literal seconds, and turns off automatically when the pot is removed, and gets cool to the touch lickity-split, but I've got to devote my entire attention for like ten seconds to fiddle with the darned flat buttons just to adjust a burner. Is my finger wet, did I miss the button that I can't feel, is there too much moisture from the kettle to register my presses, did I press it with too much authority such that it feels abused and is going to report me to the authorities, or is it just angry at me for not cleaning it within the last five minutes? Treasure your knobs folks, as the modern alternatives are so much worse.

Got to love when somebody manages to create simplicity to achieve incredibly complicated and beneficial things that can be operated in a simple way.

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.

“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!

*First:* I fully agree with you on the touch controls for stoves. I find they're an active liability, because every time a pan decides to boil over because I left the lid on it out of habit (it works for some dishes, not others), it invariably starts operating whatever controls it randomly happens to wash over. And those controls are now covered in boiling water, so I can't safely operate them myself to correct whatever just happened. You can imagine what happens if it washes over the "increase power" button… *Second:* There is actually a very commonly used way to put a big resistor in series with a cooker's heating element to reduce its power output. The trick is to use two or three heating elements in each hob. One common arrangement in the cheaper two-element type is to have the two elements with different power outputs when used individually; this already gives three power levels just be switching them on and off individually, but you can *also* switch them in series with each other for a total power output lower than either element used by itself. This is easily identified by a control knob with discrete positions marked 0-1-2-3-4 (or words with mean something similar); this effectively means Off-Series-Low-High-Parallel. Hobs with 5 or 6 power positions are also common, which use three heating elements and a more complex series-parallel connection scheme. Mine has a 6-position control, which could be: 3 in series, 2 in series, 1 low-power element, 1 high-power element, 2 in parallel, 3 in parallel. A quirk of this type is that the heating power is not evenly distributed across the heating elements in most positions (ie. all except the lowest and highest settings), so it's more common than not to find the elements hidden behind a solid cover, which also acts to spread the heat more evenly. *Third:* Going back to my induction hob, it has two modes in which gentle simmering is theoretically possible. One is to dial in a low continuous power setting, which for powers below 800W, actually uses duty-cycle control on a rather slow cycle. Because induction hobs transfer heat even more quickly than a ceramic radiant hob, this actually means alternating between "violent boiling" and "nothing" every few seconds, unless you have a substantial amount of liquid in the pan to ballast the thermals. Not great when you're trying to make a sauce and starting with just a little bit of butter and milk. I could also try the "temperature control" setting, but this actually turns out to work very like the Simmerstat, even though it logically shouldn't, and the available settings are extremely coarse (the only two useful settings are 80°C and 60°C, with the default being 120°C). Simmerstat-type behaviour is *completely wrong* for an induction hob, again because of the extremely fast heat transfer. So for sauces I fall back on the cranky old resistive hob.