strange remark about your collection?

I think i would draw the distinction between 'computer' and 'microcontrolelr' in that thew former is user-programmable. Now who is goign to make the first kitchen appliance that runs a C compiler :-) In my case there are plenty of comptuers i nthe ktichen, but they're things you'd recognise as comptuers -- HP9830, S100 systems, a PERQ, etc. As for the appliances : The washing machine and dryer are not in the kitchen (but alas each contains a microcontroller) The dishwahser is one of the last models to have a cam-and-switch timer The oven clcok probably has a microcontroller in it, but one of the first things I did to said oven was take the top cover off and work out how to bypass the swithcing cotnacts fo the clock so the oven could be used if the timer failed. It was trivial, the microcontroller operates a relay in sereis wit hthe mains to the rest of the oven. The thermostat is an oil-filled bulb/capuilary/bellows operating a mechncial swtich. The hob ('cooktop'?) has no electronics at all And that's about it. I much prefer things I cna understand, repair and even 'bodge over' to keep them working in an 'emergnecy'. One year the oven thermostat (not on this oven) failed a few days before Newtonsday. We managed to cook the meal using a home-made thermostat consisting of (and this actually invloves a classic computer) : HP71B computer HP3421 data logger (I guess an HP9114 disk drive, but that wasn't essential) A thermocouple (I had to order this specially, and I was darn pleased it arrived in time!). IIRC the HP3421 has built-in conversiosn for a Type T, not the more common Type K.. That was linked ot oen of the analogue inptuws on the 3421, of course A little bit of electronics (a transistor driver stage) conencted to one of the digital outptus of the 3421. A large relay driven by that to swithc hte oven elements. Yes it worked. It was probably a better control system than the replacement themostat I fitted a couple of weeks later... -tony