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Re-making these toasters is probably a great idea for a kickstarter.
by maltalex 5y ago
Re-making these toasters is probably a great idea for a kickstarter.
- jws 5y agoBut maybe redesign it so the coils can’t be live even when it is off. Because you can’t stop humans from using forks. I grew up with one of these and was going to get an old one and refurbish it, but I live with too many hairless apes that would stick a fork or knife in to retrieve their undersized bread. Maybe if I put on a polarized plug, and check all the outlets in the kitchen to make sure they are wired correctly…
- maltalex 5y agoOf course. The original sunbeam probably could not have been even made or sold today due to safety standards.
- throwanem 5y agoSure it could. It'd just need a polarized, grounded plug with the ground strap tied to the body.
- smhenderson 5y agoThe author even mentions that in the article when he talks about purchasing used ones as gifts. (Before giving them, I opened them up and replaced their aging power cords with modern grounded three-prong ones, as many of these predate even polarized plugs and are not remotely safe by modern electrocution prevention standards.)
- loonster 5y agoJust a polarized plug would do it. That would make it so the switch is before the elements and not after.
- throwanem 5y agoYou need the ground line too since the body of the unit is conductive and not insulated. Without a ground, you can short live to the body and have it still function in that hazardous state; with the body grounded, that short will pass current and trip the breaker.
- loonster 5y agoThat solves a different problem. The ground is only used if there is a short somewhere in the unit. (Potentially getting a shock from touching the toaster.) A polarized plug prevents the elements from being a live wire.
- throwanem 5y agoSure, a polarized plug and a ground mitigate different kinds of electrical hazard, but you do need both of them to mitigate all the electrical hazards that a metal-bodied kitchen appliance would otherwise present.
- mark-r 5y agoOne end of the element will be neutral and the other end will be hot. No way to avoid that, no matter how you change the plug - the voltage differential is how you get the current that generates heat.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- rightbyte 5y agoWhy not just have a switch that cuts both wires?
- MertsA 5y agoIt also has a switch that's turned on by the weight of a slice of bread. A letter falling into the opening would slowly lower itself down and light on fire. Furthermore the thermostat is shielded by the carriage before it descends. If the carriage is jammed that could conceivably light the toast on fire before the ambient heat is high enough to trip the thermostat. This toaster has 3 main problems that could all be fixed relatively easily in a modern redesign: 1. Power switch that's prone to unintentional activation. 2. Poor grounding and a single pole switch with no polarization. 3. Radiant control without any upper time limit.
- throwaway0a5e 5y agoNon issue. The device is so simple the Chinese will have no problem knocking it off with acceptable fit and finish. From there it's a simple matter of slapping a UL sticker on it (and I mean that in the most literal sense).
- kllrnohj 5y agoThe same YouTuber has a video guide on how to update the wiring to make it safe in the way you want. Complete with grounding the body: https://youtu.be/2vcdbtAca0Y https://youtu.be/2vcdbtAca0Y
- deeg 5y agoYeah, my question after reading this is why can't I buy a modern version of this toaster? Would it be too expensive? Just seems odd.
- varelse 5y agoSeems like a PID could do all this and more personally. I suspect someone kickstarts exactly that in short order and then I buy one down the road after it ends up in e-tail because I never got that PID espresso maker so no more kickstarters for me.
- blibble 5y agothere's a lot of clever stuff in there that would make modern regulators nervous suspect making it compliant with modern electrical standards would be cost prohibitive
- agileAlligator 5y agoLots of people still use the Sunbeam to this date. All you need to do is replace the wiring and the plug with safer modern versions so that it is up to electrocution safety standards.
- Gigachad 5y agoBecause the current toasters work perfectly fine and are a tiny fraction of the complexity. Anyone who wants better toast than what the toaster makes will just butter and cook the bread on a grill.
- nikcub 5y agoIf you want a modern-built classic style toaster check the Dualit[0] Only problem is they've been sold out for a while now in a lot of places [0] https://www.dualit.com/products/classic-toasters https://www.dualit.com/products/classic-toasters