"Mark Lloyd" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 03 Jan 2006 03:15:34 GMT, "Rick Brandt"
wrote:

Doug Warner wrote:
My 8-10 year old Sharp microwave oven has died from a shorted HV
capacitor. I'll probably fix it, if the part is still available.

If not, I'd like my next oven to "listen" to popcorn, and shut off
after the popping rate slows to a threshold level. My current oven's
popcorn mode always comes up about 40 seconds short.

Are there any current models with "ears"?

Most of the ovens I have seen that have a popcorn auto-setting do it by
sensing
the amount of moisture in the oven. It guarantees that the popcorn
doesn't
burn, but it (as you say) grossly underestimates the cooking time leaving
lots
of unpopped kernels.

We just bought a new 1200 watt Sharp and I have yet to find a power
setting and
time combination that does a good bag of popcorn. I think the wattage
might
simply be too high and the lower power levels do nothing more than cycle
full
power off and on at different intervals.

I can hear the cycling on my microwave, when it's set for less than
full power.

BTW, this microwave is around 20 years old and still works. It came
from Penney's when they sold things other than clothes.

Came with a probe that you plug in? About as big as a 20" tv??

I had one! My brother has it now and it still works!

I used to work for a drug store in the early 80s (Treasury Drug) and we were
a division of J C Penney. I got married while I was still working there. We
got 20% discount on anything from Penny's. Needless to say, every appliance
and piece of furniture I owned was from them.

I was in a Pennys just before Christmas and I think that was the first time
I had been in one in about 15 years.....