On Sat, 09 Jun 2012 09:40:40 +0100, wrote:

The Hoover Keymatic? We had one, which was a great education in how
automation could be implemented. It worked well for ages,

Only used one a couple of times,it was semi abandoned in the shed of a
house some mates and I rented in our late teens. We used it to mix
some cement which it made a reasonable job of ,wasn't much good for
washing clothes afterwards.

Now, that's a stroke of genius. I have a buggered old Hotpoint which
works fine, just doesn't spin - mind you, it would be a one-time use.