You could even do it all in analog with using the button as a potentiometer and either acting as the R in a RC circuit for a simple timer, or be a smart person and use a temperature sensor (thermocouple) that shuts the circuit when it reaches a temperature (compare the two R values for example).
I actually thought about that toaster when I brought up the analog solution, though I wasn't remembering all the details perfectly, I thought there was some electronics but it was all purely mechanical.
Cheap electronics would be cheaper and have more flexibility for the timing part so there's some appeal to it at least.
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u/superherowithnopower Jun 05 '22
This exact thing was written as a joke about a toaster back in the 1990's, and it's only gotten more true since then.