ENGL_3764 Technical Writing Assignment: Toaster User Manual

This user manual, created by a student, provides a comprehensive guide to a two-slice toaster. It begins with a technical description, including the history of toasters and the key components like the toaster slot, buttons (cancel, frozen, bagel), shade settings, lever, cord wrap, and crumb tray. The manual then details the operating procedures, from plugging in the power cord and inserting the toast to adjusting the shade settings and using the various buttons. Step-by-step instructions are provided, ensuring ease of use. A troubleshooting guide is also included to address potential issues. The manual aims to inform users about the appliance's functions and to assist them in operating the toaster safely and efficiently. It covers all aspects of the toaster, from its initial setup to its maintenance, making it a complete resource for users.

A toaster user manual
by Farzan Mirza

Toaster user manual introduction
A toaster is an electronic device that utilizes electrical energy from power outlet, converts it to
heat energy (De Jong 41). The radiant heat is then used to toast slices of bread. This user manual
will give technical description of a toaster and clear steps of how it operates.
Warning:
 Ensure the toaster is unplugged from a wall socket when not in use or before you start
cleaning.
 Do not insert your fingers, utensils, oversize material and foil into the toaster slot when
its plugged in.
 Do not remove your toast or food from the toaster using metallic item.
 Do not touch toasting slot when hot.
 Frequently clean toaster slots to avoid malfunctioning and to prevent it from catching
fire.
Technical description
First invention of an electric toaster was done in Edinburgh, Scotland by Alan MacMasters in the
year 1983. Before then, the bread was toasted by placing the slices on a metal fork or frame
which is then held near a fire or over the grill until they turned brown. Alan MacMasters
commercialized the appliance and called it Eclipse. The eclipse toaster was manufactured and
sold by UK based company called Crompton (Kesarwani 32).
The toaster was later reinvented by Frank Shailor in the year 1909 in the United states as a patent
to Alan’s idea. This toaster, could only toast one side of a slice a time and it required someone to
watch over it and turn when the slice start turning brown. In the year 1914, Westinghouse came
up with his version of a toaster. Later in the year 1915, Copeman Electric Company produced a
toaster that was dubbed “automatic break turner”. Charles Strite later in 1919, invented pop-up
type of a modern toaster (Li). Today, this is the common type of a toaster found in many
households.
Toaster is a kitchen appliance used to slightly cook bread slices so as to be tastier and crispier.
To toast, you are required to choose how brown you want the slice to turn by adjusting the knob.
Then, you slide the slices into toaster slots and depress the lever and wait for it to cook. Toasters
are available in many series, providing options for two, four or six-slice toast at a go hence the
names, two-slice, four-slice toasters. Toasters usually have variable temperature gauges, which
show the user how brown the slice of a bread is, after some time (circle) in the toaster. A circle in
most toasters runs for a time in a range of 45-60 seconds.

Toasters have the following key components, regulating knob, sensor, lever,toaster slot, heating
elements, calibrating spindle, electromagnet and spring, power supply plug.
Equipment description
figure 1: top view of 2-slice toaster- it displays the slot

Figure 2: front view of 2-slice toaster- displays cancel, shade, frozen and bagel buttons
Figure 3: side view of 2-slice toaster- displays the lever
Figure 4: cord wrap and crump tray

Toaster slot: top-view of the toaster (figure 1) gives a clear picture of the slots. Slot is situated at
the top of the appliance. This is where you put whatever you are toasting like bread slices,
muffins, and other homemade bread. The slot is usually wide and can accommodate thick slices.
Cancel, Frozen and Bagel buttons: cancel settings is used to abort any process or session that
is undertaken in the toaster anytime it is pressed. When the bagel settings is chosen, the inside of
a bagel is toasted and the outside part is warmed. To thaw frozen products/food, frozen button is
used. These settings are displayed in figure 2.
Shade settings: shade setting knob is shown in figure 2, and has values that range from 1-6. The
knob is best described as “browning control”. It gives the user a choice of how brown he/she
wants his toast to be. Lower value setting (1 or 2) will produce bare of fairly brown toast and the
highest value (6) will produce dark toast in that order.
Lever: this is the vertical lever shown in figure 3. The lever moves in a vertical direction. Its
initial setting is at the top. Once the slice of bread is placed on the slot, the lever is pressed down,
lowering the contents of the toaster. On reaching the bottom, the lever activates the heating
elements. The lever also helps in removing smaller pieces of a toast.
Cord Wrap and Crumb Tray: the power cord is fairly long (approximately 22-inch) when its
routed out. The cord is used to supply power to the toaster from the wall socket. The length of
the cord allows the user to situate the toaster in any allowable space. When toasting session is
complete it is advisable to unplug the power cord form the wall socket. Some toaster models
have crumb tray, this facilitates convenient and fast cleaning of a toaster (Sahu 19).
Operating Description
With the power cord plugged into the wall socket and turned on, the toaster is ready for use. A
toast is placed in the slot, two at a time. Shade settings is made based on the user preferences.
For light toast setting of 2 selected, and 5 for darker settings. Depending on the type of a toast
you making, one of the pushbuttons is selected. For example, if you toasting a bagel, bagel
pushbutton is pressed. Once all the settings have been made the lever is pressed down, the
contents in the slot goes down with it. On lowering the lever, the heating element is activated and
toasting process begins. Once the toast is ready, the lever is thrown up and the is ready for
collection.

Instructions for use
In this section, the user is informed on how to route, plug in and out power cord, insert a toast to
a slot, make shade and pushbuttons settings and finally to activate heating elements. This will
make it easier and fast to operate the toaster.
List of Equipment
 2-slice toaster
 Power source
 Toast (bread, bagel, muffin)
Directions for use
kindly follow the directions below carefully
connecting the toaster to the power supply.
1. Route out the power cord from the back of the toaster.
2. Plug the power cord into the wall socket
3. Turn on the power supply into the toaster
Sliding the toast into the slot.
1. Choose one slot of a toaster and slide the toast vertically in it.
2. Slide the second toast to the remaining slot. Orientation of the bagel doesn’t matter.
Calibrating the toaster.
1. Choose the toasting level using shade setting knob on the front of a toaster. The toaster
shade dial runs from one to six, for a light toasting choose dial one to two. For a darker
toast choose dial four to five (figure 2).
2. The toaster has options for frozen foods and bagels. In this case, choose the setting that
suits what you are toasting, for example if you toasting a bagel press bagel pushbutton
(figure 2).
lowering the lever
1. Lower the lever by pressing it down. Lowering the lever activates heating element
starting toasting cycle. The lever is demonstrated by figure 3.
2. Wait for the food to toast, this may take up to one or two minutes depending on how dark
it is set to toast. Toaster is timed to pop the food out and the heating element is
deactivated.

Remove the food from the toaster
1. Once the toasting cycle is complete, the lever automatically pops back up (figure 3).
Remove the toast out of the toaster using set of non-metallic tongs or your hands. The
toast is ready for consumption (Mao 53).
2. Unplug power cord from the wall socket and wrap it.
Troubleshooting guide
1. Ensure the toaster is plugged in. if it’s plugged in but it is not working, check first
whether the cable is damaged before plugging into a different socket wall. If a different
outlet does not solve the problem then the toaster might be faulty (Stanford 8).
2. If the food stuck in a toaster, try to pop up the lever manually. Ensure power cord is
plugged out before trying to remove stuck toast. As illustrated in figure 5.
Figure 5: trouble shooting
Conclusion
Roasters is among the most common household appliances. This user manual gives a guide to
components that make up the roaster, warning to the user, technological developments since its
first invention, how to calibrate it, instructions on how to use and finally how to trouble shoot.

Works cited
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Li, Weizhong, and Yewu Zhong. "Toaster." U.S. Patent Application No. 15/326,935.
Mao, Sam. "Automatic Lifting Device for Toaster Carrier." U.S. Patent Application No.
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Mohammadi, Masi M., and Coosje JHW Hammink. "Standards for smart living: a historical
overview." Handbook of Smart Homes, Health Care and Well-
Being (2017): 395-412.
Molotch, Harvey. Where stuff comes from: How toasters, toilets, cars, computers and many
other things come to be as they are. Routledge, 2016.
Sahu, Pranay Kumar, and Tirthankar Pattnaik. Design From Deconstruction: Design And
Development of an Electric Toaster. Diss. 2015.
Stanford, Albert. "Toaster." U.S. Patent Application No. 15/767,441.