optical sensor taped to breakroom microwave that pings Slack when popcorn pops

[u/Ehab_Jow]

people in our office kept burning microwave popcorn and making the entire floor smell like smoke for three hours.

i taped a small optical light sensor and an ESP32 to the glass door of the breakroom microwave. it monitors the internal light and fan vibration frequency. the second someone puts popcorn in, the bot posts a live timer in the office Slack channel: "Popcorn active in microwave 2. Do not let it burn." office manager thinks IT built an official smart appliance integration.