Abstract: To collect data, an electronic device transmits a signal on an output channel of the headset jack to provide an excitation signal to a sensor for measuring a physical quantity. A signal from the sensor is received via an input channel of the headset jack of the electronic device. Data based on the received signal may be sent from the electronic device to a remote location for further processing. The data may be used to detect a physical condition, e.g., a temperature, humidity, soil moisture, sound, vibration, pressure, motion, and/or pollutants.

Abstract: An apparatus for encoding a stove usage time includes a circuit, a temperature switch, an input device, and an output device. The circuit includes a processor and an internal timer. The temperature switch is communicatively linked to the circuit. The input device is electrically connected to the circuit and transmits a status request to the processor in response to receiving a user input. The internal timer increments an accumulated time of the internal timer by a usage time. The usage time is based on a duration the temperature switch detects temperatures higher than the minimum threshold. The processor accesses the incremented accumulated time of the internal timer and stores the accumulated time in a memory. The processor reads the incremented accumulated time from the memory, encodes the incremented accumulated time into an encoded value, and causes the output device to produce the encoded value in response to the status request.