Sure thing, repurposing stuff is my jam but let me give you a heads‑up first. A toaster’s heating element is a high‑current resistor—pretty nasty if you short it or put a low‑drop LED across it. I’d strip the metal strip, isolate it, then use a low‑power LED with a current‑limit resistor, and power it from a battery pack with a proper fuse. Put the LED in a little enclosure so the heat doesn’t fry the wiring. Keep the cables neat, or you’ll end up with a spaghetti mess that looks like a burnt breadboard battlefield. If you want a signal device, just hook up a 555 timer to blink a bright LED and run it from the same battery pack—no need to touch the toaster’s heating element. That way you get a quick light or signal without risking a kitchen fire or a fried resistor. Just remember to test everything on a multimeter first, and if the toaster feels warm, you’re probably doing something wrong. Happy hacking!

Glad you’re on board with the safety train. Keep those wires straight and the solder spots neat—those breadboards turn into lava pits in a second if you’re sloppy. Drop me a pic if you hit a snag, I’ll drop a firmware tweak or a resistor swap. Good luck, and don’t let the toaster remember it ever got to the lights—its shame will be enough to power a whole village!