element14, an Avnet community, today announced the winners of the recent Build Inside the Box Challenge, designed to celebrate the element14 Presents 500^th episode.

‘Build Inside the Box’ contestants participated in a competition that looked similar to Food Network’s ‘Chopped,’ a cooking challenge in which chef contestants must create a palatable dish using the ingredients they are given. The 500^th element14 Presents episode followed three contestants chosen from the element14 content creator team as they created technology with their mystery box of components for the chance to win electronics hardware prizes and a shopping cart for a local STEM organization of their choice. element14 Community members were also invited to think outside the box with their own Mystery Boxes and test their skills and creativity against the element14 Presents team.

Components for this electronic challenge included: an Arduino MKR Zero; a Microchip Operational Amplifier; a Vishay Photo Interrupter; a Microchip Temperature Sensor; a Midas OLED graphic display; a Time of Flight Sensor; a WAGO pluggable terminal block; and a MULTICOMP PRO Power Bank.

The 500^th episode was a battle of the makers with James, known widely as ‘The Bald Engineer’, coming up trumps with his Baldcoder creation.  James was competing on behalf of DePaul University’s $1,000 Makerspace Program which pairs underserved high schools in Chicago and the metropolitan area with the tools, training, and curriculum for teachers to integrate maker-centred learning into the classroom. The winning bundle will be distributed in conjunction with curriculum for teachers to use in covering the basics for students to learn 3D printing, CNC routing, electronics, programming, and development for the Internet of Things.

The element14 presents team also judged the creations of element14 community members who competed from home. The winning designs from community members, who each won a shopping cart, include:

• Ball on a Beam:  James O’Gorman utilized components from the Box to implement a PID algorithm, enabling a ball to balance on a beam.
• Advanced Bike Computer: by cleverly using sensors included in the Box, Mate Varga created a 3D-printed box to mount on their bike and track their ride.
• Sump Pump Alarm: houses with basements are in a constant fight with the underground water table – and if a homeowner’s sump pump isn’t working, they might just come home to an in-basement pool. The Sump Pump Alarm created by Mike Moore is a functional monitoring system that alerts homeowners when the pump isn’t working.

“Congratulations to all the winners of the Build Inside the Box challenge! We’ve been so happy to see a high level of participation and engagement from our element14 Community members as we continue to celebrate the 500^th episode of element14 Presents,” said Dianne Kibbey, Global Head of Community and Social Media for element14. “We’ve been blown away by the talent showcased in this challenge and the ways element14 content creators and community members thought outside of the box to create innovative, functional designs.”

More information can be found here. The 500^th episode of element14 Presents, which also includes projects from element14 Presents content creators Clem, a maker and 3D printing enthusiast and electronic engineer and mother of two, Katie, can be viewed here.

You can also view more videos with the intrepid making trio in their latest videos:

• James –the winning build from the Build Inside the Box challenge airs on Friday July 9 https://www.element14.com/community/docs/DOC-96771/l/episode-506-diy-star-trek-tricorder-from-build-inside-the-box
• Clem – Clem’s latest build revisits his Super 8 Camera and provides updates and enhancements as suggested by the element14 community https://www.element14.com/community/docs/DOC-96758/l/episode-505-super-8-camera-digitizer
•  Katie uses RFID to make a button-free music player https://www.element14.com/community/docs/DOC-95566/l/episode-501-raspberry-pi-nfc-button-free-music-player