element14 and modding extraordinaire Ben Heck use a bit of reverse engineering to transform an old-school InfraWave oven into an engineer’s ultimate reflow tool on the latest episode of “The Ben Heck Show.”

The latest segment covers the many intricate steps required to build a reflow oven, from deconstructing an InfraWave oven, to attaching a thermocouple, to mounting the solid state relay (SSR) control. Special guest Chris Kraft also stops by to give a hands-on lesson in pairing an SSR with an Arduino Max6675 integrated circuit to help gauge the oven’s temperature.

“I had a lot of fun with this show for a number of reasons,” said Ben. “Not only was I able to hang out and collaborate with my good pal, Chris Kraft, but together we were able to engineer a staple in any design engineer’s ‘tool belt’ – a handy reflow oven for those hard-to-mount components.”

The final build is a budget-friendly solder oven featuring an LCD screen and controller case that is both creative and handy; enabling engineers to easily apply small surface-mount components to PCB circuit boards that generally can’t be done by hand.

“Ben’s latest project uses a bit of creativity and engineering resourcefulness to turn an ordinary oven into an extremely useful tool,” said Kevin Yapp, chief marketing officer, Premier Farnell. “It shows you there are no limits to innovation when you combine a good design idea with helpful peer collaboration.”

Fans of the show episode are invited to join the discussion online at element14 to enter for a chance to win Ben’s custom soldering oven for hours upon hours of soldering fun.

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With the aim of boosting innovation in the electronics industry, element14, a collaborative global electronics community from Premier Farnell plc  has launched the Icarus Design Challenge for engineers to develop a two-way communication system between the ground and a weather balloon high above the Earth. One designer will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to meet and get their system tested with Robert Harrison, the brainchild behind Icarus, a project that has revealed some of the most stunning visuals of Earth and the stratosphere ever produced. The winner of the challenge will also choose the image that will go up with the Icarus weather balloon to be photographed on the fringes of space.

At present Icarus can only send communications in one direction – from a device that transmits coordinates to the ground station using 50 baud radio teletype (RTTY). The challenge set by element14 is to develop a system that will enable reliable two-way communication, over a distance in excess of 50km. The communication requirements are minimal in terms of data volume, and may be as low as one character per second. A detailed list of design constraints is available online along with entry terms and conditions.

“We’re looking to integrate a two-way communications system, primarily due to safety issues,” said Robert Harrison. “For instance, if the balloon is drifting to an undesirable location such as a big city, an airport or the coast, it would be great to send a signal requesting the mission to abort. Additionally it would be nice to initiate some experiments when conditions are favourable. By launching this competition I aim to tap into the expertise harboured by the element14 community.”

“Innovation is the key element for any project we undertake at element14 and this project with Robert just demonstrates how we are constantly embedding innovation at all levels,” said Dianne Kibbey, Global Head of Community, element14. “With this bespoke challenge, we are very excited to see how we involve engineers and come up with an excellent design solution. With the addition of a two-way communication system, we are also hoping that the Icarus balloon will be able to tweet and send back pictures in real time of its trip.”

Feeling innovative? To enter the Icarus Design Challenge, simply go to the element14 community to submit the circuit design and specification via private message to RHarrison1971 no later than 9 March 2012. Be sure to follow us @element14 for tweets from the weather balloon in the lead up to its launch. The winner will be announced in the element14 Icarus group by 26 March 2012. The components required by the winner to build a prototype will be supplied by element14.

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element14 has revealed the biggest technologies that have the potential to revolutionise electronics and the one product engineers can’t do without out of a survey conducted across all its social media channels. The “We love innovation” poll that was conducted for a week starting 3rd Feb captured responses from over 4,500 element14 facebook, twitter and Google+ fans and provides interesting insights into the world of electronics technology.

More than 50% of the respondents chose the IPad as the one electronics product they love and can’t do without. This was followed by the Amazon Kindle, the iPhone and the Playstation. Which is further complemented by Sensing, which was voted as the biggest technology with the potential to revolutionise electronics in the future, followed closely by LED Lighting, Robotics and medical electronics.

Sensing has increasingly become critical in terms of enhancing the ways in which humans interface with technology. Sensing technology facilitates intuitive human interactions with devices such as smartphones and without these in this use, we would be restricted to more mechanical methods of interface, which wouldn’t allow for things like miniaturisation which is critical going forward. The technology is also significant in terms of industrial applications, including areas like factory automation, the international space programme and alternative energy, and will be one of the driving technologies in medicine as we move towards noninvasive diagnosis and treatment.

The 2012 Olympics also turned out to be an interesting theme where the majority of respondents chose embedded as the technology that will be a highlight this year, followed by Sensing, Green IT and mobile and wireless. This was particularly interesting given the latest announcements around wireless spectrum demands during the games in London this year. Embedded technology in the games can be combined with Sensing to be used in various areas like monitoring athletic performance or prosthetics for paralympians.

“Our bespoke “we love innovation” poll was an initiative to gauge the current perceptions the electronics design community has around various technologies and to look at what design engineers love the most,” said Dianne Kibbey, Global Head of Community, element14. “The results do show some interesting trends within the industry and the technologies that will spearhead the future, which is where key innovations will become even more significant.”

RoadTest continues to be the favourite element14 Group to assist with design work and the biggest challenge faced by electronic design engineers is the time involved in initial design stages so element14 will be looking at ways how the Knode and the Drawer can be used as solutions to overcome such challenges.

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With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, element14, the first collaborative community and electronics store for design engineers, and modding guru Ben Heck, spotlight love by building an oversized digital candy “tweet heart” with an LED display on the latest episode of “The Ben Heck Show.”

“As a self-proclaimed geeky bachelor, this episode was the perfect opportunity to tap into my romantic side and build a fun, waistline-friendly project designed to melt the hearts of women everywhere,” said Ben. “Nothing says ‘I love you’ like a sweet tweet on Valentine’s Day.”

Inspired by traditional candy conversation hearts, Ben transforms an empty, heart-shaped candy box into a unique display of LED signals that stream special messages for a hypothetical sweetheart. After connecting a dot matrix LED to an Arduino Uno microcontroller, he implements a unique code designed by longtime friend and programmer, Chris Kraft, to transpose Twitter messages directly from a specific Internet-based Twitter feed onto the LED display of the heart.

“Collaboration and communication are not only fundamental values for the element14 community, but also key ingredients for a successful relationship,” said Kevin Yapp, chief marketing officer, Premier Farnell. “By using electronics components from element14 and collaborating with a programmer to enhance the project, Ben helps technology enthusiasts vividly display affection for their Valentines.”

Show fans are invited to join the element14 community for a chance to win Ben’s “tweet heart” featured on the show, as well as send Ben a challenge for a future build. Fans can also participate in element14’s “We Love Innovation” survey questions during the week of Feb. 6 on Facebook, Twitter or Google+ to share their opinion on the latest trends and what they love about electronics.

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Visit http://www.element14.com to see the full episode!

element14 has teamed up with Microchip and Matrix to introduce the new PIC18 Flowcode Developers Kit. This innovative development and demonstration kit is designed to offer a hands-on, easy approach to electronics design using Flowcode, one of the world’s most advanced graphical programming languages for microcontrollers.

The development platform is based on a Microchip PIC18F26J50 low power, 8-bit PIC18F26J50 microcontroller, and is integrated with temperature sensor, capacitor touch sensor and potentiometer to help developers verify programs designed using Flowcode.

“The new PIC18 Flowcode Developers Kit is an innovative, fully featured yet low cost solution designed to help developers realise their designs in working hardware,” says Mike Powell, Technology Development Manager, Premier Farnell. “Optimised for Flowcode development, the board has several expansion options, it can be used as a black box and is mounted with a PIC 18 device that is low power, but high performance.

The competitive advantage of Flowcode is that it allows those with little-to-no programming experience to create electronic systems in minutes. Flowcode supports code generation for the PIC® (PIC12, PIC16, and PIC18 series ), PIC24 and dsPIC® series of microcontrollers. The professional edition includes drivers for a range of sub-systems including LCDs, keypads, seven-segment displays, ADC and PWM, as well as communication protocols including I2C, SPI, RS-232RS-232, Zigbee and TCP/IP, among others.

Flowcode is compatible with Microchip’s PICkit programmer as well as third party programmers. It is also compatible with the HI-TECH C compiler. A ‘Lite’ version of Flowcode 4 is included in the kit.

For more information visit element14.

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Targeted at 10/100 Ethernet applications, the new PIC32 Multimedia Developers Kit from element14, the first collaborative global electronics community from Premier Farnell plc (LSE:pfl), and Microchip, offers comprehensive design software support for rapid evaluation and engineering development projects. Available to element14 customers from 23 January, the new development kit is offered at an exclusive price for a two month period.

Optimised for multimedia applications such as audio, graphics and touch screen development, the kit features a PIC32 Ethernet Starter Kit and Multimedia Expansion Board (MEB). By inserting the Starter Kit into the MEB a powerful development tool is created with extra functionality provided by a PICTail™ socket that offers access to additional I/O. A free-to-download version of Microchip’s MPLAB PIC32 C compiler provides code development support.

“The combination of the PIC32 Ethernet Starter Kit and MEB at this special price provides a low risk/ yet powerful platform for engineers of all grades to rapidly evaluate the potential of Microchip’s PIC32 MCUs”, said Mike McGlade Channel Manager for Microchip. “Microchip welcomes the development of this kit.”

Ethernet-based projects will be up and running in no time using the combination of PIC32 Ethernet Starter Kit and Microchip’s free TCP/IP software. Among its many features, the PIC32 has an available CAN 2.0b peripheral and USB host/device/OTG, while the Ethernet Starter Kit offers a form factor and expansion connector that is compatible with other PIC32 starter kits.

There are also several notable features of the Multimedia Expansion Board, which provides PIC32 starter kit users with an integrated yet flexible solution for the development of high impact user interfaces. The board comes with a 3.2 Colour TFT touch-screen QVGA display, onboard FCC certified WiFi module, 24-bit stereo audio code, three-axis accelerometer, joystick and MicroSD memory card slot. Simply connect the PIC32 Ethernet Starter Kit to the Multimedia Expansion Board and it’s possible to commence developing, programming and debugging code for the user interface features.

Further information can be found at element14.com

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Many of the avid Elektor readers may already know what the Elektor bus is. element14 and Elektor Academy’s fourth online webcast tells the story of how it all came about, but also delving into protocols, bus conflicts and hardware considerations. Just under 2,000 users have already benefited from these series of free online webcasts with industry experts. To register for “Here comes the Elektor bus” taking place on Jan 19, 2012, from 16:00 CET please visit: http://www.element14.com/community/events/3114

The webcast will comprise a 30-minute online presentation by Jens Nickel, an editor working for the German edition of Elektor for six years. He is a programming enthusiast going back to the days of the Commodore C64, and really enjoys microcontroller and software oriented electronic projects. He has published an article related to the webcast detailing the functionalities of the experimental PCBs. This will be followed by a 30-minute Q&A session. The session also will be archived after the event and can be accessed by visiting http://www.element14.com/webinars
Book your place now:
http://www.element14.com/community/events/3114

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element14 and modding guru Ben Heck pay homage to the 2012 CES International tradeshow in the latest episode of the “The Ben Heck Show.” This week’s modding project features an Apple iPhone® that Ben morphs into an enhanced hand-held gaming tool – sure to impress even Android fans.

“CES starts today, and I couldn’t think of a more fitting project than one that combines my love for video games with a device that many consumers are extremely passionate about,” said Ben. “Sure, the iPhone is a great device for game play already, but I wanted to take it to the next level for the ultimate mobile gaming enthusiast.”

To successfully implement video gaming capabilities onto the smaller-footed iPhone, Ben first deconstructs an iCade®system that enables gaming on an Apple iPad® to integrate a scaled-down version of the circuitry. Then, by connecting a PodBreakout board to a simulated battery, Ben borrows voltage from the iPad to enable the Bluetooth required to power the iPhone for mobile gaming purposes.

“This latest episode is a must-see for gamers, tech gurus and electronics enthusiasts alike,” said Kevin Yapp, chief marketing officer, Premier Farnell. “Ben shows viewers how a comprehensive suite of resources available on element14, coupled with a DIY spirit and technological know-how can create spectacularly innovative results – in this case an enhanced version of the popular iPhone.”

Ben wraps up the episode by showing viewers how to build the case and required controller components – from designing and routing the shell and laser button pads using an Epilog Laser Engraver to creating and printing buttons. The final result is a tricked-out innovative hand-held Apple iPhone gaming device. Show fans are invited to join the element14 community to send Ben a challenge for a future build, engage with community members, and enter for a chance to win the build from this episode.

In conjunction with CES, Ben will demonstrate his latest mod in a live streaming interview with the host of GT.TV, Geoff Keighley on Tuesday, Jan. 10, at 2:15 p.m. PST. Directly following the interview, Ben will go up against “Men’s Health” contributor Matt Bean in a live debate on the benefits of robotics.

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element14, a collaborative global electronics community from Premier Farnell plc (LSE:pfl), has today announced it is hosting a two-day virtual event “the element14 Innovation Series” on the 16th and 17th of January 2012.

Last month element14 challenged the electronics community to answer the question “Who is the next Innovator in the electronics industry?”. With the recent passing of Steve Jobs, John McCarthy and Dennis Ritchie, it appears that the torch is presently being passed from one generation to the next.
As part of the Innovation series, element14 is now bringing together industry leaders in a two-day virtual summit to share what’s next in the fields of medical, alternative energy and robotics. The event will feature a series of speakers through 30 minute livestreamed videos and the opportunity to chat live with experts who are helping bring tomorrow’s ideas to life. Attendees and presenters will interact by using Livestream.

On January 16 leading electronic manufacturers such as Microchip, Texas Instruments, Freescale, ST and Micrium will be attending and technical training on the latest products will also be provided. The following day, January 17, will feature key electronic industry thinkers discussing why these new products will matter in the next two years. They will also talk about the latest opportunities provided by emerging design tools. Key speakers will include Jack Ganssle, the Embedded Group; Gene Frantz, Chief Technologist at Texas Instruments; and Jean Labrose, the CEO of Micrium.

Throughout the two days, participants will be able to engage with leaders in the field of medical, alternative energy, robotics and lighting applications, they will also learn about the latest emerging technologies, discuss real design challenges and solutions, and chat live with the experts who continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible. Register for the event at www.element14.com/innovators or follow us @element14 and the hashtag #innovationseries.

Kevin Yapp, Chief Marketing Officer for Premier Farnell, commented: “element14 is a trusted source for information, expert advice, products and services and we wanted to bring together some of the industry’s key people to talk about the trends for the coming year and beyond. The Innovation Series from element14 will be a continuing programme that we hope will showcase the innovators of today and tomorrow.”

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