Our Top Members have all participated in atleast 1 Design Challenge and here's why...

Why? Mainly to learn about new technologies or topics, directly or from the other competitors. Here are some thoughts on the challenges I've participated in:

• BeagleBone Black Radio Challenge
  

My first real design challenge, after the Santa Catcher roadtest. Taught me about the existence of other SBCs besides the Raspberry Pi. It also introduced me to software defined radios, using the provided RTL-SDR dongle.

My daughter enjoyed her involvement in showcasing the project as well

• Forget Me Not Design Challenge

This was a challenge with a lot of active participants, till the end of the challenge. It was also one of the challenges where even though being competitors, we helped each other out. Competing with other Top Members made it even more exciting.

Getting married during the challenge and making sure posts were scheduled to be published during my honeymoon, was like a challenge within a challenge

• In the Air Design Challenge

Was a difficult one for me. I couldn't really find my way around the Launchpads and Boosterpacks. I did perform my first SMD soldering as part of this challenge though. A new skill which has come handy since.

• Sci Fi Your Pi

Probably my biggest project so far. Combining experience from past projects and challenges into one big build. Getting the satisfaction of seeing this project published in the Linux User & Developer magazine and recently in The MagPi, is an added bonus and a motivator to keep going

Obviously, there is also the fact that a kit is provided for every challenge. It allows us to play and discover components or parts which we may not necessarily buy or get our hands on otherwise.

As Jan states, it is the duty of the participants to actively participate and do their utmost best to reach the finish line. Life does come in between, but when signing up for a challenge, you should commit to your project. Planning is a key aspect of these challenges, and it is often underestimated. Plan ahead, think things through, and don't let issues stop you from finishing your project. There is always an alternative method to reaching the same goal.

Why? Mainly to learn about new technologies or topics, directly or from the other competitors. Here are some thoughts on the challenges I've participated in:

• BeagleBone Black Radio Challenge
  

My first real design challenge, after the Santa Catcher roadtest. Taught me about the existence of other SBCs besides the Raspberry Pi. It also introduced me to software defined radios, using the provided RTL-SDR dongle.

My daughter enjoyed her involvement in showcasing the project as well

• Forget Me Not Design Challenge

This was a challenge with a lot of active participants, till the end of the challenge. It was also one of the challenges where even though being competitors, we helped each other out. Competing with other Top Members made it even more exciting.

Getting married during the challenge and making sure posts were scheduled to be published during my honeymoon, was like a challenge within a challenge

• In the Air Design Challenge

Was a difficult one for me. I couldn't really find my way around the Launchpads and Boosterpacks. I did perform my first SMD soldering as part of this challenge though. A new skill which has come handy since.

• Sci Fi Your Pi

Probably my biggest project so far. Combining experience from past projects and challenges into one big build. Getting the satisfaction of seeing this project published in the Linux User & Developer magazine and recently in The MagPi, is an added bonus and a motivator to keep going

Obviously, there is also the fact that a kit is provided for every challenge. It allows us to play and discover components or parts which we may not necessarily buy or get our hands on otherwise.

As Jan states, it is the duty of the participants to actively participate and do their utmost best to reach the finish line. Life does come in between, but when signing up for a challenge, you should commit to your project. Planning is a key aspect of these challenges, and it is often underestimated. Plan ahead, think things through, and don't let issues stop you from finishing your project. There is always an alternative method to reaching the same goal.

Your daughter and you should win some prize for best photo ever : )