You can Join the Build Inside the Box Challenge! Here's what's in The Box

Build Inside The Box

Register for the Twitch live stream to see which one of your favorite vcp projects won! Click on the banner below:

Thanks to the element14 Community for all of the great ideas, while it was difficult, we had to distil all of the recommendations down to what would fit into one box (and fit our challenge).

Now while our contestants get to grips with the parts that were decided for what was to be in the box, you can take part in the competition with the box and to do so, you have the opportunity to win the box yourself!

Here's what's in THE BOX:

The BOX Buy the BoxBuy the Box
Arduino MKR Zero Buy NowBuy Now	MULTICOMP PRO Portable USB High Capacity Power Bank Buy NowBuy Now
WAGO Pluggable Terminal Block Buy NowBuy Now	MICROCHIP MCP604-I/PMCP604-I/P Operational Amplifier Buy NowBuy Now
VISHAY Phototransistor Buy NowBuy Now	MIDAS OLED Graphic Display Buy NowBuy Now
MICROCHIP Temperature Sensor IC Buy NowBuy Now	ST Range/Gesture Sensor 53L0-SATEL-I1 Buy NowBuy Now

Members Contest is closed - Build Inside The Box

The contest criteria: In conjunction with the Build Inside The Box 500 - where our video host contestants will be competing against each other to win prizes for their favourite STEM organisations, we are also hosting a member challenge open to all element14 Community Members. All you have to do is:

use all of the components in The Box to build a working project
post a blog of how you created that project
include a short video of the project working in your blog

Blogs should be posted in element14 presents space (not in your 'user account' blog space). Be sure to tag it with 'BuildInsideTheBox' (you can tag content at the end of your blog.)

Meet the Winners for the Members Challenge and watch episode 504.

The top three entries for members who 'Build Inside the Box' (as selected by the video host contestants participating in the Build Inside The Box 500, and also by the element14 Community staff) will each win a $150 shopping cart that you can spend on any of our global online stores.

Project blogs need to be posted before (and no later) than Friday, 7th May 2021 5pm CDT

Go here for full terms and conditions

Top Comments

aspork42 8 months ago in reply to kmikemoo

We actually use these at work fairly often. They are amazing - UL Certified even!
Someone sent me this the other day, and we should have a chat with Wago wago about getting some to play with
https://www.wago.com/us/discover-wire-and-splicing-connectors/gelbox-from-wago

IPX8 enclosure for the lever nuts
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kmikemoo 8 months ago

I want to give a little shout out for the WAGO connectors in the Build Inside The Box kit. I was on an application review today and lo and behold, there were a ton of these connectors being used - so of course I had to mention them (and build my street cred ). The designer said that they were invaluable as they worked through different design issues. I didn't give the connectors much love in my BITB blog, but they're awesome. I only knew about the larger 222 version.
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easyejl 8 months ago in reply to greenmate

I'm still trying to get a piece that wasn't in the box working I ordered this dimmer setup
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B072K9P7KH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

to use to control the sewing machine motor based on input from the box components and I'm getting around 10v AC out at 10% setting, but only 20 at 100%. I could use some extra time
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greenmate 8 months ago in reply to aspork42

Good to hear that I'm not the only one in this situation:D
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aspork42 8 months ago in reply to cstanton

Please be like whatever the farthest out date is! I'm just finishing the mechanical and electrical build and still have to do software...
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cstanton 8 months ago in reply to kmikemoo

Friday 7th May.
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kmikemoo 8 months ago in reply to easyejl

Oye! I was running with May 7th and totally missed the Tuesday reference. Argh!!!
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easyejl 8 months ago

Hey I just re-read this, as I was trying to figure out how far behind i am

Project blogs need to be posted before (and no later) than Tuesday, 7th May 2021 5pm CDT

Is that meant to be Tuesday May 4th, Friday May 7th, or Tuesday May 11th?
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easyejl 8 months ago in reply to kmikemoo

That's sort of what I was thinking. But I realized I don't have a transformer that's appropriate anyhow, so i ended up ordering a premade triac/zero detect board to do my motor control.
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kmikemoo 8 months ago in reply to easyejl

easyejl The spec sheet says it has a 10us on time and an 8us off time. If that's so, there are 10,000us between zero crossings on a 50Hz sine wave with full-wave rectification. 20,000us if you go with half-wave.
Thinking about this, OFF will come before zero and ON will happen after zero. On half-wave rectified input, your zero time will be longer than 10,000us. Internal capacitance... threshold voltages... it probably won't be precise or accurate - but it may suit your purposes. Sometimes you just have to be in the general vicinity. WITH PWR = almost zero crossings, NO PWR = no crossings.
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