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

easyejl over 4 years ago

Can anyone tell me if I could use the photo transistor as a zero detect if I step down 110 ac to 5v?
- Cancel
- Vote Up +1 Vote Down
- Sign in to reply
- More
- Cancel
cstanton over 4 years ago in reply to kellyhensen

Ooooh shiny
- Cancel
- Vote Up +1 Vote Down
- Sign in to reply
- More
- Cancel
kellyhensen over 4 years ago

Our three challengers from element14 presents got together to brainstorm their builds - check it out:
Build Inside The Box - Brainstorming Call!
- Cancel
- Vote Up +4 Vote Down
- Sign in to reply
- More
- Cancel
easyejl over 4 years ago in reply to aspork42

for whatever reason, i'm still getting numbers all over the place. particularly when I put something blocking the beam, and leave it there. I did get my multiplexer boards, so today i'll be trying to get a pair of the tof sensors working at the same time.
- Cancel
- Vote Up +1 Vote Down
- Sign in to reply
- More
- Cancel
aspork42 over 4 years ago in reply to easyejl

If you look at the schematic, you really only have an LED and a resistor in that part of the circuit; nothing else; not any more complicated than that. I really only chose 5v since that is what my breadboard had available right there. LEDs run fine on both 5 and 3.3 V.

I wrote up a quick post on progress here:
Build Inside the Box - James O'G - Build log -Update Sunday 5/2/2021
- Cancel
- Vote Up +3 Vote Down
- Sign in to reply
- More
- Cancel
easyejl over 4 years ago in reply to aspork42

the major standout difference I see from what I was doing is that you're using 5v for the emitter and 3.3 for the receiver which I hadn't been doing. about to try it.

Oh and just as a funny thing I noticed, you can't have Cura running and the Arduino IDE at the same time and have the arduino IDE work correctly. Took me a while to work that out
- Cancel
- Vote Up +2 Vote Down
- Sign in to reply
- More
- Cancel
aspork42 over 4 years ago in reply to aspork42

Here's what I did.

The output shown for 'channel II' gives either 0.03V or 2.8V. I then take it and push into a simple comparitor circuit with the op-amp to get 0 or 3.3V output.
- Cancel
- Vote Up +3 Vote Down
- Sign in to reply
- More
- Cancel
aspork42 over 4 years ago in reply to easyejl

I am getting pretty good reads. It is surprisingly binary on/off. I’ll post the schematic for that part later today. I started by using the example circuit in the data sheet. Using one of the op-amps to make the signal 0-3.3 volts output.
- Cancel
- Vote Up +4 Vote Down
- Sign in to reply
- More
- Cancel
easyejl over 4 years ago in reply to aspork42

Are you getting consistent reads from the photo interrupter? If you are, let me know what you're using for pull down as mine is all over the place.
- Cancel
- Vote Up +1 Vote Down
- Sign in to reply
- More
- Cancel
aspork42 over 4 years ago in reply to easyejl

I've got basic communication with all the devices at this stage - temperature sensor, photo-interrupter, screen, distance sensor. Using the op-amp for some signal conditioning. Have a few more things to do still though... I have some cool things planned right now, but don't want to give it away.
I was playing with the stepper motor and was able to get it to turn to indicate the temperature, and turn based on the distance read for the distance sensor. I've got everything except the screen all inside of one sketch. Just got the screen going the other day so need to roll that in. After that I have mechanical build to do

Debating making a circuit board to clean things up... but don't really like using the stepper; should really have a servo for what I'm doing.
- Cancel
- Vote Up +1 Vote Down
- Sign in to reply
- More
- Cancel