Best Prize Ever

Well, since you said no RoadTests dougw , I'd probably have to give the crown over to the Lenovo Legion 5 Gen 6 laptop I won in the Experimenting with Thermal Switches Design Challenge.

The laptop is one that I've upgraded practically as soon as it's arrived to make it a bit of a powerhouse - originally should have had an AMD CPU, but because of component shortages, I ended up with an 11th Gen Intel. For reference, the laptop I was previously using was a 3rd Gen Intel (part of a RoadTest), making it 8 years between laptops. But this laptop has taken a bit more significance than I had expected because of rising energy costs - I'm using my large chunky desktop a lot less and migrating tasks to the laptop which keeps the bills down and the room from being hot! Needless to say, it's a machine that's being used daily - 1378 hours over 234 days of ownership means ... 5.9 hours per day on average! It's not all work either, as I do play some games on this too. Original value is US$1087, but I've also poured in about AU$750 in parts to bring the RAM up to 64GB and add another 2TB of NVMe storage. The old RAM found its way into my Dad's 8th Gen laptop, bringing it from 8GB to 16GB.

That being said, the AirPods Max would probably be the second on my list (sorry Fluke 279 FC/iFlex, you'll have to take third place). The noise cancelling monster is one that I wear to and from work every day, relegating my older Sennheiser PXC550 into secondary roles because the AirPods Max is so much better at the noise cancelling. It's not a cheap piece of kit either!

The Fluke 279 FC/iFlex would be third - it's quite pricey and has thermal imaging which is a capability that I've longed for. But it is a bit of an old design with some inconveniences, especially around downloading of images. It's built like a tank, but I find it slightly clunky to use and I probably don't use it as much as I imagine. That LCD really chews power, and needing to recharge a "smart" lithium-ion battery pack is not my idea of a convenient DMM. But it is a Fluke ... and it's my first Fluke as well. Total value of the above two is listed at US$1600 by element14.

I'm not sure what the most expensive, but frankly, I don't think price is the motivating factor. I don't win prizes to sell them - if I end up with unexpected prizes I don't need, I find myself giving them away to those who could better use them, so I never profit from them anyway. I guess the best part of the prizes is the chance to get something really useful, luxurious, and perhaps something you would feel guilt if you were to buy it for yourself. At least, that's how I think about it. For design challenges, the prizes are a big motivator - I've definitely skipped some because I saw no value in the prizes, but I suppose one doesn't have to win the grand prize to be lucky enough to have the kit itself and a finisher's prize. Can't win every time!

But going off my memory, I'd have to say this challenge had the biggest ticket prizes in my memory: Twist, Turn and Move (US$2100, Flash Forge Guider II 3D Printer + iRobot Roomba Self Emptying Robot Vacuum Cleaner). Perhaps second would be At The Core (US$1700, Microsoft Surface 256GB 16GB RAM Platinum + Sonos One (Gen 2) Two Room Set Voice Controlled Smart Speaker) which is still in progress.

It's hard to know what I would like to see most as a prize. Everyone's needs are different - and oddly enough, I feel quite satiated at this point in time. There's rarely something I actually truly need and don't have. It's more "nice-to-haves" and even then, I'm not sure if I'll ever have the space, time or energy to fully utilise them. But hey, computers and peripherals are pretty universal and useful in many scenarios ... I would never say no to having another one around. Mobile devices are quite useful too, but there comes the Apple/Android preferences and regional banding/approvals issues with radios. E-mobility stuff seems good too - but large lithium-ion cells aren't easy to ship and they're (unfortunately) mostly illegal to use publicly where I am because of our backwards governmental rules. While I don't have any drones and while they could be useful, I guess it's not all that appealing to me because I probably won't use it all that much and others may find them a bit of a nuisance when I'm buzzing around their house! Perhaps photography equipment is good - a good ILC with a set of decent lenses (and/or some slave flash lighting/softboxes) would be useful - my Nikon DSLR that I shoot all products with has celebrated over 120,000 shutter clicks ... and may well be my last DSLR given how the industry is going. But that is still not something I would consider a "need" just yet.

- Gough

These are the highest value awards I've ever won:

Sensing the World Challenge Grand Prize

• Microsoft Surface Studio 2 (~$3500)

Design for A Cause 2021 Grand Prize

• Creality CR10-S 3D Printer
• iPad Air 64GB Wifi
• $500 Donated To Engineers Without Borders

Project14 Better World with Arduino!

• Braccio Robotics Kit,
• Arduino Edge Control Board,
• and a $400 shopping cart.

Experimenting with Magnetic Components

• Samsung Galaxy Watch 4

7 Ways to Leave Your Spartan-6 FPGA

• Microsoft 13.5" Multi-Touch Surface Laptop 4

Project14 Op-Amp-a-Palooza

• MP750288 80MHz Series Waveform Generator
• DC Power Supply
• Single Channel Handheld Digital Storage Oscilloscope

Experimenting with Sensor Fusion Grand Prize:

• Apple 13.3" MacBook Air M1 Chip

The highest priced one is the Microsoft Surface Studio 2 that I use daily.

I have never entered for the awards but now I would love to have time to participate in Experimenting with Waterproof Connectors and get the DSOX1204G Digital Oscilloscope. Sounds like a great prize!

The very first prize I ever won on element14 was a trip to the picturesque citadel city of Nuremberg to attend the Embedded World Exhibition. If you hang out on element14, you will love that show. The all expenses trip was listed as a $5K value - it included limos and extravagant meals. There were 2 strings attached though - I had to give a presentation of my project and do a TV interview - which is still available here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcCRtNCvHV4&ab_channel=FarnellGlobal

That win also parlayed into an all expenses trip to visit Cypress Semiconductor in Beaverton - also an extravagant wine and dine affair. I snuck in a visit to Tektronix while I was there. And I also met Wonder Woman:

There is a lot happening in Portland. In one day I took in a Red Bull challenge, a big parade, and 2 car shows.

I think the most expensive hardware I ever won was a Taz 6 3D printer ($2.5K) This is also the the prize I use the most.

The current top of my wish list is a nice big 4K monitor - since all these tiny computer modules now have 4K HDMI, but the corresponding display costs way more than the computer.

100% agree on the hd monitor. 

I agree that just having a valuable prize is not a sole motivator for joining a competition. In fact, if there is only a single really valuable prize awarded, I will usually back off, as the competition is fierce and high personal investment is needed.

I am much more likely to participate if there is a grand prize and a couple lesser 1st place prizes, a better chance to succeed.  The topic also has to be something that inspires me to be creative, try something new.

I had heard that you won a prize to go to Germany but didn't know much about the details until now.  Sounds like quite the trip.  The Portland trip, too sounds like it was a blast.  Scrolling down throuh your post I was expecting to see an image of the 'picturesque citadel city of Nuremberg.'  You opted for a different kind of picturesque instead.   

Sounds like a grand day out.

Nice project presentation video as well.

I notice that Wonder Woman is exposing the inside of her wrists to you. I think you two must have been caught on camera whilst discussing bracelet wiring issues...

https://youtu.be/8fwNwUqssfE?t=166

My hotel was in the old city, inside the wall, and I got to walk around and take pictures, even though I did not have a good camera at that time. I probably should have put together a trip report, but I was still a newbie on element14. Here is a picture of the oldest sausage restaurant in the world - yes we ate there once.

Umm, sure, yes, I'll go with that, electronics was the only thing on my mind..

Sounds like an incredible prize. For me it would have been totally stressful, fighting all day with my imposter syndrome. You are a great guy and a better person thanks for sharing your experiences.