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What was your biggest project Disaster? We are asking e14 in our Join, Share & Win Competition

e14phil

Calling all makers, engineers, and tinkerers!
We are back for a second, and more SPOOKY month, asking you about your projects, spaces and adventures in engineering!
Last month we asked you about your workbench tips RE: What are your Tips for an Organized Workbench? [Ask e14 - Join, Share & Win Competition] September 2025 

This month we want to know about the biggest project disaster you have experienced. 

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Photos: Historically "accurate" engineering accidents.  

Competition
Join the element14 Community today and take part in our latest “Join, Share & Win” challenge.

It’s simple:
1. Register (or Login) for FREE
2. Answer this question by adding a reply / commenting:

What was your biggest project Disaster?

3. Be in with a chance to WIN!

Share with us your best (hopefully lighthearted) watercooler story of how that one project sank, fell over or failed to start!

The Community Judge team will select our 3 favorite answers to win one of the prizes below. 

Here’s what you could win:

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Arduino Uno R4 Minima

October Competition [Now Closed] 

The judging panel of   and myself have selected our winners in no particular order. 

Please congratulate:

  
 
 

Alice will be reaching out to you all to get your prizes via Direct message. 

Congratulations, and this months competition begins today! 

General Terms
What: Win 1 of 3 Arduino UNO R4 Minima
How: Sign up  or Sign in and Comment your answer to What was your biggest project Disaster?
When: Before October 31th 2025. 
Anything else: Full terms are below, but we must be able to ship to the address in your account. 

Entries close October 31st, 2025, so don’t wait!

Terms & Conditions

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  • Here is a little story of woe. Way back I designed an instrumentation package for a river survey boat that monitored the cable length fed out from a winch. The display used Beckman Panaplex displays. (high voltage neon). The control box was weatherproof - operating on the deck (IP65). One day a year later the customer brought the instrumentation back saying it didn't work anymore. I took it apart and the inside had all kinds of rust, corrosion and crud. Somehow water had got inside, but that didn't explain the mess. I cleaned it up as much as possible and started troubleshooting the circuitry. It turned out that the only thing actually fried was the high voltage DC-DC converters. I refurbished the system and when we returned it, the customer admitted the boat had sunk. Someone left the petcock open over a long weekend. You can imagine the repercussions. The instrument must have filled with water and when the boat was recovered it sat around for weeks as the water slowly boiled off in the sun. I was totally amazed at how much corroded crud was inside - every type of metal part was totally covered in oxide "barnacles", including the solder, even though the exterior looked fine. I was also amazed that only the DC converters actually died. The morale of the story - if it is going on a boat maybe IP65 is not good enough, think IP68. That particular problem with that particular boat was never repeated ..... (that I know of)

  • in reply to dougw

    Wow, its amazing how resilient electronics can be.

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