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If you could automate one part of your design workflow, what would it be? We are asking e14 in our Join, Share & Win Competition

E14Alice

Shout out to all engineers, makers, and design enthusiasts!


Last month, we asked you about your project disaster What was your biggest project Disaster? We are asking e14 in our Join, Share & Win Competition  

This month, we want to know if you could automate one part of your design workflow. What would it be?


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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:

If you could automate one part of your design workflow, what would it be?

3. Be in with a chance to WIN!

Share with us your best (hopefully lighthearted) watercooler story of a design workflow that, if automated, would genuinely change your game.

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

Here’s what you could win:
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RPI5-4GB-SINGLE Raspberry Pi5

General Terms
What: Win 1 of 3 of the RPI5-4GB-SINGLE Raspberry Pi5
How: Sign up  or Sign in and Comment your answer to If you could automate one part of your design workflow, what would it be?
When: Before November 30th 2025 
Anything else: Full terms are below, but we must be able to ship to the address in your account. 

Entries close November 30th, 2025, so don’t wait!

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  • I'd like to say "PCB routing", but despite how frustrating it can be, it can also be very satisfying.
    A slightly sillier answer would be "finding and picking up small screws and parts that fall to the ground". That happens to me *SO* much while assembling prototypes or final boards, and it can either be a 2 second task, or a full 30 minutes all-hands-on-deck "search and rescue" operation. It doesn't help that SMD packages are very good at literally disappearing and being gone forever the moment they leave the bench.

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  • I'd like to say "PCB routing", but despite how frustrating it can be, it can also be very satisfying.
    A slightly sillier answer would be "finding and picking up small screws and parts that fall to the ground". That happens to me *SO* much while assembling prototypes or final boards, and it can either be a 2 second task, or a full 30 minutes all-hands-on-deck "search and rescue" operation. It doesn't help that SMD packages are very good at literally disappearing and being gone forever the moment they leave the bench.

Children
  • in reply to battlecoder

    I find that searching for dropped parts is aided by a bright narrow beam torch. It helps you focus just on the illuminated area and sometimes the extra relative brightness makes the parts twinkle as the light sweeps over a reflective edge.

    Better to not drop them, get a non-bounce mat and hold the target part a few inches into the centre of the bench.

    This reminds me that I would like a device to attach to my headband magnifier so that when I lose it (several times a day) I can call it and it will beep back at me.

    MK