Member's Forum - Recent Threads

Who's in the UK and has caved in and bought air conditioning?

stanto — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 21:21:41 GMT

I picked up something like this about three years ago. No regrets.

Though I can't help but feel like I'm also adding to the climate problem.

Could you recommend a beginner project for soldering practice or similar?

ezain — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 05:28:03 GMT

dear engineers

Hello I am a student interested in electronics, about aa year ago i decided to boost my interest by learning from youtube e.t.c . but since I have no friends ,neighbours or family that take my interests I never found someone to interact with. Now i finally found element 14 , although I know there are mostly engineers but I hope I might have a good time here.

So can any of you recommend a beginner project cause I am really trying to master soldering (although I have learned more )

Thankyou for your time

good day from hawaii....

tiko50 — Tue, 26 May 2026 20:15:59 GMT

my bio in programming and development embedded goes back to 1980 and interrupted by several careers in the interim all through I have made my own circuit cards with copper clad board a z80 and a 68000 if you can believe ..

Would AI be useful on the element14 Community?

Alanta Lee — Tue, 26 May 2026 09:31:12 GMT

We’re exploring whether AI could be useful on the element14 Community, and we’d love to hear what members think.

This is early thinking. We’re not looking at using AI to replace the Community, replace member generated content, or take away from the conversations that happen here. The value of the Community comes from real people sharing real experience, projects, reviews, questions and advice.

Instead, we’re interested in whether AI could support members in practical ways, particularly around finding, improving or understanding existing content.

For example, AI could potentially help with things like:

Finding relevant forum posts, projects, RoadTests, documentation or product information
Suggesting clearer titles for forum posts, blogs or projects so they are easier for others to find
Helping members structure a RoadTest Review and make sure they have covered the key points
Translating Community content
Suggesting related content, resources or next steps
Helping newer members ask clearer questions
Explaining technical concepts or terminology
Highlighting useful answers or discussions from across the Community

[Please visit the site to access the poll]

I’ll be honest, I’m not completely sold on AI being added everywhere just for the sake of it. A lot of companies seem to be putting AI into every platform and product at the moment, and sometimes it’s genuinely useful, but other times it can feel a bit unnecessary or forced. That’s why I’m really interested to hear what people here think. If AI was ever used on the element14 Community, I’d want it to actually help members with real things, not get in the way of the conversations, projects and advice that make the Community valuable in the first place, and not necessarily be used to generate new content outright.

A few questions to kick off:

Where do you think AI could genuinely help on the Community?
What tasks or moments feel frustrating today that AI might improve?
Are there any AI features you would actively avoid or distrust?
Would you use AI to help find answers from existing discussions, projects or documentation?
Are there any examples from other sites or tools where AI has worked well, or badly, for you?

Introduction

Aman_Sunesh — Tue, 26 May 2026 01:03:11 GMT

Hi everyone,

My name is Aman Sunesh. I am a Computer Engineering senior at New York University Abu Dhabi, currently based in New York while studying and conducting research at NYU Tandon. My interests are in embedded systems, robotics, signal processing, instrumentation, edge AI, and Python-based engineering workflows. I have worked on projects involving autonomous navigation, robot vision, microcontroller-based systems, quantum sensing instrumentation, time-series modeling, and full-stack scientific tools.

I recently joined element14 because I am interested in learning from the community, reading RoadTest reviews, and contributing my own project logs and reviews when possible. I am especially excited to connect with people working on embedded systems, robotics, instrumentation, and software-defined hardware platforms.

Looking forward to learning from everyone here and hopefully sharing some useful builds, experiments, and reviews.

Introduction

Dipeshkachhi — Thu, 21 May 2026 10:31:49 GMT

Hey everyone! I am electronic enthusiast , with 5+ years of knowledgeable in embedded systems , communications protocol like SPI , I2C . And have made 100+ projects since I started this journey.

Top Tech Voices Podcast S2 E6: Smart Cities & Urban Tech

JoRatcliffe — Tue, 19 May 2026 17:46:30 GMT

It is time for the final episode of Top Tech Voices Season 2 and we are ending on a high with engineer and architect Carlo Ratti as the guest.

Tune in for an episode covering:

Why Carlo finds waste management fascinating
How technology is making Venice more resilient to climate change
Creating cyber-physical systems where real-time data triggers physical responses across a city

Click the banner below to watch the podcast video or listen on your favorite platform.

Or you can watch straight away here:

www.youtube.com/watch
Leave a comment and be in the running to win a prize!

All you have to do is the following:

1. You have to either Register or Login
2. Leave a comment or reply below!

Comments should include constructive discussion on the episode's topics (for example, making cities more adaptable with technology, designing cities with multiple generations of people in mind, future-proofing against climate change), or useful feedback that helps improve future podcasts.

Separate to the contest, I am also interested to know how you like to watch Top Tech Voices. Do you listen while you work or do you watch it on your TV? Let me know!

The Community team will select the best 5 comments to each win an Arduino Uno Q 4GB!

Learn More

Terms and Conditions

community.element14.com/.../Episode-6-Top-Tech-Voices-Podcast-19th-May-_2D00_-Terms-_2600_-Conditions.pdf

The Winners

Are you using AI?

Alanta Lee — Tue, 19 May 2026 12:59:32 GMT

Hi everyone,

This is the first time i've ventured out of my 'Research Opportunities' area so, hello 👋

I'm curious to hear how people in the element14 community are using AI tools in everyday life, whether that’s at work, at home, while learning, or just experimenting.

A few prompts to get things going:

What do you mainly use AI for?
Has AI changed how you work or solve problems?
What do you find most useful about AI?
What still feels frustrating, risky, or unclear?
Are there any AI tools or use cases you think are especially useful?

Feel free to answer one question or all of them!

Thanks!

[Please visit the site to access the poll]

What is your favorite road test on element14?

dougw — Fri, 15 May 2026 18:35:56 GMT

What is your favorite road test on element14? Either one you did or one someone else did.

Or what road test would you most like to see on this forum?

You can find all the road test blogs here:

(+) RoadTest Reviews - element14 Community

This link shows how many views and likes each review received. It can be a bit misleading if the review blog is a summary of a series of other blogs that each had separate views and likes.

One of my motives for asking this question is to discover if I missed any great road tests, so be sure to include a link.

Two New Competitions For You!

JoRatcliffe — Mon, 11 May 2026 16:21:21 GMT

We have just launched two new competitions and there are plenty of prizes to be won. Take a look and get involved 🙂

Keysight Webinar Competition

Join Keysight on Wednesday May 13th at 6pm BST for their Power Panel webinar and submit a question either via registration or live during the event to be in the running to win a prize! Click here to check out the prizes, how to win, and where to register.

EZ-EV Design Challenge

Create a prototype smart electric vehicle or smart vehicle system to be in with a chance of receiving the First Place, Second Place, Third Place, or Finisher prizes. Apply to be selected as a sponsored Challenger and you will receive a free kit of parts to hit the ground running with your project. The deadline for applications is Sunday 7th June. Click here to learn more and apply.

Have fun taking part and competing!

I'm Yasmina and I just joined the party!

YasminaCodes — Sat, 09 May 2026 12:09:45 GMT

Hello! I’ve just joined this community and wanted to properly introduce myself.

Nice to meet you all! I’m Yasmina, and I work as a software and data engineer.

You might be wondering what I’m doing here if my current work seems a bit far from electronics. In a way, I’m actually returning to my roots, since my background is in industrial electronics and automation.

Right now, I’m finishing my master’s degree in HPC and working on quantum computing for HPC-related projects. But the deeper I go into these fields, the more I feel like I want to get back into low-level projects where I can put the “engineering” part of my degree to work. That’s exactly what brought me here.

I’m really looking forward to participating more and engaging with everything this community has to offer.

By the way, I also create content about technology on social media, so hopefully I’ll be able to share some of what I learn here with the wider tech community too.

What do they mean? Product marketing.

colporteur — Thu, 07 May 2026 14:23:43 GMT

I recently did a survey, that asked me to use my understanding of a list of terms to make product decisions.

At the end of the survey the marketer provided their definition of the terms and asked if my decisions would have changed.

I discovered I had a bias. If you the marketer understood how I defined a term, they could change my behaviour.

The exercise is for you to match the terms in column A with the meaning in column B. What do the terms mean to you? SPOILER ALERT the answer key is included.

	A	B
A1	Alternatives	Products you have looked at during your recent browsing.
A2	Similar products	Products that other customers looked at when viewing this item.
A3	Associated products	Products designed to work with the one you’re viewing.
A4	Recommended products	Optional add ons that complement or enhance the product.
A5	Recently viewed	Products that are related, but not necessarily similar or compatible.
A6	People also viewed	Products suggested based on relevance, popularity, or suitability.
A7	Compatible products	Products that can be used instead of the one you’re viewing, offering a similar purpose or function.
A8	Accessories	Products that share key characteristics but may differ in features, specifications, or brand.

I would be interested in your feedback after you complete the exercise.

Below is the matching order for the definitions in column B.

A5
A6
A7
A8
A3
A4
A1
A2

Thank you element14 community

E14Alice — Wed, 06 May 2026 15:12:38 GMT

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share that 7th May will be my last day with the element14 team.

If you have any Design Challenge kit issues, please reach out to JoRatcliffe. For anything RoadTest‑related, OwainM is your person.

For prizes currently in the system, the team will reach out to you once they have shipment information or updates. You can also reach out to me before 5pm GMT on the 7th May, if you have any questions about shipments and prizes.

Looking back, I've genuinely loved my time here. From putting together the round‑up/ask14 posts, to packing and sending off kits/swag bags, to the many conversations I've had with you all. Even when it's been due to FedEx problems 😂

During my time contacting you, I have realised how special the element14 community is. You have all made me feel so welcome and supportive.
This community is a very special place. Being part of it has been a privilege, and I've truly loved every minute.

Thank you,
Alice ☺

We have made changes to the element14 Community homepage!

cstanton — Tue, 05 May 2026 12:47:32 GMT

Maybe as soon as now!

Behind the scenes we have been making changes based up on your feedback, and some ideas of our own. The changes went live on Tuesday the 5th of May at about 1pm.

What kind of changes?

When you're logged into the Community you'll now get a bit more clear information about your account. Where to go to change your avatar, customise your notifications, view your content and see your community activity.

You can also change the achievements you want to highlight on your profile - maybe learn about some achievements you've yet to get? And also what your current level is, and details on how you got there.

We'll be looking into changing this area a little bit in the future, maybe highlighting some more about your account so you can get the most out of it.

When you're logged out of the site, it'll look a little different.

We wanted to highlight some of the benefits of the Community to entice people to join. We had to put something here, so we've started with this and we may build upon it in future.

As for the rest of the page?

We're highlighting featured content in a new way.

Here you should see content that we think you should see. From our programmes, announcements and otherwise, or maybe a RoadTest and Webinar that have particular interest. Here you may see new and old content featured for you to engage with.

Speaking of content to engage with, Webinars and RoadTests now have a more prominent place, along with the current question of the month (I should update that):

You'll get a quick presentation of the past two to three Webinars or RoadTests if there's nothing enrolling right now for you to check out and read up on. We do have a long library of on-demand Webinars after all, and the RoadTest Reviews are definitely a bit more than just a review.

Content that overflows from our 'Featured content' will feature in the banner below, from our third party associations through to projects that are still just as important, but we couldn't quite fit in.

We now show all of the 'recent content' in one list (well, two, and no more 'tabbed' content) so if there's a new blog post, or forum post or project to the Community it'll be shown straight away and not hidden away.

On the left of this list is who created it and when, in the centre is the title, and where it was created, and on the right an icon to represent the content type, how many views, and how many likes it has.

We have separated the list into 'Latest from the Community' and 'Latest Tech News from our Partners', our partners are those who manage their own group and sell products on the Farnell online stores.

There are some 'stretch goals' we have in mind to improve this layout, filters for the recent content list for one, and surfacing different content when you log in.

Hopefully this will help your content come to the front page sooner and make it easier for you to find your way to what's new, and then we'll be looking at the rest of the site and its sections as we go.

Thanks again for being a part of this journey with us.

[Please visit the site to access the poll]

Alejandro, Embedded Systems and Hardware Acceleration Enthusiast

afernandez — Tue, 05 May 2026 12:09:49 GMT

My name is Alejandro, and I’m excited to join the element14 Community.

I’m an embedded systems and software engineer with a strong interest in hardware design, digital electronics, FPGA/RTL development, and embedded Linux. I enjoy working close to the hardware, understanding how systems behave at a low level, and building projects that combine software, electronics, and real-world applications.

Some of the areas I’m especially interested in are embedded C/C++, FreeRTOS, Linux drivers, SystemVerilog, hardware accelerators, sensors, communication buses, and edge computing.

I’m looking forward to learning from the community, sharing my projects, asking technical questions, and contributing whenever I can.

Thanks for having me here!

Learning FPGA

danielpgleason — Mon, 04 May 2026 18:30:35 GMT

Does anyone know of any good learning resources about how to start learning FPGA? I've been a software engineer for several years and the FPGA world is quite new to me. I'm trying to implement RMII but have been struggling a lot. I purchased a logic analyzer but I don't know what I'm looking at. I need something that will tell me how to properly understand and read datasheets, know how to debug signals, how to understand what VHDL is good and what is bad. How to read RTL generations..Etc

I'm starting from the beginning. Any resources or materials are greatly appreciated.

Zorin OS

ROB074 — Sat, 02 May 2026 10:38:38 GMT

Well after three try's, I managed to download Zorin OS, waiting for my new PSU to finish off my latest build, I ended up having to downloard firefox, as Google would get to 3.6 G and hang, even when left for a hour, after mulipul goes I gave up and used Firefox, which worked first time, although it was a slow process, noting, I have Fiber to the premiss's with 550 MBPS down and 47.5 MBPS up , it was still slow although, I am using CAT 6, I would have thought it would be faster, just another day in paridise.

regards Rob

Raspberry Pi 400 as a gift for Top Tech voices Podcast S2 E2: Sustainable Tech & Innovations for a Greener Planet

embeddedguy — Fri, 01 May 2026 12:46:54 GMT

Yesterday, I received a Raspberry Pi 400 as a gift from Elemenet14 for best comment on the Top Tech Voices podcast.

Here is the link to the podcast if you haven't watched it yet.

Top Tech Voices Podcast S2 E2: Sustainable Tech & Innovations for a Greener Planet - element14 Community

Here is the screenshot of the comment that I did which was selected by Element14 team as five best comments and I got the price.

Before I say something about the RPI-400, I have got a camera for vlogging purpose. I realized during last design challenge and some of my blog posts, that to produce HQ content like photos and Videos, I need some HQ camera that a smartphone does not usually have (Unforunetely).

Hence, this post is going to be with some camera that can take nice photos. At least for the purpose of posting about development kit or a device this would work.

The Raspberry Pi 400 is a mini-PC with Raspberry Pi 4 form factor. There are different versions for different regions. Basically, the key difference is the keyboard and layout of it. The full kit will also include the mouse, power supply module, A preloaded SD card with Raspberry Pi OS and a magazine about Raspberry Pi.

Nevertheless, I had everything needed to get started with this device. I had a spare Micro-SD card, a HDMI monitor and micro-HDMI to HDMI cable that is all needed to try this device as a mini-PC for anything that you would like to do like play games, learn coding, etc.

Installing the Raspberry Pi OS was simple, using the official Raspberry Pi software. Make sure to select right options if you try to install it.

community.element14.com/.../Screen-Recording-2026_2D00_05_2D00_01-123134.mp4

{gallery}My Gallery Title
RPI-400: FRONT VIEW
RPI-400: BACK VIEW
RPI-400: FRONT VIEW
RPI-400: BACK VIEW
RPI-400: BOOT COMPLETE😁

{gallery}My Gallery Title

RPI-400: FRONT VIEW

RPI-400: BACK VIEW

RPI-400: FRONT VIEW

RPI-400: BACK VIEW

RPI-400: BOOT COMPLETE😁

What’s the coolest ‘just for the joy of engineering’ project you’ve ever made, and how did you pull it off? We are asking e14 in our Join, Share & Win Competition

E14Alice — Fri, 01 May 2026 10:18:03 GMT

Hello May!

A new month means a new AskE14. Engineers, makers, and problem‑solvers are always building things simply because it’s fun to see what’s possible. Whether it’s a weekend experiment, a clever hack, or a wildly over‑engineered passion project, those moments capture the pure joy of creating.

Time for the question

What’s the coolest “just for the joy of engineering” project you’ve ever made, and how did you pull it off?

Competition Details

You'll have to be a member of the element14 Community to join in and take part in this “Join, Share & Win” challenge. It's simple, all you have to do is:

1. You need to make sure you are Register or Login
2. Then answer the following question by adding a reply or commenting!

What’s the coolest ‘just for the joy of engineering’ project you’ve ever made, and how did you pull it off?

This month, we are giving away:

The Community team will then select the best 3 answers to win the UNO R4 Minima!

Closing date: 29th May

Winners announced week of: Today

UNO R4 Minima

Winners!

Please join me in congratulating the winners:

ralphjy

robogary

battlecoder

Please make sure your address is updated on the Community Account!

Terms and Conditions

community.element14.com/.../T_2600_C-Aske14-May-2026-_2800_1_2900_.pdf

Edit: Winners are being reviewed, due to a change in the element14 Community team there'll be a slight delay.

Thank you e14

wolfgangfriedrich — Fri, 01 May 2026 02:02:03 GMT

Wow. I am still speechless about the generosity of e14 and their sponsors. The couriers were busy delivering shipments to my front door. And after some impatient unpacking, the contents presented themselves like this:

I was blessed with 2 RPI400's (one from the Ask e14 contest and one from the Top Tech Voices S2 E2 podcast) and an UltraScale+ FPGA SCU35 Eval Kit from the webinar. They are sitting on my workbench next to a batch of USB-PD sink boards going into stock at my little shop of electronics soon.

One of the RPi 400 is going to work with me. We are trying to push as much data as possible through the 40pin HAT connector SPI interface. And the RPi400 is the perfect test platform, compact and powerful. I will report results once available, but likely cannot share the design because of IP and such. The 2nd one will become my test thing for everything Linux at home. For the FPGA I have some ideas already, just think z_n+1 = z_n^2 + c. I just need to find some (actually a lot) of time. As I suggested for a new episode in the TTV podcast: "Time Management and Motivational Project Kick-off".

Cheers to the whole e14 team, you are great.

- W.

Your element14 Community Homepage is Changing... soon

cstanton — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 16:40:21 GMT

Maybe as soon as next week.

Behind the scenes we are making changes based up on your feedback, and some ideas of our own. We're aiming for the changes to go live on Tuesday the 5th of May.

What kind of changes?

It's a bit of experimentation. We're pushing for advertising the Community a little bit more if you're not already a member, versus if you're a member. So if your first reaction is "I want to see the content!" then logging in will have a different experience.

When you're logged in you'll have easier access to editing your profile, linking to lists of your content, and seeing your points level and highlighted achievements on the Community.

If you're logged out, you'll get to see what you can take advantage of on the Community, such as how many members there are and how much content is available.

As for the rest of the page?

We're highlighting featured content in a new way, and showing all of the 'recent content' in one list (well, two, and no more 'tabbed' content - our Top Members have already had a sneak peak) so if there's a new blog post, or forum post or project to the Community it'll be shown straight away and not hidden away.

There are some 'stretch goals' we have in mind to improve this layout, filters for the recent content list for one, and surfacing different content when you log in, but you can let me know what you think when we go live with it.

Hopefully this will help your content come to the front page sooner and make it easier for you to find your way to what's new, especially on mobile, and then we'll be looking at the rest of the site and its sections as we go.

Thanks for being a part of this journey with us.

new member

ROB074 — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 11:24:18 GMT

Hi Guy's, new member , retired Aircraft Mech, who like's building computers, repairing phones ands tablets, mainly using Aliexpress as my source , Yes their is a lot of crap, then you get something that works. (just remember I am working off a state pension) and this industry is expensive . but it's fun and challenging. like downloading the latest Zorin OS tried twice, last time if failed and google acknowledged it had fail ! and said it's a non supported OS, hello firefox let see if that works !.

Top Tech Voices Podcast S2 E5: Work-Tech Life Balance

JoRatcliffe — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 10:11:52 GMT

It is time for Episode 5 of the Top Tech Voices podcast! This episode’s guest is Dr Anne-Laure Le Cunff: a neuroscientist and former Googler.

Tune in for an episode covering:

Why ‘pushing through’ and resilience culture can be toxic
How curiosity helps you learn and improve yourself in the long-term
The ‘plus minus next’ journaling system for self-improvement
How to use AI as a partner for thinking and feedback

Click the banner below to watch the podcast video or listen on your favorite platform.

Or you can watch straight away right here:

www.youtube.com/watch
Competition Now Closed - Leave a comment and be in the running to win a prize!

All you have to do is the following:

1. You have to either Register or Login
2. Leave a comment or reply below!

Comments should include constructive discussion on the episode's topics (for example, spending the first hour of your day on deep / focused work instead of checking emails, meta-cognition, how to deal with uncertainty), or useful feedback that helps improve future podcasts.

The Community team will select the best 5 comments to each win an Arduino Uno Q 4GB! Plus, an additional sixth comment will be selected to receive a Raspberry Pi 400 as dougw generously donated his prize from a previous episode to be awarded to another community member.

Learn More

Terms and Conditions
community.element14.com/.../Episode-5-Top-Tech-Voices-Podcast-28th-April-_2D00_-Terms-_2600_-Conditions.pdf

The Winners

Akansha
Dipeshkachhi
embeddedguy
fyaocn
jelektro
gordonmx (winner of the Raspberry Pi rollover!)

Thank you element14

dang74 — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 21:34:17 GMT

I was tickled pink with the recent swag package I received. It was more than enough... but then before I knew it, another package was sent my way. This one an RPI400-US.

I pictured it here along with a Commodore 64 because the RPI400 reminds me of an earlier time when computers were embedded in keyboards. This was the prevalent form factor when I cut my teeth and the possibilities excite me. In fact, I am trying to come up with a project that might utilize both. In other words a collab of sorts between the new kid on the block and the venerable granddaddy of the 8-bit era. If any one has any ideas, I am all ears.

Thank you element14 and E14Alice for this wonderful gift that bridges current technology with a previous time in tech that I am really fond of.

Happy Earth Day 2026!

ralphjy — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 14:32:34 GMT

Happy Earth Day!!

Hope everyone is enjoying the start of Spring.

I just put out my Mason Bee cocoons and set up an outdoor IP camera to watch them. They should hatch within a week or so.

Hope to do better than last year - I had parasitic wasps that laid eggs in the bee tubes and I lost all of the bees. I got a fresh start from a friend that had a surplus of cocoons from her bee houses.