Although Dale and Chrystal aren't aware of this, there was a discussion behind the scenes over the last couple of weeks, in which our Top Members offered advice on who's been doing a particularly great job here on the Community.

There was a chorus of nominations for Dale, and his daughter Chrystal, of course, primarily because of their regular join efforts on some great projects. Indoctrinating the kind of youthful vigour that Chrystal's been showing is, our Top Members (and ourselves) universally agree, and essential part of modern electronics.

So congratulations to Dale and Chrystal Winhold on becoming element14's Members of the Month for November!

dwinhold

e14 @DALE: What sort of training do you have in electronics, or other skills required to make your projects?

DALE: Everything I know about electronics and programming is self learned. Lots of trial and error. I've always been working with computers on my own, building and modifying them. It's been a passion of mine since I can remember. My career doesn't have much to do with electronics, I'm a cabinetmaker (for 28 years now) so I love to create things that are unique and I like to push my abilities to the limit.

e14 @ CHRYSTAL: How did you first get interested in electronics, and making projects with your dad?

CHRYSTAL: I was in my Grade 7 advance placement class and I was tasked with inventing something. I came up with the idea of an alarm clock that senses what's happening in the room. So I came up with a flow chart and brought it to my dad to see if we could create it. The final creation was The Seven Sense Alarm Clock which detects when you're sleeping, awake, controls the lights, automatically turns on and off as well as other room automations. So, electronics has always been an interest for me and I'm going to continue to work with my dad on our projects and learn as much as possible.

e14 @BOTH: Can you remember the first time you worked together on an electronics project?

DALE & CHRYSTAL: The first full project we did together was the alarm clock invention. We spent many hours together creating, building and programming.

e14 @BOTH: Is this something you do a lot together, creating electronics and coding projects?

DALE & CHRYSTAL: When projects come up or we have ideas for things to create, we always work together to make them a reality. Chrystal likes to come up with ideas and helps with all parts of the project.

e14 @CHRYSTAL: Has the work you've done on your home projects helped you out with your school work? Are you thinking about pursuing electronics in higher education, or even as a career?

CHRYSTAL: It has. It helped me with science and understanding how technology influenced our everyday lives. I don't think this will become my career as I'm focused on becoming an Environmental Biologist (I have to do my part in saving the world!), but the skills I'm learning now will help my future.

e14 @DALE: How does it work when you guys set off on a new project? Is it a teacher/student relationship, or do you both work things out together as you go?

DALE: Projects are usually initiated by one of us coming up with an idea. We talk for months about it until we feel we have a good concept of what the final project will be. We then reverse engineer our idea so as to not miss any steps and have our creation come together smoothly. We work together as we create but I do a lot of explaining and teaching for Chrystal so she understands why and how things work. This is never one sided. Chrystal teaches me as well!

e14 @BOTH: How did you first find the element14 Community, and what made you decide to start participating?

DALE & CHRYSTAL: I found Element14 while browsing the internet searching for information on the Arduino. I checked out the community and forums and got hooked. I joined in April 2013 and participated ever since. Chrystal started participating last year with me on our first challenge "In the Air Design Challenge". Since then she has been a big part of the projects.

e14 @BOTH: Has being a member of the element14 Community proved beneficial in terms of your projects, work and education?

DALE & CHRYSTAL: Element14 Community has been more beneficial then we could ever explain. The community helps us all with their combined knowledge and shares openly. We couldn't have gotten this far without Element14 and all of its members.

e14 @BOTH: Are there any projects that you guys are working on right now, or thinking about starting, that you'd like to tell us about?

DALE & CHRYSTAL: We are currently working on an 8x8x8 LED cube and have started on a Stringless Synthesized Electric Guitar (If chosen for the Music Tech Challenge it will be our project).

e14 @BOTH: What advice would you give to someone who's new to the maker scene, and to the element14 Community?

DALE & CHRYSTAL: For anyone who is new, don't be afraid to ask questions, the Community is here to guide, teach and learn. We are all here to help each other. The main thing Chrystal and I have learned is never give up on your creation or dream. Our slogan "Creating the imagined".