Farnell, an Avnet company and global distributor of electronic components, products and solutions, has today announced the launch of the annual Global Women in Engineering Survey in partnership with the element14 Community. The survey is an opportunity for professional women in engineering to share their insights and experiences, shedding light on career development as well as the broader challenges and opportunities within the electronics engineering industry.

The survey opens on International Women in Engineering Day (June 23), and will run for two months, closing on Saturday, August 20. The global survey is designed to gain direct insight from all members of the industry to understand current barriers to achieving equality and how to further diminish discriminatory practices in the workplace while painting a vision for the future. Results of the survey will be announced in September 2022. 

Dianne Kibbey, Global Head of Community and Social Media for element14, said: “This year we have added new questions addressing issues highlighted in the analysis of previous survey responses. While it’s clear that our industry is moving in the right direction, there is more to be done. We are also looking forward to uncovering even more amazing success stories of women who are achieving great things in our industry.”

The 2021 global survey drew responses from 370 people. Most of the respondents were aged between 25-54, and just over half said they had more than 10 years’ experience in the electronics engineering industry. The survey showed that while women in engineering are gaining support from all genders, they are still underrepresented overall and experience various degrees of discrimination.

The 2021 research further highlighted that all respondents believe the most important goal for the modern workforce is to achieve is the equal treatment of all genders. This year’s survey will be a key indicator of whether that positive trend has continued.

Other key findings of Farnell’s Global Women in Engineering Survey 2021 included:

• All genders have similar views about the benefits women bring to the engineering industry and believe that inequality needs to be addressed. Elevating more women into leadership positions where they can act as role models and mentors to other women will strengthen the implementation of equality policies and reduce inequality and sexism in the workplace.
• The research showed strong agreement on many issues, while some key differences were uncovered. Despite women citing good pay as a benefit of working in engineering, they still believe that the gender pay gap is still an issue.
• One powerful finding was that women were less worried about the need to travel for work than other genders perceive them to be. Only 15% of women surveyed suggested that reduced travel would be beneficial to their work-life balance and career prospects in contrast to the 25% of all other respondents who believed this to be true. This response suggests a further reduction in one perceived barrier to advancement in engineering careers for women.

There was an overwhelming response from all genders encouraging women to be more confident, trust in their abilities and embrace the challenge of working in engineering. Some of the top drivers leading women to enjoy a career in engineering included the opportunity to work on diverse projects, being involved at the birth of next-generation technology and establish and nurture a good work/life balance.

Farnell’s continued support for the survey will provide a comprehensive view of the challenges professional women working in the electronics engineering industry continue face and how they can successfully turn them into life-changing opportunities for themselves and the organisations they represent.

To get involved in Farnell’s new Global Women in Engineering Survey, go to: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/FarnellWiE2022

element14.com, an Avnet community, has released a new eBook for its members providing an insightful overview of IoT Security trends, relevant algorithms and cryptography for security use, along with a rundown of the latest in communication, edge device, gateway server, and cloud level security.

The Internet of Things (IoT) allows millions of servers, devices, and people across the world to communicate, share information, and achieve both simple and intricate goals through multiple applications. As IoT has improved over time, many service fields have benefited. However recent research shows that 90% of consumers are worried about IoT vulnerabilities concerning their data. This eBook provides an overview of both the threats and security options for IoT now and in the future, including:

• Current IoT architecture and models, ranging from the most basic three-layer model to the more advanced five-layer model.
• The most common forms of security breaches in IoT.
• Algorithms used in standard IoT security implementation, including RSA, Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA), and Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC).
• Error correction and cryptography methods used to protect encrypted data.
• Security threats on edge devices, including risks around firmware interference and IC key capture, and products that can help enhance IoT security for these nodes.
• Three of the top protocols in gateway-server communication security: Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and its more secure version HTTPS, Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT), and Constrained Application Protocol (COAP).
• Communication of security threats within wireless technologies and the multiple security options available to protect against third-party threats.
• Cloud level security including Secure Shell (SSH) systems, which encrypt all server traffic and prevent Man in the Middle attacks on cloud data.

The eBook also offers an inside look at the trends of IoT Security in 2021, including the new strategic adaptions and changes that organizations have made due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and how they will continue to affect the future of IoT Security moving forward, including:

• Security measures of privacy-aware machine learning (ML)
• Shifts to Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM)
• Privacy accommodations within the Distributed Cloud
• Benefits of location-independent functions
• The evolving culture of zero trust cybersecurity
• Public key infrastructure’s (PKI) changing role in the cybersecurity industry
• Increased endpoint management solutions
• Development around Responsible Al

Newark, an Avnet Company and global distributor of electronic components, also recently hosted a webinar on the latest IoT trends based on information from its third annual global IoT survey. More than 2,000 respondents provided first-hand insights into the world of IoT, including the most popular technologies and applications for IoT design, the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into IoT designs, the future of the IoT industry, and much more.

One of the major survey findings was that despite industrial automation and control being deemed a key market for IoT, Industry 4.0 adoption remains slow, primarily due to concerns over security. In fact, the survey revealed that security continues to be the most important aspect for developers to consider when building their designs, and it is also their primary concern.

To watch the pre-recorded webinar, please visit here. And to read the full IoT Security Trends eBook and see all of the insights, please visit element14.com.

element14, an Avnet community, is providing educational enrichment and skills-building opportunities for engineers all summer long with its ‘Summer of FPGAs’.

FPGAs are synonymous with artificial Intelligence, high performance computing, embedded vision, automated vehicles and the 5G transformation. element14 is making them a main focus this summer to help community members be ready to work with FPGAs in the future and hone their existing skillset.

“FPGAs are integral components for future innovations in electronics design,” said Dianne Kibbey, Global Head of Community and Social Media for the element14 Community. “That’s why we’re partnering with leaders in the FPGA space and sharing their expert advice to help make sure members of our community continue to have the knowledge set they need as the electronics design world continues to evolve.”

Over the summer months, element14 will be offering a wide range of educational workshops, webinars, training courses, and even opportunities for members to RoadTest the latest FPGA products, such as the Microchip PolarFire Splash Kit and the Lattice Semiconductor MachXO3L Starter Kit The events and training opportunities will be geared toward everyone, from makers who are just getting started to experienced engineers looking to keep their skills sharp. element14 Community members will also have the chance to win FPGA products to include in their designs.

To ensure members of the element14 Community are able to get the most out of these sessions, element14 has partnered with the leaders in FPGA and related technologies, including Xilinx, Microchip, Lattice, Digilent, Delkin, Samtec, On Semiconductor and more.

On July 22, element14 will host a live virtual panel with experts from Xilinx, Lattice and Microchip to discuss “Getting Started with FPGAs”. This lively conversation will dive into the benefits of FPGA technology, how to begin the journey and what FPGA components need to be considered in new product designs. The panel discussion will conclude with an overview and tips on FPGA development environments, programming, design tools, and the development process. There will also be time at the end for an audience Q&A.

Additional workshops and courses include:

• A tour of Zedboard
• Developing your first projects using the Ultra-96
• Getting started – Creating board definition files
• Vision and Sound AI Workshop
• High speed interconnects for FPGA applications
• Debugging a Linux application using Vitis

element14 is part of Newark, An Avnet company, which helps design engineers, maintenance and test engineers, makers, parents, and teachers develop the future generation of coders and products that apply technology to change our world for the better.

To learn more about the great opportunities available through element14 this summer, visit https://www.element14.com/community/groups/fpga-group

Farnell, an Avnet Company and global distributor of electronic components, products and solutions, has today announced the results of its Women in Engineering 2021 survey. Results showed positive support for women in engineering from all genders and a great similarity between the opinions of men and women about the need to address gender equality. While women remain underrepresented in the engineering/electronics industry, the latest research from Farnell highlighted that people believe the most important thing to achieve is the equal treatment of all genders.

This year’s survey of more than 370 people globally showed that all genders have similar views about the benefits women bring to the engineering industry and believe that inequality needs to be addressed. A key step to addressing inequality is introduce more women into leadership positions where they can act as role models and mentors to other women in the industry. While women clearly experience sexism in engineering, and all genders were united in their belief that this should not happen, respondents of other genders were more in favour of implementing stronger and more strictly enforced equality policies to prevent sexism in the workplace.

Although research showed strong agreement on many issues, there were some key differences uncovered. Research revealed that women were more likely to cite good pay as a benefit of working in engineering, however, they believe that the gender pay gap is still an issue. Women were also less worried about the need to travel for work than other genders think. Only 15% of women surveyed suggested reduced travel would be helpful, in comparison to 25% of all other respondents believing this to be important for women.

Farnell, in partnership with element14.com, an Avnet community, released the results from the Women in Engineering 2021 survey to coincide with International Women in Engineering Day and help shed light on women’s experiences and career paths as well as the wider challenges and opportunities in the engineering/electronics industry. The survey was open to all genders and ran for three months between March and May 2021. Most respondents were aged between 25 to 54 and just over half cited they had more than 10 years’ experience in the industry.

Rob Rospedzihowski, President Sales for Farnell EMEA said, “The industry has come a long way but we can always do a better job, and the job is never finished. This centres on equality and fairness for all. Women have told us that they don’t want to be part of a quota – they want to be recognised for what they do and given the opportunity to show what they can do. This is a hugely important message to get out. It’s about recognising each person in your team and your business as an individual. On Women in Engineering day I encourage this conversation. Ask yourselves, your colleagues and your teams ‘’What can we do better?’ because it’s through these conversations that we can make change happen.”

Dianne Kibbey, Global Head of Community and Social Media for element14 says: “This important research has enabled us to  gain valuable insights directly from members of our industry, allowing us to better understand what is working well for women in the workplace and what could be improved. The survey identified some clear challenges for our industry, however, the results also offered a positive outlook for the future with both sexes presenting united views on topical issues such as the need to enforce stronger equality policies. We look forward to sharing some of the amazing success stories from women who are already achieving great things in our industry. Women should have confidence in themselves and their abilities to continue inspiring others and to drive positive change in engineering.”

The survey unearthed many anecdotal success stories showcasing how women are contributing to the electronics industry, including:

• “During my time as an intern…I have worked on/taken charge of projects for some bigger companies. Some of those projects were worth more than $1 million. This was all done while attending school full time and working full-time.”
• “My proudest achievement is taking a failing electronics manufacturing business unit and completely turning it around. My second would be stepping into a leadership role and setting a record for highest employee engagement and satisfaction in the manufacturing organisation.”
• “Taking over a project that was failing which included the creation of a new API with a third party and turning it around to the point where the company I was working for in the past won an award for its successful delivery.”
• “Writing an oscilloscope display program to display the results of data gathered from tests on a monitor back when oscilloscopes were only analogue and did not have any way to accept any sort of external data source.”

There was an overwhelming response from all genders encouraging women to be more confident, trust in their abilities and take on the challenge of working in engineering. Some of the top drivers leading women to enjoy a career in engineering included the opportunity to work on diverse projects (23%), getting a preview of what’s coming next in technology and seeing that come to life (15%), flexibility and work/life balance (12%).

element14.com, an Avnet community, is offering its members a new eBook that provides an overview of the upcoming market trends in Wi-Fi, insights into how its standards are advancing, and an overview of new features and future applications that could further expand Wi-Fi’s importance and reach.

Wi-Fi has been a wildly successful technology since its introduction two decades ago, connecting billions of devices all over the world. The growing reach of Wi-Fi is benchmarked by several advancements, highlighted throughout the eBook. Looking ahead to the future, the upcoming changes in Wi-Fi will try to meet the needs of increased traffic, import new proficiencies, enhance security, and keep up with recent application trends in the market. All of this is explored in the new eBook, including:

• An overview of Wi-Fi’s growth and expansion, including insights into the growing demands on Wi-Fi networks and how Wi-Fi will need to evolve.
• Forecasts for the future of Wi-Fi 6 device technology, which is expected to become widely used in 2021 thanks in part to its lower latency and enhancements to battery life.
• Information on Wi-Fi Protected Access 3 (WPA3), which is now mandatory for all new Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ products to help ensure that Wi-Fi devices continue to keep pace with the evolving security landscape.
• An exploration of Wi-Fi 6E, which solves Wi-Fi spectrum shortage issues by providing additional and contiguous channel bandwidth, supporting an ever-growing population of devices at unprecedented speeds.
• A look into how the proximity-based discovery feature of Wi-Fi Aware enables applications to discover each other within a certain range without network infrastructure, allowing devices to interact and enhance the user experience without the need for an access point or human oversight.
• A look at the future of Wi-Fi hotspots, which are expected to continue to thrive thanks in part to Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Passpoint, which will streamline access to hotspots in public places by excluding the users’ need to locate and authenticate a network each time they connect.
• An overview of some of the application areas that will benefit from the advances in Wi-Fi technology, including the Internet of Things (IoT), the expansion of smart homes, networking technology in enterprise environments, automotive OEMs and Wi-Fi’s role in the future of mission-critical applications.
• An overview of the continued role Wi-Fi will play as a key to digital resilience, including delivering essential connectivity at the individual consumer level, allowing users to accomplish daily activities and carry out tasks that previously required physical contact.

Newark, an Avnet company, stocks a broad range of Wi-Fi enabled products that capitalize on the latest Wi-Fi technologies, including:

• Raspberry Pi 4 Computer, Model B 8GB RAM: This latest addition to the popular Raspberry Pi range of computers offers a significant increase in processor speed, rich multimedia performance, memory, and improved connectivity compared to its predecessor Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+. It boasts a 64-Bit quad-core processor running at 1.5GHz, up to 8GB of RAM, dual-band 2.4/5.0 GHz wireless LAN, Bluetooth 5.0/BLE, USB 3.0, and more.
• Arduino Portenta H7: The onboard wireless module allows makers to simultaneously manage WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. The WiFi interface can be operated as an Access Point, as a Station or as a dual mode simultaneous AP/STA and can handle up to 65 Mbps transfer rate.
• Avnet Ultra96 V2: The Ultra96-V2 is an Arm-based, Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+™ MPSoC development board based on the Linaro 96Boards Consumer Edition (CE) specification. Engineers have options of connecting to Ultra96-V2 through a Webserver using integrated wireless access point capability or to use the provided PetaLinux desktop environment which can be viewed on the integrated Mini DisplayPort video output.

To read the full eBook and see all of the insights, please visit element14.com.

element14, an Avnet community, is bringing good cheer to engineers this holiday season with its annual Engineer and Maker’s Wishlist. In addition to ideas for the perfect gift, element14, available from Newark, element14 is getting into the holiday spirit with three separate giveaways, giving its members the chance to win prize packs for circuit assembly, test and measurement and even the ultimate Raspberry Pi bundle. And to top it all off, element14 is hosting a holiday-themed design challenge for its members to share what the holidays mean to them.

This year’s gift guide includes all of the best products for electronics designers, ranging from stocking stuffers for young engineers to under-the-tree standouts for seasoned designers. The much-anticipated annual gift guide is created for engineers, by engineers, and has gifts they’re sure to love:

Stocking Stuffers for Young Engineers:

• CodeBug and accessories: The cutest, easiest to program, wearable, portable embedded electronics platform that is very 'hackable' in what it can do, Codebug is a great starter to embedded hardware control.
• Micro:bit V2 and accessories: V2 of the beloved micro:bit features additional sensors and a microphone to enhance this microcontroller platform designed to introduce programming techniques to young minds.

Connecting Up Your Prototyping:

• Magnifier with Helping Hands: Whether you're soldering something that is too hot to handle, or you just need to get a grip onto a piece of hardware, this magnifier has you covered.
• Components and Sensor Kit for Raspberry Pi: Everything you need to jump start your IoT projects on the holiday to-do list can be found in this components kit.
• Insulated Screwdriver Set: Insulated screwdrivers are not only designed to protect engineers, but also what they’re working on. A great gift for an adventurous engineer.

Show Stopper 3D Printers

• Multicomp i-20 3D Printer: This sturdy printer is great for makers who want to dive in and uniquely customize their 3D projects.
• Creality CR-20 Pro: A back to basics 3D printer with hands-on control, this quality printer is great for makers familiar with 3D printing.
•  Ultimaker S5: For those who like to dream big, this printer is capable of handling soluble print materials alongside ABS and PLA.

In addition to the dozens of product recommendations vetted by the community, element14 is keeping the holiday spirit going throughout the rest of the year with three giveaway opportunities, open through December 30:

• Test and Measurement Tool Bundle Giveaway offers the chance to win a Handheld Digital Oscilloscope, Handheld Digital Multimeter, a Humidity Meter and more.
• Circuit Assembly Tools Giveaway includes the chance to win an Anti-Static Wrist Strap, Jumper Wire Strips, a 150W Solder Station and more.
• Ultimate Raspberry Pi Bundle Giveaway features the latest hardware and a mixture of features including the Raspberry Pi 400 Starter Kit, Raspberry Pi Touchscreen, the Raspberry Pi Hi Quality Camera 12.3MP and more.

And last but not least, element14 is hosting a holiday project competition that challenges makers to create something that reflects what the holidays mean to them. In the spirit of the season, the maker that shows the most heart will be crowned the winner and receive a tool kit (~ $500 value) that includes a handheld oscilloscope, a USB soldering iron, a bench power supply, wire strippers, along with a $400 shopping cart, and an additional $100 gift to share with another member of the community for their project. For more information visit https://www.element14.com/community/docs/DOC-95801/l/project14-holiday-special-20-win-tool-kit-bundles-shopping-carts-and-gifts-to-give-others

The element14 Community was the first community specifically built for engineers and now has over 750,000 engineer, maker and entrepreneurial members. To see the full range of suggested holiday gifts for engineers, and to enter the giveaways, be sure to check out the element14 Engineer and Maker’s Wish List 2020.

element14.com, an Avnet community, has announced its latest Project14 design contest, themed around reducing electronics waste by upcycling vintage electronics. Members of the online community will have the opportunity to repurpose any unused appliance to make it into something new, unique and useful. By upcycling electronics that no longer serve a purpose, members of the community are able to celebrate the best parts of vintage electronics while improving them to make them function in today’s electronics environment.

A monthly design competition open to makers and engineers of all backgrounds and skill levels, Project14 was developed to promote shared learning and cooperation among members of the element14 Community. Participants are asked to document their progress through a series of blogs, with the best executed projects eligible for a chance of winning a $200 credit for use at Newark in North America, Farnell in Europe or element14 in Asia Pacific.

All Project14 challenges are based on suggestions from element14 community members, with each month’s theme selected by a public poll. The Recycle & Retrofit challenge was inspired by a workshop on Vintage Upcycling hosted by Enrico Miglino: 

To enter the Project14 Recycle & Retrofit Design Contest, participants simply need to register an account at the element14 Community and submit a blog entry detailing their idea and how they plan to develop it.

Submissions are open until December 14, 2020. For more information including full terms and conditions, visit: www.element14.com/upcycle

To register to become a member of the element14 Community, visit http://www.element14.com/

Farnell, an Avnet Company and the exclusive manufacturing partner of the Micro:bit Educational Foundation, is celebrating the manufacture of 5 million BBC micro:bit devices since its launch in 2016. The micro:bit has been adopted by multiple educational organisations around the world to support STEM learning through formal programmes, helping the Foundation reach an estimated 25 million children in more than 60 countries who have learnt digital creativity and computing skills. The micro:bit has been adopted by educational organisations around the world to support Science, Technology, Education and Mathematics (STEM) learning programmes.

Today, the Micro:bit Educational Foundation, announced a new micro:bit offering greater memory capacity, a faster processor and, for the first time, “out of the box” sound and touch functionality. More information is available from micro:bit.org. The new micro:bit will be available to order from Farnell in November.

Farnell has worked with multiple educational organisations and governments to support strategic rollouts of STEM learning solutions into the classroom, and stocks a broad range of education devices that can be supplied in class, school and multiple-school quantities. Farnell can also offer support with provision and bundling of equipment for bespoke large-scale programmes similar to the Super:bit programme in Norway.

Lee Turner, Global Head of Semiconductors and SBC at Farnell said: “Farnell is proud to be the Micro:bit Educational Foundation’s exclusive manufacturer and we are delighted to join our partners in celebrating the manufacture of 5 million micro:bit and their announcement of an updated micro:bit today.”

Farnell also provides a range of resources to assist educators and parents supporting children with STEM. The element14 Community’s STEM Academy provides a wealth of content and support for those looking to get started with the micro:bit. This dedicated online hub is designed for people who want to explore learning concepts and classroom-based design projects within the electronics and digital space. The element14 Community’s ‘The Learning Circuit’ series features a number of instructional videos which take viewers through different ways to learn and explore with micro:bit. These short videos teach users how to apply micro:bit to their designs and offer instruction and advice on bringing projects to life. The Micro:bit Educational Foundation also offer a range of resources on micro:bit.org.

To find out more about the BBC micro:bit visit farnell.com/bbc-microbit or join the conversation on the element14 Community.

Farnell, the Development Distributor, has published a number of eBooks to educate users, develop their skills, and refresh their knowledge. The latest eBook in the market, published by Farnell is called ‘The era of AIoT, context, capabilities and future of AIoT’. The other two books titled, ‘Essential Raspberry Pi tips’, and, ‘What you need to know about 5G’,are published by element14.com, an Avnet community. The element14 community is part of Farnell, which helps design engineers, makers, parents, and teachers develop the future generation of coders and products that apply technology to change our world for the better.

• Essential Raspberry Pi tips: In recent years, Raspberry Pi has transitioned from a tool for students & hobbyists to a viable option for many types of engineering projects. In order to support users and help them overcome challenges they might face as they get started developing projects with the Raspberry Pi, the element14 Community published this ‘Essential Raspberry Pi tips’ ebook. Cabe Atwell, the element14 contributor who authored the eBook said: “If you’re considering the Raspberry Pi because you are curious about electronics and coding, or even if you're a practicing engineer, just go for it!.”

• What you need to know about 5G: The second eBook by the community puts all the speculations around 5G to rest. The eBook covers the basic concepts of 5G, the 1G to 5G evolution, a comparison between different generations of cellular technology, and potential 5G applications. Dianne Kibbey, Head of community and social media for element14 said: “The element14 community aims to support engineers throughout their careers, and provide a range of ways in which they can develop their skills and refresh their knowledge. The size of the community, and the sheer number of publicly available forums, tutorials and projects means that you will be in good company as you explore and experiment.”

• The era of AIoT, context, capabilities and future of AIoT: This ebook provides an in-depth roadmap of AI, explains the relation between AI, Machine Learning (ML), and Deep Learning (DL) and available platforms to get users started with their first AI based IoT solution. Ankur Tomar, Technical Marketing Manager, Farnell said: “Everyone is talking about how AI will revolutionise our lives. The eBook explains AI, its types, capabilities and applications exhaustively for our readers.”

element14 community members can download Raspberry Pi and 5G eBooks for free at https://www.element14.com/community/community/publications/ebooks . The AIoT book is available to download for free at https://uk.farnell.com/aiot-ebook-lp.

element14.com, an Avnet community, is teaming up with ON Semiconductor and Hackster.io to inspire developers to create innovative solutions to everyday problems as part of the ThinkON Design Challenge. Both element14 and Hackster.io¹ community members are invited to design the most creative solution utilizing the ON Semiconductor RSL10 Sensor Development Kit (RSL10-SENSE-GEVK). Example projects could include solutions to monitor challenges as diverse as workers in potentially dangerous environments or elderly people at risk of falls; to fragile packages within a shipping facility, fruits and vegetables in processing areas, organ transplant shipments or even pets in transit.

ON Semiconductor’s RSL10 Sensor Development Kit is a compact and comprehensive platform for electronic designers to easily develop IoT applications with leading sensor technology and the industry's lowest power Bluetooth low energy SoC. The development kit features a full range of sensors including environmental, inertial (3-axis accelerometer, 3-asix gyroscope and a low-power smart hub for motion sensing), a geomagnetic sensor, and an ambient light sensor. Developers can use the sensors provided on the board or add their own sensors and actuators to be controlled by the RSL10 Sense and Control app.

“This new design challenge really pushes element14 and Hackster,io community members to think differently about solutions that can have a true impact on the world around them,” said Dianne Kibbey, Global Head of Community and Social Media for the element14 Community. “ON Semiconductor’s cutting edge development kit provides engineers with the flexibility to more easily create low-power, connected IoT devices that generate valuable insights that benefit both individuals and businesses.”

Designers can apply to participate in “ThinkON” now through October 11 by submitting their proposals online. On October 18, up to 50 challengers will selected to receive the ON Semiconductor RSL10 Sensor Development Kit to build their designs. The challengers will have about 11 weeks to build their projects, and submit at least one blog post tracking their progress and sharing their design with the element14 and Hackster.io online communities.

A panel of judges from the element14 Community will evaluate entries based on originality, innovation and technical merit. Projects will be due on January 1, with winners being announced and prizes shipped on February 1. The best overall entry will receive a Lulzbot Mini 2 Desktop 3D Printer, with further prizes awarded for the best entry in each of 3 categories: the best entry in Wearables or Heathcare will receive a HTC VIVE Pro Virtual Reality System and the best entries in Safety or Asset Monitoring and Smart Home will both receive an Apple iPad Pro (12.9Inch).

To learn more about the ThinkON Design Challenge, please visit www.element14.com/ThinkON

To find out more about Farnell’s portfolio of high-performing solutions and associated technologies that enable developers to take concepts and turn them into smart connected designs across a wide range of applications visit https://www.newark.com/b/on-semiconductor.

element14, an Avnet community, continues to make developing with programmable logic devices easier, quicker and more advantageous for its community of engineers with the launch of its Path II Programmable series, sponsored by Xilinx.

Building on the success of last year’s successful training series, Path II Programmable, the only programme of its type in the industry, will once again provide 5 community members with guidance and advice from knowledgeable community members and product specialists from Xilinx and Avnet as they journey to become FPGA design engineers. Over the course of 6 weeks, the participants will blog about their journey to share their knowledge and development experience with fellow community members.

Path II Programmable leverages the Avnet Ultra96-V2 development board, an Arm-based, Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+™ MPSoC open source board to develop software applications, hardware devices and kernel programming for operating systems. By using programmable logic to accelerate the development of deep learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms, the low-cost Avnet Ultra96-V2 makes the power of programmable logic accessible for all types of engineers, enabling software developers to take advantage of the benefits of hardware acceleration.

“Our Path to Programmable initiative provides members with a unique opportunity for professional development while continuing to address misconceptions around the complexity of developing products with programmable logic devices,” said Dianne Kibbey, Global Head of Community and Social Media for the element14 Community. “The element14 Community is committed to supporting its members as they build projects, develop their skills and stay up to date with the latest technologies. And by using the Ultra96-V2 to complete their projects, participants will gain valuable experience for future development of AI and Internet of Things (IoT) applications.”

Through the Path II Programmable program, participants will receive the tools they need to develop smart, connected systems suitable for a wide variety of applications, including:

• Artificial Intelligence
• Machine Learning
• IoT/Cloud Connectivity for Add-On Sensors
• Embedded Computing
• Robotics
• Entry Level Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC Development Environment
• Training Prototyping and Proof of Concept Demo Platform
• Wireless Design and Demonstrations Using WiFi and Bluetooth

“This program gives designers the skills they need to take advantage of increasingly popular of FPGAs, while leveraging the easy to use Ultra96-V2 board to accelerate software development,” said Jayson Bethurem, product line manager at Xilinx. “We are delighted to run this program with the element14 Community again this year.”

element14 is a discussion-based community comprised of more than 650,000 members that connects engineers across the globe to solve each other’s technical and design challenges, and is one of the longest running networks of its kind in the electronics industry. All element14 Community members may sign up to participate in Path II Programmable before September 16, 2019 by visiting the element14 website. Anyone not a community member who is interested in this opportunity can join for free to gain access to the valuable resources of the element14 Community.

Last year’s Path to Programmable series took eight community members new to FPGA SOCs and trained them to better understand the technology, development tools and design flow process over the course of a 12-week program. Trainees received a mix of instruction and mentoring provided by experts from the element14 Community, Newark and the engineering teams at Xilinx and Avnet.

To learn more about the Path II Programmable, and to sign up to enter before September 16, please visit element14.com.

Celebrating its 10^th anniversary this summer, element14 was the first online community launched specifically for engineers and is one of the longest running networks of its kind in the electronics industry. A discussion-based community, element14 connects engineers across the globe to solve each other’s technical and design challenges. Members also have unique opportunities to road test new products and access the Design Center, a comprehensive resource that brings together the latest development tools, technical information from suppliers, community discussions, webinars, online courses, live support and regular hands-on design challenges to experience new technologies.

“During the past 10 years, we’ve cultivated a lasting, active and valuable community for engineers and entrepreneurs,” said Dianne Kibbey, Global Head of Community and Social Media for element14. “Today, with more than 650,000 members, element14 is thriving in an environment where statistics show that only 1 in 10 communities make it beyond their first three years. We’ve grown the community by staying focused on our members, and collaborating with them to provide the resources and programs they need to increase their knowledge of new technology and bring their projects to life.”

Recently, Avnet announced it is giving away 20,000 free Azure Sphere starter kits to help developers create highly secure, end-to-end IoT solutions. The initiative is part of Avnet’s ongoing partnership with Microsoft’s Azure Sphere Ecosystem and supported by design challenges on both element14 and Hackster.io, with prizes valued at $70,000 USD including:

• element14 members who get their Azure kit online and send data for 15 consecutive days before August 30, 2019, get the chance to win one of 50 $200 USD gift cards.

• The element14 ‘Sensing the World’ design challenge gives members freedom to develop an IoT device that demonstrates the vast potential of Azure Sphere. Participants have the opportunity to win 3 Grand Prize bundles of Microsoft gear worth $3,500 USD each, and 10 runner-up bundles worth $1,500 USD each. The bundle can include Surface laptops or tablets, Xbox gaming systems, HoloLens VR gear, and more. Within their challenge design, participants can utilize their choice of peripherals, complementing the on-board connectivity, sensors and expansion possibilities, as well as choose their own application. Submitted projects will be judged on ingenuity and how well they achieve their stated purpose. For more information go to https://www.element14.com/community/docs/DOC-92683/l/sensing-the-world-challenge

Dianne added; “element14 members have the opportunity to win some incredible prizes, and we are looking forward to seeing the breadth and creativity that we have learned to expect from them as they develop IOT based applications connecting the Avnet Azure Sphere kit to the cloud. Whether you get involved, or follow our member’s blogs as they develop their projects – this is going to be an amazing summer.”

The “Sensing the World challenge” closes for entries on September 30, 2019. To find out more about the Avnet Microsoft Azure giveaway, element14 community and Hackster.io challenges visit https://secureeverything.avnet.com/

element14.com, the world’s largest electronic design community, has released its latest episode of the “Workbench Wednesdays” series, hosted by James Lewis, the Bald Engineer. The online series provides engineers with tips and tricks on the latest bench top productivity tools to help build smarter. The episode released today is sure to be hair-raising as James investigates the electrostatic protection tools every engineer should have and know how to use.

“We created the ‘Workbench Wednesdays’ series to help community members expand their knowledge and ensure they understand everything their tools can do to help them create innovative products,” said Dianne Kibbey, Global Head of Community and Social Media at the element14 Community. “James brings a unique spin to the series and offers our 640,000-strong community a perspective they can relate to because he’s a professional engineer, too. We’re excited to continue ‘Workbench Wednesdays’ to help our community connect with each other, inspire creativity and bring their ideas to life.”

In contrast to traditional product reviews, “Workbench Wednesdays” provides hands-on tips in real-lab situations. The episodes provide engineers and makers with valuable insights to help them decide whether or not to upgrade their gadgets and why. Community members are also welcome to interact with the content and host to gain an even deeper understanding about the tools and concepts being discussed. One of the most popular episodes of Workbench Wednesday featured James reviewing the considerations for when to upgrade a soldering station as well as how-to’s on solder tip maintenance that will extend the life of their tools.

The first community specifically built for professional engineers, makers and enthusiasts alike, element14 offers a variety of benefits to its members to help them to grow their knowledge and skills. The element14 community is part of Newark and provides access to resources that offer information on a number of the latest development tools, technical information from suppliers, community discussions, webinars as well as live chats with the element14 support team.

New content will be featured on a weekly basis. To learn more or view the element14 Community’s “Workbench Wednesdays” series, please visit: https://www.element14.com/community/community/element14-presents/workbenchwednesdays.

element14.com, the world’s largest electronic design community, today announced it is giving its members the unique opportunity to design the sensor board of their dreams. The Dream Sensor Board campaign leverages the element14 Community, comprised of makers, engineers and designers, to crowd-source the best combination of sensor modules. Molex, a leading supplier of connectors and interconnect components, will review the feedback to create a truly crowdsourced sensor board with the features that are the most important to the element14 Community.

Sensor modules provide the ideal platform for developing electronic projects and designs that measure or detect variables including pressure, temperature, humidity, motion, colour and even physical position. Members of the element14 Community will be able to share their preferred connectivity, interface methods and what applications of the board are the most useful.

“Our community is on the front line of product development every day, and are the ideal audience to provide feedback on new components like sensor boards,” said Dianne Kibbey, Global Head of Community and Social Media for the element14 Community. “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Molex to offer our community members the chance for their voices to be heard and ultimately use their dream sensor board in future designs.”

Members can mix and match components and collaborate, provide information on their preferred connectivity and interface methods, and define the most useful applications for the board. Members can also share their designs with other community members, and will vote on the best designs. The community’s creative feedback will help inform Molex’s development of upcoming sensor modules.

“Molex is several years into a transition from a company that primarily manufactured connectors to a company that manufactures a balanced mix of connectors and electronic solutions,” said Patrick Killian, Solutions Director - Power and Signal Business Unit. “As a result of this strategy, we are moving forward to develop plug-and-play multi-function sensor modules. We are looking forward to engaging with element14’s engineering community. Jointly we plan to define the combination of sensors that will be most valuable for environmental and/or mechanical applications.”

The element14 Community was the first community specifically built for engineers. With over half a million engineers, manufacturer, inventor, and innovator members, the element14 Community offers its members a number of important benefits and is a place where suppliers and customers can provide insights and trends on the industry.

To learn more about the dream sensor boards, visit: http://www.element14.com/DreamSensorBoard

element14.com, the online community for engineers, has launched a new eBook for engineers, graduates and tech professionals looking to pursue a career in the fast-growing world of IoT.

The free, downloadable publication collects advice and key insights from industry experts and business leaders representing companies such as Amazon, Eaton, Microsoft, Molex and more. Featured topics include the different career paths available to an IoT professional, the skills and attributes an IoT employer looks for during the hiring process, and how emerging trends such as machine learning and cloud security are affecting the market.

The volume is compiled from insights gathered during a series of Webinars hosted on the element14 Community which focus on professional trends and issues related to the Internet of Things.

Dianne Kibbey, Global Head of Community and Social Media for the element14 Community and Farnell, said: “As the world’s largest online community for engineers and makers, we’re seeing more and more of our members harnessing the power of IoT to shape their careers and pursue new opportunities in the tech space.”

“This new eBook underscores the commitment of the element14 Community alongside Farnell, the Development Distributor, to develop the next generation of engineers; and I believe that the unique insight provided by the industry-leading experts we invite onto our webinars makes it an invaluable resource for graduates and experienced tech professionals alike.”

The eBook, entitled ‘Engineering Your Future: Professional Advice on Pursuing a Career in IoT’ can be downloaded for free along with an extensive library of eBooks by becoming a registered member of the element14.com Community. Visit https://www.element14.com/community/community/publications/ebooks to browse the full collection.

The Webinar series that inspired the eBook can also be accessed as free recordings available to registered members of the element14 Community.

Are You Ready for an IoT Career in 2019 (featuring Amazon and Eaton): https://www.element14.com/community/events/5251/l/are-you-ready-for-an-iot-career-in-2019

Are You Wired for a Great Job in IoT? (featuring Molex and Microsoft): https://www.element14.com/community/events/5222/l/are-you-wired-for-a-great-job-in-iot-featuring-molex-and-microsoft

How To Start and Grow Your IoT Career (featuring Microchip Technology Inc and The Things Network): https://www.element14.com/community/events/5192/l/how-to-start-and-grow-your-iot-career-featuring-microchip-technology-inc-and-the-things-network

element14.com, the online community for engineers, has announced the launch of their latest STEM initiative, the Summer Code Club Challenge, in association with educational project kit developers Kitronik.

Following the success of last year’s Great micro:bit giveaway – which inspired creative design projects from educators in locations including Chile, Romania, New Zealand and Canada – the Summer Code Club Challenge aims to empower parents, teachers and STEM ambassadors to set up summer code clubs in their local communities, helping young people access coding and digital literacy resources and support while schools are closed.

Anyone who runs or would like to run a code club between the months of June and August 2019 can submit an application detailing when, where and how they plan to run their local club. Successful applicants will be provided with micro:bit club packs and Kitronik Inventor Kits containing all the equipment and resources needed to run a full curriculum of simple projects and experiments.

In addition, participating clubs will be challenged to come up with a simple interactive game using the resources provided. At the end of the summer, a panel of expert judges will select one creative gaming project to be awarded a batch of ten Raspberry Pi model B+ Starter Kits, worth around $500 at RRP.

Dianne Kibbey, Global Head of Community and Social Media for the element14 Community, said: “Volunteer-run code clubs are an invaluable resource for young people who wish to develop their knowledge of electronics and digital literacy.”

“After our last education initiative involving the micro:bit inspired so many incredible projects from our members around the world, we are excited to build on this success and empower our members to run code clubs in their local communities with the help of our partners at Kitronik.”

Kevin Spurr, Sales and Marketing Director at Kitronik, added “As a company that specialises in developing electronic project kits, supporting coding opportunities for young people is at the heart of what we do as a business.”

“Our Inventor Kits were designed to make learning with micro:bit creative, accessible and fun for all ages. We’re delighted to be supporting our partners at the element14 Community in this initiative to share our kits with STEM clubs around the world.”

Applications for the Summer Code Club Challenge are open now and will close on Friday 31^st May. Applicants simply need to register an account at the element14 Community and leave a comment underneath the announcement post detailing where and when they’d like to run their club, and how many students they’d anticipate taking part. Established code clubs are welcome to apply.

For more information including full terms and conditions, visit https://www.element14.com/community/community/stem-academy/microbit

To register to become a member of the element14 Community, visit http://www.element14.com/

To find out more about the micro:bit and resources available visit Farnell in Europe, Newark in North America and element14 in Asia Pacific.

element14.com, the community for engineers, has announced the winners of its “Sixth Sense” Design Challenge. As one of five challenges the element14 Community runs each year, element14 encouraged its members to create a small, remotely-operated or autonomous vehicle, leveraging the powerful processing capabilities of STMicroelectronics and TE Connectivity products to improve remote vehicle sensing and data collection.

The element14 Community team of judges selected a Grand Prize and Runner Up winner for the design challenge:

• Grand Prize – Douglas Wong, Canada – Douglas created GraffitiBot, a fully autonomous ground vehicle capable of printing graphics on the surface it traverses and producing a liquid canvas drawing. Although the GraffitiBot itself might be small, the scope of the project was anything but, incorporating mechanical, electronics, software and hydraulic design.

• Runner Up – Rod B, UK – Rod created a robot to help those working in construction by hauling heavy materials such as sand or gravel. To achieve this, Rod made his own PCB to host the TE Magnet sensor so that it would be board-mountable, showing an inventive way of using the required technology. This was Rod’s first ever element14 design challenge.

Through detailed blog posts, the challengers made all of their build steps and code open source, so other element14 Community members can learn from these designs and replicate projects on their own.

“As the Development Distributor, we are committed to being a champion for makers and are proud to help drive innovation for our 600,000-plus member community,” said Dianne Kibbey, Global Head of Community and Social Media for the element14 Community. “As always, we were very impressed by the creativity and innovative spirit our community demonstrated with this challenge and are looking forward to offering more opportunities for our members to push the boundaries of electronic design.”

The element14 Community is part of Premier Farnell, the development distributor, which helps design engineers, maintenance and test engineers, makers, parents, and teachers develop the future generation of coders and products that apply technology to change our world for the better.

To learn more about element14 design challenges and the community’s commitment to drive innovation and champion makers, visit: https://www.element14.com/community/community/design-challenges

element14.com, an online engineering community, has announced the graduation of the charter class of engineers in its Path to Programmable training program. The program, sponsored by Avnet, Inc. and Xilinx, Inc., was designed to accelerate the adoption of programmable logic devices in electronic hardware design.

The training program enrolled five community members and trained them on FPGA/SoC technology to speed up their understanding of the technology, development tools, and design flow process. FPGA/SoCs are key to delivering smart, connected systems suitable for a wide variety of cutting edge applications, spanning aerospace & defense, automotive, data center, high performance computing, industrial IOT, medical, and 5G Wireless.

The engineers received mentoring from experts at the element14 Community and the engineering team at Xilinx and Avnet. Support included element14 Essentials learning modules on Programmable Logic and Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). The engineers were also given an Avnet Minized, a single-core Zynq 7Z007S development board designed for entry-level Zynq SoC developers. The program wrapped up with the engineer-trainees building a project of their choice using the skills they acquired during the training.

Dianne Kibbey, Global Head of Community and Social Media for the element14 Community said: “The growth in the use of programmable logic devices such as FPGAs in drones, wireless networks, data centers, IoT and ADAS vehicles makes this training both timely and critical for the development of the next generation of engineers. This new program from the element14 Community provided our members with a great opportunity for professional development and helped them accelerate their technology adoption of designing hardware controlled by FPGAs/SoCs."

Dianne added, “We are already planning for a further intake of engineers into the program, with the intention of helping more and more engineers understand how simple FPGAs can be.”

“It’s been really exciting following the progress of the participants, and exciting to see a new group of users learn Xilinx technology,” says Jayson Bethurem, product line manager, Xilinx. “Interest in FPGAs has been increasing at an exponential rate and we’re proud to partner with a community like element14 to bring educational content on programmable logic devices, like the Zynq-7000 SoCs, to more people than ever.”

The element14 Community was the first community specifically built for engineers and now has over 650,000 engineering, maker and entrepreneurial members. The Path to Programmable program was developed following feedback from the members themselves, aimed to help engineers quickly adopt programmable logic device technology and to address any misconceptions they have about the difficulty of working with them.

Xilinx products are available from Newark in North America, Farnell in Europe and element14 in APAC.