Watch | Circuit Showdown: Three Contestants. Two Rounds. One Champion.
Tech is innovation. Each electronics generation stands on the shoulders of the innovations of the one before, and generations of electrical engineers are no different.
So, we brought electrical and mechanical engineering students together for a first-of-its-kind design standoff with prizes for the winners. Welcome to Circuit Showdown.
The Contest
Each contestant got the same pre-selected hardware, testing equipment, and theme, and must use their creativity and technical skills to design, build, and code their project within the time constraints.
Powered by Mouser and hosted by eeDesignIt, you don’t want to miss this competition.
The Prize
$40,000 in cash and equipment prizes for the contestants and their universities.
The Contestants
Michael Vidales: A Prairie View A&M University mechanical engineering student eager to show that anyone can excel in engineering, even without a traditional EE degree.
Renee Wrysinski: A Rice University student focused on using engineering to create solutions that improve the lives of people with disabilities.
Charles Morales: A Texas State University student with a passion for circuit design, driven by his love of hands-on problem-solving.
The Prep
In preparation for the contents, the students prepared for the competition by honing their embedded hardware and software development skills, working with Arduino Pro and Keysight Smart Bench Essentials test equipment.
The First Round
The theme of this round was “smart home.”
Using the Arduino Portenta C33, Keysight test equipment, and hundreds of components from brands like Molex, Renesas, and Vishay, the contestants had just four hours to complete their projects under the watchful guidance of their Chief Mentor, Raymond Yin, Mouser’s Technical Content Director.
In this Smart Home automation round, each contestant created something unique:
- Charles created a window monitoring system.
- Renee designed a CO2 sensor for air quality monitoring.
- Michael ambitiously built a “smart crib” that responds to baby sounds and movements.
The Judges
The judges—industry experts from Molex, FIRST Robotics, and Arduino—evaluated each design based on functionality, adherence to the theme, resourcefulness, and originality:
- Kirk Ulery, Distribution Business Development Manager, Molex
- Chris Moore, CEO, FIRST Robotics
- Massimo Banzi, Co-Founder, Arduino
The Hosts
Bryan DeLuca and Nicolette Emmino from eeDesignIt, experts in the world of electronics engineering, provide insight and engaging commentary throughout this exciting competition.
Watch episodes 1 and 2 to discover who moves forward and who is eliminated. The competition is fierce, and these engineers are ready to showcase their skills!
Episode 1: Meet the Participants
Episode 2: The First Challenge
