Bench Talk

In the early stages of this fast-paced engineering competition, nothing goes as planned, and that’s what makes Circuit Showdown so exciting. As the contestants regroup after a day filled with setbacks and last-minute adjustments, the pressure is on to redeem themselves and bring their projects to life. None of them expected to get another chance, but the judges just couldn’t decide who to send home given the circumstances of the first day.

“Nobody's project ended up how they originally intended,” said Nicolette Emmino, Circuit Showdown cohost.

The first round of challenges was a snapshot of a concept that engineers know too well: adaptability is key. After reflecting on the first round with the judges, it was clear that the word of the day was resilience. Each contestant encountered the unexpected, but they all demonstrated their ability to pivot.

“They all had to shift at some point, and they all had software issues at some point too. So, it was really interesting to see how they dealt with it in order to complete their project,” said Bryan DeLuca, Circuit Showdown cohost.

But a new day brings a new challenge, and now the stakes are higher. With industrial automation as the theme, the contestants are pushed to think beyond the everyday and address complex, real-world applications.

“Precision is critical,” the judges remind them, emphasizing the importance of accuracy in environments where a single misstep means the difference between success and failure.

Charles, Michael, and Renee came prepared with renewed strategies they assembled based on the experiences they had in round one. Michael hopes to streamline his work by leveraging open-source Arduino libraries to cut down programming time. Renee aims for consistency, determined to stick with her chosen parts this time. And Charles plans to start simple and build on his success, adding functionality as his confidence increases.

As they were all set with their designs and ready to start building and coding, the judges reflected on their selections. “I think all three projects have challenges in there, so it'd be interesting to see how they actually implement the ideas. And I'm pretty sure maybe a couple of these ideas might evolve during the four hours,” said Massimo Banzi, cofounder of Arduino.

Just when they think they’ve found a rhythm, laughing and helping each other along, Chief Mentor Raymond Yin throws them a surprise challenge. It’s a sudden shift that will demand quick thinking and adaptability. Can they handle it?

With only four hours on the clock, they’re fully aware that the essence of this battle is their ability to fight against time and their own limitations. “Today is a new day and a new competition,” the hosts remind everyone. The question looms: Who will rise to the challenge and be crowned the first-ever Circuit Showdown champion?

To catch all the action, tune in for episode 3 of Circuit Showdown, powered by Mouser Electronics and hosted by eeDesignIt. Circuit Showdown is sponsored by Arduino, Keysight, Molex, Renesas, and Vishay.