Announcing the Summer 2018 sudomod community competition!
Posted: Fri Jun 01, 2018 8:15 pm
Hey guys! We’re finally ready to kick off the first (of hopefully many) sudomod community competition! The format I want to try out is having a couple required parts that people need to work into their project somehow, along with a total budget for parts (not including shipping). Other than that, make whatever you want! We’ll see how it goes for this one and can adjust the format next time if need be (and if anyone points out any glaring flaws in the current plan or if I think of anything I missed, I’ll fix it ASAP and update this thread, so keep an eye out here).
PLEASE VOTE IN THE POLL ON THIS THREAD indicating whether or not you plan to participate (it’s useful to know how many people are not participating, too, so please vote regardless). If there are a ton of people participating we might tweak how winners are picked slightly.
This first competition will be Arduino-themed, and you’ll need two parts:
* An ESP32 board (you can use whichever one you like. The one I used in the video linked below is from HiLetgo; I tried a few and this was the most well-documented, easiest to set up, etc.). Here’s an affiliate link for the one I used: https://www.amzn.com/B0718T232Z/?tag=sudomod-20
* Some kind of sensor. The type of sensor is up to you! The sensor does NOT have to be the primary feature of your project; you just have to find a way to use one in it.
I’ve put a video up announcing everything and also giving a crash-course in Arduino and using sensors to help people get started (as well as a giveaway for a couple ESP32 boards with a few other parts). I HIGHLY recommend checking it out.
https://www.sudomod.com/sudomod-communi ... etition-1/
You’ll have a budget of $50 to work with (you don’t have to use the whole thing). Shipping costs don’t count against this budget, and the above two parts will probably take up ~$15 or so.
You’ll have until August 31st, 11:59:59PM CST to finish your project, and post a project thread in the "Completed Projects" section (you'll need to include a parts list with cost and source for each part, too). I’ll open up that section a week before, on August 24th, to give people time to make their threads, but that section will be locked to new topics after the deadline. If you want to share what you're working on, there is a "Project Logs" section that you can make a thread in, if you like.
Three months may seem like a long time but I wanted to give people a chance to stumble upon it and enter, and also to give people a chance to wait for parts to arrive from cheaper sources like China, allow time for people to pick up new skills like Arduino, etc.
After the deadline, a voting thread will be set up for people to vote for their favorites. If there are enough people participating, we may divide it into a few categories (something like “most creative”, “most useful” and “overall favorite”).
The top 3 favorites will win a Raspberry Pi 3 B+, and a sudomod tee shirt, and the one with the most votes will also win a Raspberry Pi Zero and a Circuit Sword board from Kite, along with a Compute Module 3 and a 4000mAh battery. The prizes may change slightly, but if they do it won’t be by much and it will be soon, and really, it's not about the prizes; it's about making something cool and sharing it.
If you need help with your project, please don’t hesitate to post in the Arduino forums!
A couple more details:
You need to be 13 or older to enter. If you’re under 18 you need your parent's permission.
If there’s a tie for the top spot, the winner will be chosen using a random number generator.
I can’t wait to see what you guys make!
FAQ
Q: Does the sensor need to be the main feature of the project?
A: Nope! You just need to find a way to use one in your project.
Q: Do things like solder, wire and glue count towards the budget?
A: No, just actual parts/components and things like project enclosures/boxes/cases.
Q: Can we use 3d printers?
A: 3d printers are fine to use. I suppose it would make sense to factor into your budget an estimate the cost of the plastic used, though I doubt that will amount to much unless it's a huge print.
PLEASE VOTE IN THE POLL ON THIS THREAD indicating whether or not you plan to participate (it’s useful to know how many people are not participating, too, so please vote regardless). If there are a ton of people participating we might tweak how winners are picked slightly.
This first competition will be Arduino-themed, and you’ll need two parts:
* An ESP32 board (you can use whichever one you like. The one I used in the video linked below is from HiLetgo; I tried a few and this was the most well-documented, easiest to set up, etc.). Here’s an affiliate link for the one I used: https://www.amzn.com/B0718T232Z/?tag=sudomod-20
* Some kind of sensor. The type of sensor is up to you! The sensor does NOT have to be the primary feature of your project; you just have to find a way to use one in it.
I’ve put a video up announcing everything and also giving a crash-course in Arduino and using sensors to help people get started (as well as a giveaway for a couple ESP32 boards with a few other parts). I HIGHLY recommend checking it out.
https://www.sudomod.com/sudomod-communi ... etition-1/
You’ll have a budget of $50 to work with (you don’t have to use the whole thing). Shipping costs don’t count against this budget, and the above two parts will probably take up ~$15 or so.
You’ll have until August 31st, 11:59:59PM CST to finish your project, and post a project thread in the "Completed Projects" section (you'll need to include a parts list with cost and source for each part, too). I’ll open up that section a week before, on August 24th, to give people time to make their threads, but that section will be locked to new topics after the deadline. If you want to share what you're working on, there is a "Project Logs" section that you can make a thread in, if you like.
Three months may seem like a long time but I wanted to give people a chance to stumble upon it and enter, and also to give people a chance to wait for parts to arrive from cheaper sources like China, allow time for people to pick up new skills like Arduino, etc.
After the deadline, a voting thread will be set up for people to vote for their favorites. If there are enough people participating, we may divide it into a few categories (something like “most creative”, “most useful” and “overall favorite”).
The top 3 favorites will win a Raspberry Pi 3 B+, and a sudomod tee shirt, and the one with the most votes will also win a Raspberry Pi Zero and a Circuit Sword board from Kite, along with a Compute Module 3 and a 4000mAh battery. The prizes may change slightly, but if they do it won’t be by much and it will be soon, and really, it's not about the prizes; it's about making something cool and sharing it.
If you need help with your project, please don’t hesitate to post in the Arduino forums!
A couple more details:
You need to be 13 or older to enter. If you’re under 18 you need your parent's permission.
If there’s a tie for the top spot, the winner will be chosen using a random number generator.
I can’t wait to see what you guys make!
FAQ
Q: Does the sensor need to be the main feature of the project?
A: Nope! You just need to find a way to use one in your project.
Q: Do things like solder, wire and glue count towards the budget?
A: No, just actual parts/components and things like project enclosures/boxes/cases.
Q: Can we use 3d printers?
A: 3d printers are fine to use. I suppose it would make sense to factor into your budget an estimate the cost of the plastic used, though I doubt that will amount to much unless it's a huge print.
