element14 and Electronics Industry Experts Celebrate the DIY Community at Maker Faire Bay Area 2011

SAN MATEO, Calif., May 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- (Maker Faire Booth #50) -- element14, the first collaborative engineering community and electronics store for design engineers and enthusiasts, partners with modding guru Benjamin J. Heckendorn, a.k.a. Ben Heck, and electronics industry experts Jeri Ellsworth and Mitch Altman to highlight technology trends and exciting DIY projects for all ages at Maker Faire® Bay Area on May 21-22 at the San Mateo County Event Center.  

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110519/CG05087)

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110216/CG49295LOGO)

As host of element14's popular online TV series, "The Ben Heck Show," Heck is dedicated to inspiring fellow makers and DIYers, and will participate in several activities at element14's booth, including showcasing his custom-built 3-D printer and periodic project demos . In addition, Heck will serve alongside Ellsworth and Altman to judge semi-finalist projects for "The Great Global Hackerspace Challenge," element14's two-month competition focused on advancing education and culminating at Maker Faire.  

"Maker Faire is the world's premier DIY festival that unites modding enthusiasts like me, and provides a platform for us to share our creative ideas and enhance the Maker Movement," said Heck. "The venue provides a fun and unique opportunity to engage with electronic enthusiasts and future engineers and I'm looking forward to meeting fellow makers and hobbyists with similar passions for creating extraordinary projects at this year's festivities."

Additional element14 and "The Ben Heck Show" activities at Maker Faire:

• "Sourcing Electronic Parts" Panel Discussion: Leaders from many of the industry's best suppliers of electronic components, including element14, will be on hand to discuss sourcing electronic parts on May 21 from 1 - 2 p.m. on the Innovation Stage. Attendees will be given the opportunity to ask questions and get insight on strategies for obtaining components.
• "Education of the Future" Panel Discussion: Industry heavyweights Heck, Ellsworth and Altman will team up on May 21 from 2 - 3 p.m. on the Innovation Stage to discuss the dramatic impact technology has had on the U.S. education system, offering personal insight into how to shape a brighter future for today's students through technology and the open source philosophy. Bunny Dawson from the Napa County Office of Education will moderate the discussion.
• Ben Heck Presents: Heck will appear on the Innovation Stage on May 22 from 4:30 to 5 p.m. to discuss his extensive modding background, the path that led him to become one of the most talented and innovative game console modders, and his philosophy on DIY modding. He'll also give a brief prelude to season two of his bi-weekly online television series, "The Ben Heck Show," dedicated to the science and art of system and hardware modding with a global audience of design engineers, students and electronic enthusiasts.
• Deconstructing the Evolution of Electronics: element14 commissioned artist and photographer Ben Innes to artistically deconstruct a culturally significant piece of technology - the home entertainment system - to reveal how it has evolved over time. The final piece, which will reflect upon where electronic technology began and its amazing evolution process into modern day, will be revealed on May 22, at the element14 booth and will remain on display throughout the weekend, giving attendees the opportunity to view the piece and register for a chance to win an autographed 8"x10" print.
• "The Great Global Hackerspace Challenge" Awards Ceremony: On May 22 from 5:15 to 5:45 p.m. the semi-finalists will present their final projects on the Innovation Stage to judges Heck, Ellsworth, Altman, and Gareth Branwyn, editor-in-chief of Makezine.com, who will determine the winner of the grand prize for the May 22 awards ceremony – a Tektronix® PWS4205 Power Supply, a hand-made trophy, and more. In addition, attendees will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite project throughout the weekend for a chance to win an official "The Great Global Hackerspace Challenge" t-shirt. Visit http://www.element-14.com/hackerspace to learn more about the three semi-finalist teams.

"Each Maker Faire event unites the best of the science, engineering and DIY communities, bringing together a range of people who have helped the progression of the Maker Movement," said Kevin Yapp, chief marketing officer, element14. "element14's sponsorship and support of this year's Maker Faire Bay Area parallels its ongoing commitment to enable electronics enthusiasts to share insight and knowledge that inspires the innovative gadgets and technologies created by makers and hackers in garages, basements and communities across the nation. It should be a fun-filled, action-packed show."

Access to the element14 community and electronics store will be available at element14's booth, and attendees, electronics DIYers and enthusiasts are invited to join "The Ben Heck Show" community to participate in ongoing mod discussions or post videos of their own mods.

About element14

Launched in June 2009, element14 is the first, innovative information portal and eCommunity specifically built for electronic design engineers. It provides product data, design tools and technology information, while incorporating Web 2.0 functionality to facilitate communication, interaction, collaboration and information sharing between colleagues around the world. element14 is an innovative offering from Premier Farnell plc (LSE:pfl), FTSE 250, a leader in multi-channel electronics distribution trading throughout Europe (Farnell), the Americas (Newark) and Asia Pacific (element14). The company had group sales of pounds Sterling 990.8m and underlying profits of pounds 93.3m last year.

SOURCE element14