Bench Talk

Three contestants. Three judges. Two competition rounds. One champion.

Welcome to Circuit Showdown, where up-and-coming engineers battle in a unique design competition.

Our industry is driven by innovation, and that innovation depends on the next generation of engineers. Circuit Showdown brings electrical and mechanical engineering students from various universities together to compete head-to-head in a first-of-its-kind design standoff. In just four hours, contestants must build a themed project from scratch using pre-determined hardware, components, and test equipment provided on-site.

Powered by Mouser Electronics and hosted by eeDesignIt, Circuit Showdown isn't just a design competition; it's a place where pressure meets creativity as aspiring engineers seize the opportunity to display their engineering prowess in front of industry experts while showcasing their technical skillsets.

Each contestant brings an impressive background and motivation to the competition. Let’s meet them.

• Renee Wrysinski (Rice University) is driven by a mission close to her heart: “What inspired me to pursue a career in engineering is I really wanted to work on solutions that help improve the lives of disabled people. And since then, I’ve kind of just fallen in love with the problem-solving.”
• Charles Morales (Texas State University) reflected on his journey to engineering. He shared, “I was always interested in physics; I didn't just want to know the answers, I also wanted to understand. Okay, what can I do with this? And that's what engineering does—takes it from beyond just why and how things work to what you can do with it.”
• Michael Vidales (Prairie View A&M University) expressed a similar passion: “I like to use engineering in my everyday life. A lot of the principles that we use can be applicable to all situations. I mean, you use a lot of your critical thinking skills to kind of map out problems, figure out new solutions, research, and think outside the box, and that's one of the reasons I love engineering.”

Their goal? To emerge as the Circuit Showdown champion. With $40,000 in cash and equipment prizes on the line for the contestants and their universities, the tension is building.

Guided by the Experts

When they're in the heat of the competition, they're not alone. Their Chief Mentor, Raymond Yin, Mouser's technical content director, provides guidance and advice, helping them navigate their challenges. As Raymond reflects on the contestants’ progress, he recognizes the impressive creativity displayed under intense conditions. Contestants have access to components from brands like Arduino, Molex, Renesas, and Vishay, along with state-of-the-art test equipment from Keysight.

Judges’ Perspective

The judges, including experts from Molex, FIRST Robotics, and Arduino, will evaluate each design based on functionality, adherence to the theme, resourcefulness, and originality.

Meet the judges:

• Kirk Ulery, Distribution Business Development Manager, Molex
• Chris Moore, CEO, FIRST Robotics
• Massimo Banzi, Co-Founder, Arduino

Each judge brings a different perspective to the competition, from fostering innovation in robotics to driving advancements in connected technologies. They're very clear about what they're looking for, and it's not just projects that work—they're looking for designs that push boundaries and showcase creativity in problem-solving.

The Competition Begins

Hosted by Bryan DeLuca and Nicolette Emmino from eeDesignIt, the show kicks off with the first challenge theme: Smart Home.

The clock starts ticking, and the contestants dive into their projects. Charles, Renee, and Michael need to make quick decisions, select components from the Mouser pop-up warehouse, and adapt on the fly when things don't go as planned.

And things certainly do not go as planned on the first day of competition …

The contestants faced unexpected technical hurdles, from smoked boards to sensor issues and library mishaps.

Who Will Rise to the Challenge?

With some tips from their Chief Mentor, each contestant modified their original path and presented final projects to the judges.

Tune in to episodes 1 and 2 of Circuit Showdown to meet the contestants and witness the drama unfold as plans go awry. Which contestant will advance? Who will stumble? And who will ultimately claim the title of Circuit Showdown champion? The journey is just beginning.