Wykehamist Triumphs in National Electronics Competition

Earlier this month, Sixth Form pupil, Tony, achieved national recognition by winning the Institution of Electronics National Electronics Competition, an award that celebrates outstanding innovation in electronics.

Tony impressed the judges with his “word clock”, inspired by the Qlocktwo Earth 45 and built entirely from scratch. The device not only tells the time using illuminated words but also incorporates hidden interactive features, including invisible touch sensors that let users play classic games like Snake and Tetris. The 45 cm × 45 cm clock is just 2 cm thick, housing its LED matrix, fibreboard support, light diffusers, power source, and electronics, all without visible fasteners.

Remarkably, Tony engineered every component of the project himself, from designing the printed circuit board and constructing the housing, to writing the software and integrating the interactive elements. Its compact form factor demanded careful attention to mounting, heat dissipation, circuit design, internal wiring, and overall systems integration.

For the competition, Tony submitted a two-minute demonstration video alongside a ten-page technical paper outlining his design process and innovative approach.

This remarkable achievement is a testament to Tony’s creativity, perseverance, and engineering talent. Congratulations to Tony on his outstanding accomplishment!

You can watch Tony’s demonstration video below.