EEVblog #122 : Renesas RX Design Contest

[JohnS_AZ]

Hey Dave, you did great on stage. Good job!

I jumped through the hoops and entered the design contest the day after it went live on the Renesas site but have never heard anything back. I'm wondering if I didn't make the cut, or if they're just slow.

Has anyone else entered and received any kind of feedback?

[logictom]

I entered it today after watching the video and it said it would take 4-5 days before they would either confirm a board or to ask for more info.
Don't think I'm likely to get one but fingers crossed

[TheDirty]

They really didn't sound that excited about announcing their own contest on the video.

I'd enter, but really I have no ideas, no time, and no interest in learning another uC.  I've already gone through too many architectures and development environments.  I've pretty much narrowed it down to ARM variants and MSP430's and I don't want to move outside of that unless something really impressive/different comes along.

[slburris]

Hey Dave, you did great on stage. Good job!

I jumped through the hoops and entered the design contest the day after it went live on the Renesas site but have never heard anything back. I'm wondering if I didn't make the cut, or if they're just slow.

Has anyone else entered and received any kind of feedback?

Not a word.  But as a hobbyist, I tend to be mostly ignored anyway.

Scott

[EEVblog]

They really didn't sound that excited about announcing their own contest on the video.

Trust me, they were massively excited and are taking the contest it very seriously, it's a very important thing for them.

Dave.

[JohnS_AZ]

So ... I was totally excited to see the FedEx truck pull into my driveway this afternoon. Finally!! The damn T.I. MSP boards I ordered 45 friggin' days ago are finally here....

Nope ... It was the Renesas board!!!

Boy, these guys don't screw around.

[edit]  LOL ... I got the email confirmation of my application 90 minutes AFTER fedEx delivered the board. 

[EEVblog]

So ... I was totally excited to see the FedEx truck pull into my driveway this afternoon. Finally!! The damn T.I. MSP boards I ordered 45 friggin' days ago are finally here....

Nope ... It was the Renesas board!!!

Boy, these guys don't screw around.

Awesome.
I still have to do several videos about the board for promotion on their site.
Only got mine at the event though, they were hot off the press.
The "live" judging at next years ESC should be fun.
I still don't have details on how I'll see the contest entries as a judge. Presumably I won't know who's is who's so I can't play favorites!

Dave.

[logictom]

Nope ... It was the Renesas board!!!

Well done what was your abstract idea? Care to share some pics of what you got?

[JohnS_AZ]

The abstract was about creating a vision system for a pick-and-place machine. In short, holding an SMT part over a camera and then analyzing the image to determine the part offset (X,Y,&T) so that it can be placed accurately on the pads. These systems exist but generally they are crazy expensive.

The package included the board, a couple of USB cables, and the book. There's no CD, just directions to download the software off the net. Apparently I also was granted a license for the Micrium RTOS (they make it sound like not everyone will get that). The book, hard covered and 865 page long, covers the Micrium uC/OS-III Real-Time Kernel.

I gotta say, this stuff makes the Arduino, MSP-460, and NXP mbed look like toys.

[Mechatrommer]

very interesting! but i'm not sure i can complete a project with this soon enough. by the look of it, reading/understanding/implementing the kernel will take year(s).

[Time]

man that thing is sweet for a free board.  I started to apply but under the abstract part I felt like I was just going to be lying extensively just to get a board so my conscience kicked in and I felt it was better for someone who would use it.

[Bored@Work]

I looked at the contest rules, and they make it impossible for me to take part in the contest. Local laws grant my employer a pre-emption right for everything I "invent", even in my spare time (and local laws grant me a big fat bonus if my employer exercises that right). However, Renesas wants

Contestants agree to grant Renesas and the contest Partners the right to excerpt Renesas and Partner selected content from the Entry documentation for use in a publishable abstract and in promotional materials unrelated to the Contest. Excerpts may include any amount of textual description, schematics, diagrams, listings, and photographs as deemed necessary.

...

RIGHTS IN CONTEST MATERIALS; RELEASE

By entering the Contest, each of the Contestants hereby grants to Renesas, its Partners and affiliates, a non exclusive, perpetual, royalty-free, fully-paid up, irrevocable, sublicensable (through multiple tiers), assignable, worldwide right and license in and to his or her Entry, including but not limited to all inventions described therein, all works of authorship contained therein, and all intellectual property rights relating thereto, to make, have made, use, modify, reformat, copy, reproduce, display, perform, publish, publicly disseminate, and otherwise exploit his or her Entry for any purpose. For the avoidance of doubt, the license granted herein includes the right of Renesas, its Partners and affiliates to sublicense its rights in the Entry to its customers, end users, or any other third party.

That is a lot of rights. I can't grant them without the approval of my employer. In the past I could negotiate a deal with my employer in advance for contests. But this where for contests that didn't require so many rights in advance, only some from the winners, not so many from everyone. For the Renesas contest I won't get an approval.

[EEVblog]

very interesting! but i'm not sure i can complete a project with this soon enough. by the look of it, reading/understanding/implementing the kernel will take year(s).

You don't have to use the RTOS. It's just one of the tools available to you.

BTW, I believe there was supposed to be a CD with a PDF of the book on it as well.

Dave.

[EEVblog]

I looked at the contest rules, and they make it impossible for me to take part in the contest. Local laws grant my employer a pre-emption right for everything I "invent", even in my spare time (and local laws grant me a big fat bonus if my employer exercises that right).

My previous company tried to do that, and even included a clause that said they still have rights to everything AFTER we leave the company!

They finally had to admit that none of it was actually enforceable in law.

Dave.

[Bored@Work]

My previous company tried to do that, and even included a clause that said they still have rights to everything AFTER we leave the company!

They finally had to admit that none of it was actually enforceable in law.

Your law is not my law. My employer doesn't have to include anything in the contract. They just have to point to the law. Fortunately the law is rather balanced.

If I have an out-of-the-ordinary idea ("invention") during working time or outside working time, I have to offer it to my employer first. If they take it they are required by law to pay extra money, taking market value into account, even if I had that idea during working time, and even if it was work-related. It is extra cash.

If they pay they of course have rights after I leave the company. If they continuously make money from it there might be royalties payment in it.

If they don't take it, it is mine and I could try to sell it to someone else, or pony up for a patent.

I have been through both with multiple employers and I think getting extra money from an employer is much easier than trying to sell it to someone else. And don't get me started about paying for a patent out of your own pocket. It is nice to have a default buyer. And it is nice that it also applies to work-related inventions during work time.

I have been through the American system, too. Got the great amount of $1 and a thank you. I prefer the local system.

[EEVblog]

My previous company tried to do that, and even included a clause that said they still have rights to everything AFTER we leave the company!

They finally had to admit that none of it was actually enforceable in law.

Your law is not my law. My employer doesn't have to include anything in the contract. They just have to point to the law. Fortunately the law is rather balanced.

If I have an out-of-the-ordinary idea ("invention") during working time or outside working time, I have to offer it to my employer first. If they take it they are required by law to pay extra money, taking market value into account, even if I had that idea during working time, and even if it was work-related. It is extra cash.

If they pay they of course have rights after I leave the company. If they continuously make money from it there might be royalties payment in it.

If they don't take it, it is mine and I could try to sell it to someone else, or pony up for a patent.

or enter a contest...
or sell it yourself...
or get it published...
or...

I have been through both with multiple employers and I think getting extra money from an employer is much easier than trying to sell it to someone else. And don't get me started about paying for a patent out of your own pocket. It is nice to have a default buyer. And it is nice that it also applies to work-related inventions during work time.

Ideas and "inventions" are worth less than a dime a dozen, of course no one would buy them, including any employer.

Dave.

[Bored@Work]

Ideas and "inventions" are worth less than a dime a dozen, of course no one would buy them, including any employer.

I have patents to prove that my employer does, listing me as inventor and my employer as proprietor of the patents. And I have the money in my bank account from my employer paying me. Much better than the $1 I once got in the US.

[mobbarley]

We are happy to inform you that your abstract and request for a Renesas RX Design Contest kit, the RX62N RDK, has been approved. Your kit has shipped and is on its way to you. You can track the status of your kit by going to www.FedEx.com and using the tracking number below.

You have also been selected to receive 1 of the 750 Micrium uC/Probe licenses (a $1,000 value) that are being given away and a hardcopy version of Micrium's new book on uC/OS-III for the Renesas RX. (a $155 value) The book will ship with your kit. To get your copy and full license of uC/Probe, please visit the following link:

Thanks for the heads up Dave, this is going to be a fun project!

[EEVblog]

Ideas and "inventions" are worth less than a dime a dozen, of course no one would buy them, including any employer.

I have patents to prove that my employer does, listing me as inventor and my employer as proprietor of the patents. And I have the money in my bank account from my employer paying me. Much better than the $1 I once got in the US.

I'll bet they were related directly to the industry and work your company does, so it's logical they might be interested in one or two of those.
Any decently clever person can come up with a dozen ideas a day, are they going to buy all of them?
Personally I'd rather work at a company that gives me the freedom to work on and own my own stuff than one that pays me for the occasional patent idea and won't even let me enter a design contest. You are getting a rotten deal IMO.

Dave.

[sonicj]

i registered at this link the same time John did. i don't recall anything about a abstract for a contest though... i did get a loosly worded confirmation email, but nothing that said "approved" that i can recall. 
-sj

[allanw]

Just got an email from them: "We are pleased to inform you that you will receive your free RX62N Renesas
Demonstration Kit (RDK) in approximately two weeks."

Yay

[thakidd]

Thx Dave for pointing this contest out. I entered and was informed yesterday that a dev board is on the way! I cannot wait to take a bite off this one. Very nice!

BTW great presentation at their meet up. Keep up the good work!

[tyblu]

Anyone get an email saying they won't be getting the free board? I entered a week after the contest started and haven't heard anything since the confirmation email. Likely that an EE student (like myself) simply doesn't qualify for it.

[CryptLordGR]

Likely that an EE student (like myself) simply doesn't qualify for it.

Its not true. i mentioned that i am an EE student and not a so interesting idea and today i was informed that i was accepted for the free board and the license for the Probe. You just have to wait a little more to be sure.
And thanks Dave for showing us such a contest.

[thakidd]

Sweet, I got mine in today and cannot wait to play.

Very nice kit!