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2002
MSP430 Gadget-O-Rama Design Contest
The
Challenge
Are you ready to implement your next great MCU design idea? Why not enter
the MSP430 ultra-low-power Flash MCU design contest? Designs are not limited
to any category of application -- just select from any device from TI's
family of MSP430 ultra-low-power Flash microcontrollers and high-performance
analog products to enable your design!
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Possible Application Areas Include: |
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Utility
Metering (gas, water, electric) |
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Portable
Instrumentation (glucose meters, heart-rate monitors, thermometers) |
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Intelligent
Sensing (security systems, smoke detectors, electronic tags) |
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How
To Get Started
No purchase is required to enter the TI MSP430 Design Contest.
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Contest
Judging
Independent judges from the Nuts & Volts editorial staff and
academia will have full responsibility for selecting winning designs.
Winners will be determined based on originality, feasibility, manufacturability
and how well and extensively the design utilizes the MSP430's trademark
ultra-low-power and integrated analog peripherals. No employee of Texas
Instruments or its agents will be permitted to see, review or judge any
of the entries. All decisions of the judges are final. Winners will be
notified on or before December 31, 2002.
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How
To Win
Entries will be judged based on originality, innovation and use of Texas
Instruments MSP430 ultra-low-power Flash microcontrollers and other TI
products. Components used in final design do not necessarily have to be
manufactured by Texas Instruments, but judges will give additional credit
for TI content. All entries must be designed with existing commercially
available components. No hypothetical or "mystery" parts allowed.
All submissions must contain sufficient detail to allow the construction
and testing of the entry. Entries must be more than a high-level block
diagram. Each entry must include a brief description/synopsis of the application
circuit. This description must not contain any intellectual property and
Nuts & Volts/TI shall have the right to publish this description.
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Prizes
Texas Instruments will award a total of $10,000 (USD): |
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1st
place winner receives $5,500 |
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2nd
place winner receives $3,000 |
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3rd
place winner receives $1,500 |
No checks
or prizes will be issued to U.S. residents until a Social Security number
is submitted. All winners will be notified in December of 2002, as well
as featured in the January 2003 issue of Nuts & Volts.
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Entry
Requirements
Contestants should submit the below items by October 31, 2002 via mail
to:
MSP430
Design Contest Entry
Nuts & Volts
430 Princeland Court
Corona, CA 92879
Attn: Robin Lemieux
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A completed
entry form. |
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A publishable,
technically descriptive, abstract in Microsoft® Word® or ASCII
text, including a hardcopy (approx. 500 words) and block diagram of
the design. Every entry must contain an abstract with either a block
diagram or a schematic in digital format (please include a disk that
contains the abstract and diagram). If the abstract of any entry does
not contain a block diagram, then the project schematic will be deemed
part of the abstract when used for publication purposes. |
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Complete
and legible schematics of the hardware used. |
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Complete
documentation of the project and its operation, including software,
flowcharts and diagrams (where appropriate). In addition, entrants
must submit fully compatible source code digitally (send four [4]
copies on 3.5" disks [1 copy per judge]). |
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Four
(4) copies of all documentation (1 copy per judge) |
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Four
(4) identical photographs of the completed project (1 copy set per
judge) All entries must include a photo of the project. Submissions
must contain 4 copies of any prints that are sent. Note: Do not send
the physical project unless you are notified as being a winner.
Contestants may enter more than one project but must submit each as
a separate entry. There should be no personal identification or corporate
affiliation markings on ANY of the submitted material. Your name,
address, or corporate affiliation should appear ONLY ON THE ENTRY
FORM. Contestants who leave their names in headers, footers, table
of contents pages, schematics, etc. may be disqualified.
All core hardware must be Texas Instruments brand (check
eligible components here).
All entries must be received on or before October 31, 2002. Entries
received after this deadline are deemed ineligible.
We encourage all contestants to seek patents for any unique or proprietary
aspects of the design prior to submission. The design remains the
intellectual property of the contestant. To avoid additional shipping
and organizational difficulties, all copies of entry documentation
become the property of Nuts & Volts and will not be returned.
Source code submitted with any entry remains the property of the entrant
and is not distributed except to the judges nor it is published without
the entrant's specific permission.
Only winning projects must be shipped to Nuts & Volts (postal
address below). The contestant bears all responsibility for shipping
and insuring their winning entry to Nuts & Volts. If you
are chosen as a winner, we will contact you with all the details on
how you need to ship your project to us. Projects will be returned
once the winning entry is photographed. In the event of logistical
problems in sending your completed project to us, special arrangements
can be made among Nuts & Volts, Texas Instruments, and
the winner as a follow-up alternative.
All contestants entering projects in Texas Instruments MSP430 Design
Contest agree to assign Nuts & Volts exclusive first-publication
and nonexclusive full-publication rights of the contest project if
they win any monetary award and if Nuts & Volts elects
to publish it. If the project is published as a separate article in
Nuts & Volts or Nuts & Volts Online, the contestant
will be paid at standard Nuts & Volts Press remuneration.
All contestants entering projects in the Texas Instruments MSP430
Design Contest assign to Nuts & Volts and Texas Instruments
the right to publish (print or electronic/Internet media) the submitted
project abstract. Prior publication or the prior Internet posting
of essential ingredients in an entry is not a disqualification. The
publication rights described herein refer only to the physical materials
presented as a MSP430 contest entry. |
Contest
rules are subject to change. Check RULE UPDATES
for any rule changes.
Address all correspondence concerning the contest to:
MSP430 Design Contest
Nuts & Voltso 430 Princeland Court
Corona, CA 92879
Attn: Robin Lemieux
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Eligibility
Any individual or group of individuals residing in the United States and
18 years of age or older may enter, except employees of Nuts & Volts,
Texas Instruments, its agents or distributors or its subsidiaries and
their immediate families and those with whom they are domiciled. The contest
is void where prohibited by law.
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Deadlines
Design entries must be postmarked by midnight October 31, 2002.
Winners will be announced on or before December 31, 2002.
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Sponsorship
The Design Contest is being conducted by Nuts & Volts and exclusively
sponsored by Texas Instruments. Your entry does not become property of
Nuts & Volts or Texas Instruments.
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Legal
Notice
Texas Instruments is solely responsible for the payment and distribution
of all prizes and monetary awards. The prizes will be awarded and
mailed to the winners. There will be no substitution for prizes other
than as offered. Taxes are the sole responsibility of the winners.
The winners agree that signing the contest entry form constitutes
an affidavit of eligibility and agreement to the terms and conditions
of entry as stated above. The winners will be notified by mail, e-mail,
and/or telephone on or about December 31, 2002. The judges' decision
is final. If a winner fails to respond within 30 days of notification,
an alternate winner will be selected. Prizes are not transferable. |
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No purchase
necessary, void where prohibited by law, odds of winning depend on
the number of entries received. Each prize will be awarded. No substitution
for prizes other than as offered. Taxes are the sole responsibility
of the winners. Prizes are not transferable. |
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The
winners will be required to sign and return an affidavit of eligibility,
liability release and grant permission to use their name and likeness
for advertising promotion within 21 days of notification or an alternative
winner will be selected. |
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No responsibility
is assumed for lost, late or misdirected entries. Awarding of a prize
does not constitute an endorsement by Nuts & Volts or TI
of the design or approach. |
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Direct
employees of Nuts & Volts or Texas Instruments, their affiliates,
advertising, promotion, production agencies, members of their immediate
families, or those with whom they are domiciled are not eligible. |
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By entering,
players release Nuts & Volts and Texas Instruments, its
agents, and hosting service from all liability with respect to the
use of the prizes awarded herein, agree to be bound by these rules,
and consent to the use of their names and likeness for advertising
and/or promotional and/or marketing purposes without additional compensation.
Nuts & Volts and Texas Instruments are not responsible
for incorrect or inaccurate entry of information including, but not
limited to, technical malfunctions, human error, lost/delayed data
transmission, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, line failures
of any telephone network, computer equipment, software or any combination
thereof, entry materials that have been tampered with, or e-mail
or mail-in entries that are illegible, late, lost, damaged, postage
due, or misdirected. Nuts & Volts and Texas Instruments
are not responsible for any injury or damage to participant's or any
other person's computer related to or resulting from participation
or downloading any material in this contest. Entries that have been
tampered with or altered are void. Nuts & Volts and Texas
Instruments reserve the right to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend
this contest if it becomes technically corrupted or if for any reason
the Internet portion of the program is not capable of running as planned,
including infections by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized
intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond
the control of Texas Instruments or Nuts & Volts, which
corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity,
or proper conduct of this promotion. This contest shall be governed
by the laws of the United States. |
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For
a copy of prize-winning names, available after December 31, 2002,
send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to: "The TI MSP430 Design
Contest", Nuts & Volts, 430 Princeland Court, Corona,
CA 92879, Attention Robin Lemieux. |
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Rule
Updates
Any individual or group of individuals residing in the United States and
18 years of age or older may enter, except employees of Nuts & Volts,
Texas Instruments, its agents or distributors or its subsidiaries and
their immediate families and those with whom they are domiciled. The contest
is void where prohibited by law.
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© 2002 Texas Instruments Corporation. All rights reserved.
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