Ben Heck Builds High-Speed Can Cooler in a Thirst-Quenching Episode of element14's 'The Ben Heck Show'

CHICAGO, February 22, 2011 - element14 (www.element-14.com/community/index.jspa), a
collaborative social community and electronics store for design engineers and
electronics enthusiasts, and modding guru Benjamin J. Heckendorn, a.k.a. Ben
Heck, quench DIY thirst with a custom-built, high-speed can cooler in the
newest episode of "The Ben Heck Show"
(www.element-14.com/community/community/experts/benheck) airing today.

(Photo: photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110221/CG51103)

"The can cooler idea came to me one hot summer day when all I needed to
quench my thirst was an ice cold can of pop…or soda as some people call
it," said Ben Heck. "With no relief in sight, I dreamed up the instant can
cooler project so no one would ever have to face such a colossal dilemma
again."

Ben constructs the cooler using a Peltier module that cools objects, an
Arduino Nano coupled with an I2C-bus temperature sensor to control the
cooling process, and Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors
(MOSFETs) to start and stop the process. He also uses his trusty CNC router
to create the final pieces, including an aluminum heat sink that helps pull
the heat from a can. Then it's back to Pinball Wars as Ben works on powering
up the flippers of his current pinball project.

"In this episode, Ben tackles the age-old nuisance of warm soda in a way
only a techie can," said Alisha Mowbray, senior vice president of marketing,
element14. "By utilizing accessible tools and some innovative thinking, Ben
proves once again that it's possible to create a logical design solution for
a problematic situation."

Show fans can visit element14
(www.element-14.com/community/community/experts/benheck) to register
for a chance to win one of Ben's builds featured on the show.

About "The Ben Heck Show"

"The Ben Heck Show" is a bi-weekly online television series aired in
English that's dedicated to the science and art of system and hardware
modding with a global audience of design engineers, students and electronic
enthusiasts. Sponsored exclusively by element14
(www.element-14.com/community/community/experts/benheck), each episode
spotlights Ben's mods of popular electronic devices while educating viewers
on the underlying technology powering each project.

About element14

element14 is sponsored by Premier Farnell plc (LSE: pfl), a leader in
multi-channel distribution and specialty services for electronic design
engineers, trading throughout the Americas (Newark), Europe (Farnell) and
Asia-Pacific (element14).

Aakriti Kaushik, PR Manager, Europe, of element14, +44(0)-113-279-0101, akaushik at premierfarnell.com