Data from 2,400 board designs reveals the connectivity options, sensors and features that engineers want from development kits
element14 has unveiled the 16 finalists in its global DreamBoard 
initiative to find the ultimate development kit. Shortlisted from more than 2,400 boards created using an interactive tool on the element14 Community, the finalists reveal a strong preference for ARM-based 64-bit Quad Core processors, along with SD memory and an improved mix of sensors.
The 16 finalists, from Europe, North America and Asia, will now see their boards competing in a four- round voting knock out, starting on 18 May. They represent the best applications and designs in areas including marine, automotive, prototyping and home automation, as judged by VIP members and technical specialists from the element14 Community. The final two boards will go head to head in a vote starting on 9 July, which will see the ultimate DreamBoard winner announced on 22 July.
The entire data from over 2,400 submitted designs also reveals new insights into the components and technical options that engineers are looking for in today’s development kits.
Selected for 74% of the boards, Linux is the preferred operating system, followed by Android, which featured in just over 1,000 designs. By far the most popular feature is Wi-Fi, appearing on 70% of all boards, then Bluetooth (47%), a reset button (44%) and battery management (39%).
The top interface and connectivity options are SD/Micro SD, HDMI/Micro HDMI and Ethernet, In contrast, camera interfaces, LCD displays and USB connectors were much less important. For sensors, the most popular were temperature, accelerometers and gyroscopes.
Dianne Kibbey Global Head of Community, element14, comments: “Our global DreamBoard initiative really captured the imagination of engineers across the world, with members creating and sharing more than 2,400 development kit designs. As a result, we have uncovered unique, rich insights into the potential development kit applications that are inspiring the designs of today’s engineers and what the development kits of the future need to look like. The final 16 demonstrate how the members of the element14 Community are pushing the boundaries of innovation and leading the way in early stage design.”
In the voting rounds, pairs of DreamBoards will go head-to-head and the most popular, as voted by element14 Community members, will go through to the next round. More information about the 16 finalists, listed below, can be found at element14.com/dreamboard, including the line-up of DreamBoard pairs for voting.
1. Germany – Hendrik Lipka – The SensorBoard
2. USA – Jason Daniels – Quad Core PGC board
3. USA – Charles Cumings – Atmospheric Research Prototyper
4. UK – André Collins – Marine Aquarium Interface Board
5. India – Manjuprasad Basangi – PC64, 64-bit architecture PC in automobile
6. USA – Christina Harrison – Radio System Base Board
7. India – Ashok R – Flyot, smartboard designed for IoT
8. USA – Justin Box – FreeNAS board
9. UK – Shabaz Yousaf – Stripboard++
10. Italty – Graziano Ullucci – Arduino environment compatible FPGA
11. India – Shrenik Shikhare – The MobiBoard
12. USA – Katryna Gaither – PicoITX
13. India – Antariksh Bahekar – IndustrioBoard
14. USA – Justin Sander – Minitacular
15. USA – Edgar Barranco – High Altitude Balloon Data
16. USA – Draven Umbra – Mother H.E.N.
