Judges select winning entry based on most creative electronic design to have a positive impact on the environment

Premier Farnell CEO Harriet Green (left) presents John Noble with his cash prize of $50,000. Noble's MyFan won the 2007 Live EDGE award. Noble will also receive the support to move his design towards production.

Newark and its parent company, Premier Farnell, have announced the winner of the 2007 Live EDGE (Electronic Design for the Global Environment) challenge as John Noble from Malaysia. 

Noble designed a product called MyFan, a ceiling fan that combines an electronically commutated motor and controller, and aerodynamically efficient blade design that reduces fan input power by up to 66 percent of that of a traditional ceiling fan.

The MyFan boasts auxiliary output channels that drive up to 20 watts of integrated LED lighting with up/down lighting modules. The motor construction is totally enclosed and is available with an IP5x environmental rating.

The judges noted that Noble’s design demonstrated the best originality and innovation of the entered designs. His design had the highest technical merit, reduced effect on the global environment, provided the best feasibility of design, and provided an innovative use of components, good cost optimization, completeness of design dossier and excellent supporting documentation.

“It is a great honor to have my design recognized by such an esteemed panel of judges,” says Noble. “Live EDGE has provided design engineers a forum to focus more on the issue of sustainability, and not just growth.”

“Our congratulations go out to John. We look forward to working with him to register his design and support him through production into the market,” says Harriet Green, CEO of Premier Farnell. “With over 3,500 engineers from over 102 countries involved in this year’s Live EDGE challenge, we feel we have really provided an opportunity for environmentally friendly design and look forward to continuing this challenge in the future.

“We are proud to encourage the design of products that change the lives of at least three billion people,” Green continues. “We will constantly work towards providing the best service, technology and support to our critically important design engineering customers.”

Five honorable mentions also provided excellent designs (each honorable mention winner took home $5,000):

• Thomas Reiter, a student from Austria, designed a unique miniature battery-saving switch-mode power supply.
• Minesh Bhakta of the U.K. designed an energy gauge that helps manage the use of electrical sockets.
• Carlos Marques from Portugal, on behalf of his company ID-Mind, designed a 3D SunTracker that optimizes the effectiveness of solar panels.
• Dale Stepps of FL, on behalf of Inteltech Corp., designed a solid-state luminare.
• Alistair Macfarlane from Scotland who designed an LED intelligent light.

The winners were announced at the Live EDGE Virtual Awards Ceremony and Technical Conference on January 31. The web-based event is available on demand anytime during February 2008.

For more details, visit www.live-edge.com.