North Sydney student gains funding from around the world for his electronic prototyping board

AN INVENTION by a North Sydney teenager is attracting attention and funding from around the world.

Ben Wang, a 14-year-old from North Sydney Boys, has invented an improved electronic prototyping board. He put it on kickstarter to raise $1500 and got $15,000 in 36 hours.

AN INVENTION by a North Sydney teenager is attracting attention and funding from around the world.

Ben Wang, a Year 10 student from North Sydney Boys High School, has invented an improved electronic prototyping board that makes it easier to create circuits and custom electronic designs.

Ben said he was playing around with a traditional perfboard — a material for prototyping electronic circuits — for a science project when he thought there had to be a way around using so many wires.

Ben raised $15,000 for the project in 36 hours through a Kickstarter campaign.

“On a traditional board every single hole is not connected so you have to use a wire to connect them. When there’s a complicated circuit, the wires add up and get complicated and you can’t find which one’s which,” Ben said.

“On my board you can connect any holes to any other holes by using a little bit of solder, so you don’t have to use any wires.”

NORTH SHORE TEEN INVENTS LEARNER DRIVER LOGBOOK APP

FIRST KOALA OF THE SEASON SAYS HELLO

HISTORIC HOME’S SPECTACULAR VIEW OF SYDNEY HEADS

Ben began a Kickstarter campaign to raise $1500 to refine his concept, but has received more than $15,000.

His project was chosen as a Kickstarter staff pick.

Ben is a Year 10 student at North Sydney Boys High School.

Ben now has 614 orders for more than 3500 boards and is in talks with a factory in China to manufacture his design.

“When I posted it online many people thought, ‘why didn’t I think of this myself?’ ” he said.

He’s going to use the money to fulfil all his orders, and set up an online store.

DO YOU KNOW A LOCAL INVENTOR?

Originally published as North Sydney student gains funding from around the world for his electronic prototyping board