Modding Guru Ben Heck Enlists Arch Nemesis Jeri Ellsworth for Pinball Machine Build in element14's "The Ben Heck Show"

CHICAGO, May 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- element14, a collaborative social community and electronics store for design engineers and electronics enthusiasts, and modding guru Benjamin J. Heckendorn, a.k.a. Ben Heck, race against the clock to add some essential features to his "Lost-inspired" pinball build in today's episode of "The Ben Heck Show." With only a few days remaining until the Midwest Gaming Classic, Ben calls on pinball extraordinaire Jeri Ellsworth to assist with preparing the build in time for Ben's annual gaming and modding experience at this year's conference.    

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"The rumors are true," said Ben. "I teamed up with my long-time arch nemesis Jeri Ellsworth to work on the "Lost" pinball machine. We laughed, we cried, we partook in an epic battle to the death – well, not quite to the death. In the end we fought and won a greater battle, finalizing the necessary components for the pinball machine just in the nick-of-time."

The show highlights several critical components of the pinball machine build process, including the design and routing of the ramps, installing one-way gates to direct ball flow, programming modes for some of the sound and moving elements of the machine, and adding a motor to control a hatch on the playfield. Jeri is instrumental in the design and building, helping to incorporate some of "Lost's" signature elements, including a polar bear ball trough and ball hatch.  

"The true essence of collaboration is captured in this episode as two talented professionals with a history of friendly rivalry come together to work toward a common goal," said Kevin Yapp, chief marketing officer, Premier Farnell. "Casting their differences aside, the duo inspires one another through their passion for pinball."

The episode culminates at the Midwest Gaming Conference where viewers get a firsthand look at Ben's pinball collection on display. Fans of the latest episode are invited to join the discussion online at element14  to register for a chance to win one of Ben's builds.

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, each episode spotlights Ben's mods of popular electronic devices while educating viewers on the underlying technology powering each project.  

About element14

Launched in June 2009, element14 is the first, innovative information portal and eCommunity specifically built for electronic design engineers. It provides product data, design tools and technology information, while incorporating Web 2.0 functionality to facilitate communication, interaction, collaboration and information sharing between colleagues around the world. element14 is an innovative offering from Premier Farnell plc (LSE:pfl), FTSE 250, a leader in multi-channel electronics distribution trading throughout Europe (Farnell), the Americas (Newark) and Asia Pacific (element14). The company had group sales of 990.8m pounds Sterling and underlying profits of 93.3m pounds Sterling last year.

SOURCE element14

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