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Homebrew: Tech project wins £20,000 car

A Rugby web developer's home-automation project has nabbed him a Toyota Prius car
Written by ZDNet UK, Contributor

Simon Smith, a web developer from Rugby, is the winner of a Toyota Prius car in ZDNet.co.uk's Homebrew Challenge.

Simon has been building a home-automation system. Unlike many home-automation nuts, he is creating it from scratch, from the software to the woodwork. His 19-inch rack cabinet, for example, he constructed from scraps of wood. Many of the components are sourced from eBay, and the audio switch and controlling software are all Simon's own design.

The Homebrew Challenge was a search for the UK's top tech labour of love, a project built in the owner's spare time. Entrants were asked to describe their project, and were given the chance to impress the judges a bit more by documenting it in our Homebrew Blog. Many people did, but Simon's entry really caught the judges' eyes. They felt that he had clearly put a lot of thought and planning into the project, and he threw himself into the blogging. They felt he really captured the spirit of the Homebrew Challenge, and so rightfully deserves to drive away the £20,000 Toyota Prius prize, courtesy of Intel.

For more on Simon's system and on other personal projects in the competition, visit the Homebrew Blog.

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