TalTech crowns its best young hand solderers – with a 12-year-old electronics enthusiast among the top three

Twenty-four competitors put their skills to the test in the school and university student category of the IPC Hand Soldering Competition held at TalTech on 14 October: 16 TalTech students and eight students from other schools. Hans Anniste took first place, followed by Mihkel Türnpu in second and Peeter Kundla, aged just 12, in third.

Competitors had 45 minutes to solder a complex printed circuit board assembly. Their work was assessed by IPC-certified Master IPC Trainers (MITs) against international IPC evaluation criteria. The final rankings and prizes were determined by the judges’ scores.

First place went to Hans Anniste, who recently graduated from the Hardware Development and Programming programme at TalTech’s Thomas Johann Seebeck Department of Electronics and is continuing his studies at doctoral level. He received a cash prize of €300. As the highest-placed TalTech student, he also received a special €300 scholarship from the Thomas Johann Seebeck Department of Electronics, bringing his total prize money to €600.

Second place went to Mihkel Türnpu, a master’s student in TalTech’s Department of Electrical Power Engineering and Mechatronics. His prize was €200.

Third place went to Peeter Kundla from Tallinn 21st School, aged just 12. The young electronics enthusiast already has practical experience soldering and testing drone flight controller boards as a hobby. Peeter’s result shows how far an early interest in technology and consistent practice can take you. He also receives strong support from his parents; his mother works at TalTech’s School of Information Technologies. He received a cash prize of €100 for third place.

Congratulations to all the winners, and thank you to everyone who took part!