The 18-year-old Taieri College pupil has again made the national final of the Bright Sparks young inventors' awards with his Xtreme Lighting Controller, which allows people to create fantastic lighting displays with their computer.
In the past two years, Ben has reached the final of the competition with his iPod Super Dock - a remote-controlled gadget about the size of a coffee cup which allowed him to connect his iPod to large sound systems or computers - and his Need 4 Speed laser timing device.
His iPod Super Dock won first-equal place in the 2008 New Zealand Bright Sparks HiTech Competition and went on to win the engineering category of the 2009 International Science and Technology Fair in Taiwan.
Like his other inventions, Ben's Xtreme Lighting Controller was born out of necessity.
"I found some RGB (red, green and blue) lighting bars and some high-powered LED lights in a shop.
"I was surprised at how cheap they were and I thought they would look quite good in my room.
"But to operate them, you need a commercial light controller, and they cost a fortune.
"So, I decided to make my own, which does strobe lighting, mood lighting and lighting which reacts to music - all using a home computer."
Ben said his gadget would be ideal for creating classy, wallet-friendly parties at home.
Ultimately, he hoped the Xtreme Lighting Controller could be produced for the retail market for less than $100.
Knowing what it takes to invent a gadget which can win national and international technology competitions, Ben was modest about his most recent creation.
"It's not one of my best projects, but I'm pleased with how it's turned out."
