basic electronics. As with anything the best way to
learn is to practically do it, which can be difficult
and extremely expensive when it comes to electronics.
This project kit has to be probably the best starting
point for anyone who wants to get into electronics
because it focuses on the practical side which is a great
experience.
Looking at the product packaging the box looks high quality
until you look inside. It would have been extremely nice to
have batteries included to get working on the projects as
soon as possible. The electronic device itself is plastic
and can shatter to bits if you are not carefull.
The manual itself is wide making it extremely difficult to
handle. Probably the most irritating thing about the manual is
the layout. It starts off in English only to suddenly move off
to other languages. Each project section is actually split into
different languages increasing the size of the manual.
Apart from that I found the instructions were pretty much
easy to follow and straight to the point. The most noticable
thing about the manual I found was that it will get you
on your feet and going but thats about it. A paragraph or two
is included for each section summarising what the circuit does
but chances are you will want more information on what is going.
A good electronics book should help although you wont need
it if you are already familiar with whats going on. A simple
look at the a good website should be enough to increase your
understanding.
The most surprising thing I found about this product
was that a lot of the interesting components happen to be
on the main device itself. You only connect the
necessary components to the appropriate connectors placing
the ICs, capacitors, transistors and wires on the rather
small breadboard. A good pair of thin pliars is probably
recommended as it can get seriously messy especially with the
more complex and demanding projects.
All in all a superb product, looks cheap for the price but
dont let that fool you. Dont expect to make a full fledged
electronic game or a full fledged radio out of this but do
expect to learn enough to be able to get a grasp of advanced
electronics. With 300 projects on the list, chances are
you'll probably think of something cool yourself after you've
completed all 300.
Finally I have to say this the kit is pretty advanced for a
bunch of 10 year olds. If you do decide to give it to the
younger enthusiast, be sure to help out. It takes patience and
practice otherwise the components could break or become damaged.
Another important note is that a lot of the components will
damage if static gets hold of them.
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
I agree with the first reviewer. I purchased this kit for my 10 year old son, who is above average intelligence and has a voracious appetite for scientific knowledge and experiments. He is fascinated by the kit, but the instruction book is so poorly written that he cannot even begin to make sense of it. I am taking the other reviewers advice and purchasing some other basic electronics books in hopes of salvaging the [money] spent on the kit.Best Deals for Elenco 300-in-One Electronic Project Lab
My daughter received this exciting product for her 9th birthday but, the detail and complicated electronics knowledge necessary makes this product aptly suitable for the stated 14 years and older. The spotty directions made it difficult to troubleshoot our work. For instance, the written instructions don't offer a conversion table for the difference in the ceramic capacitors they provide in the kit vs the ones they state are in the kit. Nor do the instructions match the schematics -Tip: Follow the schematics, not the written instructions when connecting the wires.We still gave this product high marks because the projects are fun and easy once you comprehend where the holes in the instructions are. Our daughter was delighted when she finished the first project and not only heard the chirping bird but, took it outside to hear that the chirp speeds up in full sun and slows down upon returning inside.
If you have a bright, project-oriented learner on your hands this is a great product for them to create various projects while learning a little bit about electronics. The fact that they just pop the transistors/capacitors/wires into the box and flip the switch makes this a safe gift.
Our daughter was too young to fully handle these projects on her own but, she learned how to read transistors and how to look for the negative side of the capacitors. In a way, this is a great gift for girls because it requires attention to detail and controlled small motor skills much like bead work or similar crafting projects.
Honest reviews on Elenco 300-in-One Electronic Project Lab
With a lag in school due to illness, my twelve year old son tackled this 300-in-1 Electronic Project Lab.It has a detailed manual to make three hundred projects. He put together a motion sensor and had a grand time setting it in inconspicuous places and then waiting for the lights to start blinking. He set it up in his candy drawer just to make sure no one was stealing his candy.
When a project didn't work, he would carefully back track through the manual step by step to see if he'd done something wrong. When he found the error he'd fix it and voila! It worked.
This little lab is fantastic. It teaches meticulous following of directions, and a few days into playing with this, he could begin to construct his own electronic devices because it was making sense to him. It was beginning to be clear that when you put this wire 'here' and attach it 'there' a result would occur.
It is like an amazing electronics course all in one box AND it is fun, fun, fun!
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