Reviewer:
Richard Flores
from Pleasant Hill, CA United States
I believe I have version 1 of this and, so, don't know if my comments are still valid for the version 2. I love the idea behind this kit and the guide book and packaging are a perfect format for my 10 year old son. I would make a couple of suggestions, however. I would have chosen components with thicker leads. The thin leads on the lower power resistors are just too difficult to plug into the bread board and they bend so easily, they often lean against and short with other components. 1/2 watt resistors (though more than needed for the projects) would have been better in this regard. It makes using these discouraging for a child. Secondly, I think the holes are easier to see on a white breadboard than the clear one provided.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Great selection of parts
February 27, 2010
Reviewer:
Bret Pettichord
from Austin, TX United States
This has a really nice set of parts to get started. The manual, however, is hard to follow, somewhat incomplete, and occasionally wrong. I also got the Make:Electronics book, and that helped a lot.
The transistor diagram (on the envelope) incorrectly labels the leads of the transistor they provide. The Make:Electronics book gave me the guidance I needed to find and understand the datasheet for this component so that I could confirm that this diagram was backwards.
It is hard for me to understand how this error occurred and why they don't include an errata with the kit.
In summary, a great collection of parts for the beginner, including a really colorful collection of LED's. But you should plan on getting an introductory manual from somewhere else.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
Great kit - but poorly edited
November 24, 2009
Reviewer:
Rob
from Richmond, BC Canada
I am an electrical engineer and I bought this kit for my nephew. It's the only beginners kit I've seen that uses actual components and a breadboard, just like I would use for my own projects except with more documentation aimed at beginners to explain what the components are and how to use them. I was very impressed till I read the manual. The images are great and it will be easy for someone to put the circuits together, but it reads like someone interviewed an electronics specialist, then wrote the manual and never got the final draft edited by someone who actually knows electronics. There are some outright errors, and several descriptions that are misleading. On the whole, though, I recommend it.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Great for beginner
June 4, 2009
Reviewer:
Carl Ehrett
from Chicago, IL United States
This was perfect. Easy to understand, but still informative and not pitched too low, even for an adult beginner like me. Comes with great materials, useful once you've finished the fun projects in the book. Glad I got this gem!
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2 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
GREAT KIT
March 24, 2009
Reviewer:
Helen Aker
from Brazil, IN United States
kit suggestions 
Great selection of parts 
Great for beginner 
