WTB: Electronics Explorer board from Digilent - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: cidcorp
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 22, 2012, 06:27:08 am
content: I'm doubting I'll have any luck with this, but I'm looking for a EE Board from Digilent like the one in the link below:http://www.digilentinc.com/Products/Detail.cfm?NavPath=2,842,883&Prod=EEBOARDIt's for someone who is interested in learning electronics but lacks any of the lab/bench gear - I came across the materialand board info several months ago and was going to suggest it for my friend, but the $600 USD (I managed to finda slightly cheaper price on Amazon.com - but the seller is unable to ship to Canada) is a little outside their price range.Since reading the thread on the "... in One" kits from "when I was a boy" I remembered to look into it further.If anyone out there has one of these boards they are willing to part with for a reasonable price, I'd love to hear from you.Just a shot in the dark.ChrisToronto, Ontario, Canada.

author: notsob
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 22, 2012, 06:40:52 am
content: You can buy breadboard components of all sizes and make something like in you photo [at a massively cheaper price], they come with a peel off sticky back to attach them to whatever you choose for a base.http://dx.com/s/breadboard

author: psycho0815
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 22, 2012, 09:10:45 am
content: The Problem here is that the explorer board isn't just a breadboard.How about getting the digilent analog discovery and a standard breadboard?That should give you all of the really useful features of the explorer board at less than half the price.

author: louarnold
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 22, 2012, 09:11:24 am
content: Quote from: cidcorp on November 22, 2012, 06:27:08 amI ordered solderless breadboards on Ebay.ca from China. It takes a month to get it. But it will not have all the gadgets on it.There is a good review of boards here: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breadboard)I suggest the MB102 type because several sources exist for a power supply for that type. The dual (blue and red lines) bus lines down each side of the board are quite convenient. (http://www.ebay.com/itm/MB102-Breadboard-Power-Supply-Module-3-3V-5V-For-Arduino-Solderless-Breadboard-/170886733144)(http://compare.ebay.com/like/200837963270?var=lv&var=sbar)Boards often come as a single piece to be glued onto a plastic or wooden back-board (http://www.adafruit.com/products/239). There are those with back boards typically with several binding posts for power. (http://www.circuitspecialists.com/wb-106+j.html). There is also a solder prototyping board that matches the MB102 type breadboard exactly. (http://www.rpelectronics.com/br1-solderable-breadboard.html) When you're done with an experiment on the solderless board, you can rebuild the circuit on the solderable board with the same layout and the same power supply.I found the jumpers with the solid tips on them very useful. They usually come with the board. Jumper wires without the tips are a waste. 4-wire telephone cable does nicely and CAT 5 (LAN) type cable is also quite cheap. Buy them 10 feet at a time at your local hardware store.Lastly, there is the Cadillac (http://www.mpja.com/prodinfo.asp?number=17710+TE)Good luck.

author: cidcorp
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 22, 2012, 01:13:48 pm
content: Quote from: psycho0815 on November 22, 2012, 09:10:45 amHadn't really looked at the Analog Discovery unit. Does seem like it would fit the bill for them.I'll make that as a suggestion as well.

author: ptricks
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 22, 2012, 02:53:27 pm
content: I looked at that product a while back and it looks great on the surface, but what happens when something breaks ? Is is easy to repair. Being a prototyping tool it is going to be subject to a lot of possible damages.Anyone seen the inside of one ?

author: louarnold
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 22, 2012, 03:31:25 pm
content: Quote from: ptricks on November 22, 2012, 02:53:27 pmI think this is an excellent point. A tool that has many integrated functions is handy but when it breaks you may have to replace the entire tool The integrated tool is also more expensive. I can get a DVM for a little as $5-$10, and solderless breadboards at about $10. I used a PC power supply from a discarded computer and with a few binding posts, made a very good power supply for the breadboard. (http://www.wikihow.com/Convert-a-Computer-ATX-Power-Supply-to-a-Lab-Power-Supply).And...I can use any of these items for other purposes quite independently.However, there is a cost in time and effort, and for some young person, the work may be too much.

author: cidcorp
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 23, 2012, 02:12:37 am
content: Yes I guess repairs due to little learning 'errors' could be costly if it required the whole board to be replaced. I was under the impression that Digilent included schematics for the device (but now that I think of it, I'm probably having flash backs of the '80s and '90s where this practice was more common). I remember seeing some time back a review on a site which had pictures of the the underside (component) layout of the board, but I haven't been able to find it again.Maybe I'll hold off - or go the cheaper Analog Discovery Kit, Analog Parts Kit and a good DMM to get them started.Thanks everyone for you comments.