Interesting DIY kits to purchase/experiment with? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: silenter
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 18, 2018, 06:21:56 pm
content: Hi everyone. Just a vague question, and I hope I didn't select the wrong forum. Briefly:Do you have any interesting DIY kits (found on ebay/aliexpress/etc) that you would recommend for either fun or experimentation?I bought some very cheap kits early on, mainly to practice soldering and to look at simple working circuits.One kit that stuck with me was the little "GM328 transistor tester", of which you can find 20 variants online. Although I now have much better instruments, I cannot count how many times I pulled this little thing out, and for most purposes it still serves me nicely today. I upgraded the crystal, modified the board, and even hacked the firmware to tweak the behavior to my liking. If I had to point a beginner to something to have fun with, this would definitely be something I'd recommend, both for the usefulness and learning experience you can get out of it.Is anything else that you would recommend, even just for the fun of it?

author: rstofer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2018, 06:29:31 pm
content: FG085 Function Generator (if you don't already have a signal generator)https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11394

author: Jwillis
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2018, 06:43:53 pm
content: The JYETech DSO138 DIY Digital Oscilloscope Kit is pretty cool. That can be found on ebay .Since its open source even the knock offs aren't bad.

author: HecticZA
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2018, 06:47:18 pm
content: This is something that I'm planning to get in to.Sort of interested in the oscilloscope kits, mostly because it is unlikely that I will be able to buy any scopes in the next few years.The fact that Dave don't like those kits have put me off though.I've never used a scope though and I'm still thinking of buying the kit just to get some experience with it.Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk

author: Peabody
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2018, 07:02:06 pm
content: I would raise the JYETech entry to the DSO150. Buy a genuine one from Banggood for about $21. Also buy their scope probe and a 9V power supply. Another $10-12 for that stuff. And then when you're all done you can think about converting it to battery power (there's room in the case) - see pic.Get the kit version that has all the surface mount stuff pre-installed. It's actually cheaper for some reason.I know Dave thinks these are rubbish. But I've actually found mine to be quite useful. And it's a fun kit to build. But you do want to be sure you get a genuine one. You can't do the latest firmware updates otherwise. Yes, they do firmware updates. $21. Who would believe it. Buy it from Banggood - they are genuine.if you do get that one, ask me about alternate mounting of the rotary encoder.

author: HecticZA
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2018, 07:16:37 pm
content: Quote from: Peabody on February 18, 2018, 07:02:06 pmThx for the info.Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk

author: Jwillis
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2018, 07:25:57 pm
content: If your just starting out like me keep things simple and not hard on budget.I wouldn't suggest diagnosing the flight panel of the space shuttle with a DIY oscilloscope or even a usb Hantek. But they're cheap and close enough for learning the basics. Theirs all kinds of DIY kits for audio amps ,power supplies,toys,games.Even old school vacuum tube amps,radios and Nixie clocks.What ever floats your boat .Their all fun to tinker with and learn from.Thing is to just dive in and give it a try.

author: rpmilius
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 19, 2018, 05:46:46 am
content: I’m a beginner and have also been on the lookout for cheap simple fun kits to practice soldering. I’ve found that searching for “electronic diy suite kit” on eBay brings up a lot of different and interesting kits for just a few bucks each.

author: joseph nicholas
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 19, 2018, 12:14:05 pm
content: I have built the MF-47 multimeter kit on bangood and it takes a great deal of patience to put together successfully, but the thing works and is a great supplement to a standard digital MM. It is quite tough and can take a lot of abuse. It also has a 2.5kv range which you wont find on the digital types.

author: leisergeist
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 19, 2018, 02:15:04 pm
content: Those $10 eBay component tester kits look mildly useful, I'm not sure I'd personally have much use for one though.Quote from: rstofer on February 18, 2018, 06:29:31 pmEven if it's not terribly cheap, that's pretty neat

author: medical-nerd
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 19, 2018, 03:36:21 pm
content: HiyaThe airband receivers are reasonable for about $15-$20, are easy to construct and the circuit is interesting to go through.Cheers

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 19, 2018, 07:20:09 pm
content: What sucks about all the Chinese kits (and many western ones) is that, for all intents and purposes, they’re just soldering practice. And while that does have value, you learn absolutely nothing about the circuit’s theory of operation, etc. (Especially if it works on the first try; troubleshooting sorta forces you to learn a bit.) And in all the things with microcontrollers, it’s spectacularly rare to get the source code, similarly depriving you of any insight to how the thing works.

author: paulca
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 19, 2018, 08:07:22 pm
content: This was fun to build:http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/282303654044As was this:Portable Headphone Amplifier Board Kit AMP Module Kit For Classic 47 HIFI DIYBoth very useful and I have them running as permanent items on my desk.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 19, 2018, 08:10:37 pm
content: Quote from: blueskull on March 19, 2018, 07:46:04 pmI wasn’t stating any opinions on the final product, dude. I’m talking strictly about the educational value of getting it as a kit. No theory of operation and no source code mean that you’re buying a finished product and a soldering practice kit in one. That’s it. You learn nothing about how it works, why it’s designed the way it is, etc.Of course the Chinese would clone the source code. This fact has zero impact on my statement that having no access to the source code is a huge limitation from a learning standpoint.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 19, 2018, 08:13:39 pm
content: Quote from: paulca on March 19, 2018, 08:07:22 pmThe clock kits are fun to build. But zero educational value (see above), and the accuracy of the clocks is all over the place. (I finally found some clock kits that use the DS3231 instead of the DS1302/1307, and are far, far more accurate.)

author: oldway
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 19, 2018, 08:51:29 pm
content: Have a look on Velleman kits......https://www.velleman.eu/products/list/?id=366970

author: 128ITSH
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 19, 2018, 09:24:07 pm
content: I usually don't like to order a DIY kit unless it is for soldering practice or an actually useful tool.The way I learn electronics the best is by working on projects, since thinking of an idea, designing a circuit, choosing components, writing a program is far more "Do-it-Yourself" than just soldering. I'm now designing my first PCB to be printed for some project, and I learn so much out of it. (till now used Proto-Boards for my projects)So i'd say that the best DIY kit to buy is a breadboard, some components, wires, and your imagination.I ordered a 4 digit 7-segment board about two years ago. I intended to use it with a PICAXE but the example code from the seller didn't worked. back then I really didn't know what I was doing - I didn't know how the IC's on the board worked, how the serial interface worked, I think I wasn't even sure what current is in these days.The result was that I had no way of troubleshooting this and I just gave up with that board.So my advice for beginners is to only buy a DIY kit if they understand the basic principle that it is built on, and if it has a good tutorial that is also educational.

author: chriswebb
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 19, 2018, 10:14:55 pm
content: I was fortunate enough to acquire a bunch of ramsay kits. Not sure their availability these days.Also if you have the money to spend:https://shop.heathkit.com/shopThere are a few kits there but they are pricey.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 20, 2018, 12:16:21 am
content: Quote from: oldway on March 19, 2018, 08:51:29 pmTo spend 10x as much as the Chinese version, with almost equally bad documentation?

author: sycho123321
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 20, 2018, 03:19:31 am
content: If you are interested in the rf side of things there are a myriad of QRP (Low power) radio kits on sites like ebay to build/experiment around with. Be aware though that for some kits you may need a licence. There are also easily modifiable designs like the bitx radio you could play with.

author: Hextejas
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 20, 2018, 05:50:00 am
content: Quote from: leisergeist on March 19, 2018, 02:15:04 pmI have this kit and it works well.I used it a lot today to try and find a matched pair of capacitors.I think that Dave even reviewed it and liked it.

author: oldway
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 20, 2018, 08:22:31 am
content: Quote from: tooki on March 20, 2018, 12:16:21 amIf you are considering electronics only financially, it is better to stop right away.We find everything we want already mounted for peanuts, no need to mount anything.It's the same thing with electronic repair, if you count the price of labor, it's cheaper to buy a new device.You have to think different .... in learning, it's not the cost that counts, but the experience and the knowledge you acquire.One of the benefits of Velleman kits is the diversity of available projects.An assembly with through hole components is also easier for mounting and measurements than SMDs

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 20, 2018, 04:18:55 pm
content: Quote from: oldway on March 20, 2018, 08:22:31 amIt's a money pit, which is precisely why it makes sense to not waste it on overpriced items when you can get the same thing for less.Quote from: oldway on March 20, 2018, 08:22:31 amNo kidding?Quote from: oldway on March 20, 2018, 08:22:31 amYou don't say…Quote from: oldway on March 20, 2018, 08:22:31 amPlease don't tell me how to think, since you have no idea how I think.Obviously it's about the learning, which is precisely why I complained in posts above that so many kits are devoid of educational value. They're soldering practice, little more, for the most part.Quote from: oldway on March 20, 2018, 08:22:31 amYou consider that a diversity of projects?!? I just see a bunch of modules, some useful (but overpriced) and others fundamentally useless. Very few involved projects producing a finished device I'd actually want to use.Quote from: oldway on March 20, 2018, 08:22:31 amI think that way of thinking is changing rapidly. I've come to see SMD as often easier to deal with. I'd much rather mount 100 surface mount resistors or LEDs than 100 THT ones with 200 legs that have to be trimmed. SMD ICs take less time to solder than a THT one of the same pin count.Depending on the package type, there is some truth to saying that they can be harder to probe — much harder in some cases. Sharp probes (Probe Master comes to mind) make a huge difference.

author: The_Boots
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 20, 2018, 06:37:45 pm
content: So I am also just getting started out and I also decided to get some of the kits to work with. To all who think that these are just "soldering practice" and not educational, I would say that's a bit shortsighted. It depends on how you approach them. I set out to try to find kits to make some useful devices for getting started-- in the end I decided to get a power supply kit and the component tester kit. I'm still waiting on the power supply kit, but I built the component tester last night and you're right; it was certainly soldering practice.But that's not all it was. As I said, I'm just getting started, and the whole experience can be a bit overwhelming when you're really getting started. The kits gave me a good starting point, with a fun path forwards that ended with a working device at the end. From the very process of choosing which kit to get, I learned an awful lot. Just as an example, when looking at critiques of the Bangood power supply, I learned about peak vs. RMS Voltage for AC, how to read datasheets of components, 78xx power regulators, linear vs. switching power supplies, and lots more in between. I think that qualifies as more than soldering practice.So far, the kits have been a kind of guided tour along the path of basic electrical components. When I pick up a new part I don't recognize, I look it up before I solder it in. Even better, the most frustrating part was that it was hard to follow the PCB traces to really follow the full circuit, so I think I want to try another design, but this time do it on veroboard so I can really dig in to what each component does.I'm sure for people with more experience, there wouldn't be much left to gain from these kits other than a relaxing, toy-building project. But remember, for those of us with a lot left to learn, there's plenty to be gained here.Oh! And +1 on the component tester, but if you've never soldered SMD components (which I hadn't) to try to practice a bit first. Soldering the 3 SMD parts was the first steps in my kit, and unfortunately, also the trickiest. The instructions DO say you can skip the SMD IC if you want, but where's the fun in that?

author: paulca
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 20, 2018, 08:03:17 pm
content: There is nothing wrong with kits as solder practice either!Buying a purely solder practice board, there is very seldom a way to verify it. Sure they sometimes link all the resistors in some funky parallel/series config and you can test them with your meter, but the values are often the left overs like things such as 13.1mOhm so it would be hard to determine if one of the parallel resistors is badly soldered.If you put together a clock, then if it doesn't work or goes "POOF" in a blue/white cloud then you know you messed up.This is of course IF it does anything first time. If it doesn't and nothing looks out of place it can be a great learning experience working out why it's not working. I did one of the little LED chasers and one of the LEDs was out. It was quite fun tracing things to find where the fault was. Of course it did indeed turn out to be a dead LED, but it required my scope to find it for sure.Besides I like my clock, my signal gen, my headphone amp and my little PSU modules. They are all useful and I can modify them if I choose.

author: oldway
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 20, 2018, 08:38:32 pm
content: Quote from: tooki on March 20, 2018, 12:16:21 amVelleman has a list of about 150 different kits including several educational kits specifically made to learn electronics.The variety of kits is very large, they even have a vacuum tube amplifier in their list.Where are you going to find this in China?It seems that you have answered without even having the curiosity to consult the list of Velleman kits.I'm only proposing an alternative to Silenter, it's up to him to decide what interests him.NB: If you want to experiment your own circuits, I recomend you to look for this book on Internet: (6 vol.)Graf - Encyclopedia of Electronic Circuits

author: GreyWoolfe
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 20, 2018, 11:29:32 pm
content: Quote from: oldway on March 20, 2018, 08:38:32 pmActually, there are 7 volumes. I have 1,2,3 and 7. No. 7 is a monster, 1128 pages with index. Should be something interesting to build in there.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 21, 2018, 02:09:28 am
content: Quote from: oldway on March 20, 2018, 08:38:32 pmYes, they do. I just don't think they do a very good job of it. They don't explain theory of operation, so the learning potential is limited.Quote from: oldway on March 20, 2018, 08:38:32 pmeBay. AliExpress. Probably banggood, too. Chinese tube amp kits are all over the place. Seems to me it wasn'tmewho neglected to look around the usual sources. Something about throwing stones in glass houses…Quote from: oldway on March 20, 2018, 08:38:32 pmNo, I answeredafterskimming the entire list of Velleman kits, again, just in case they'd added anything interesting since the last time I looked. They haven't. The fact that you find such diddly things interesting doesn't mean I have to; I find them mundane and overpriced.

author: Jwillis
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 21, 2018, 02:42:54 am
content: I admit that I have purchased a few DIY kits .And it's true that you learn very little on how they actually function .In my opinion ,most of the the "DIY" kits are for testing new employees for the assembly lines .But if your looking for challenge and education look around for old radios ,televisions and stereos and make them work again.Old vintage stuff is a lot of fun rebuilding .I recently rebuilt a 1939 Marconi Am radio and built a power supply for it since the old dry cell batteries are impossible to find.And currently I'm working on another valve radio from the early sixties and a Mixer amp from the late seventies .Even old computers can be interesting to work on .Sometimes the most interesting and stimulating projects can be found at a pawn shop.Just something to think about.

author: oldway
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 21, 2018, 09:55:25 am
content: The golden age of the DIY kits is over, Heathkit and MBLE / PHILIPS have ended their business, the electronic kit market is dead, there are no longer large suppliers in this market and it must be taken into account before having excessive requirements.

author: bitwelder
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 21, 2018, 11:01:04 am
content: I take the DIY kits for what they are: an exercise in soldering (and if I want it to be a relaxing exercise, it better be a though-hole one).Sometimes the kit doesn't work and it brings the added bonus of troubleshooting what went wrong.