Can you suggest very basic EE tutorials, meccanos, project kits for little children? Something that should allow building and trying the simple circuits like amplifiers, oscillators, photosensors, logic gates, microprocessors etc. without soldering the parts; with an accompanying book explaining the operation. Also, it would be great to have an entry level book on electronics for little kids. Can you recommend one? Vladimir Vassilevsky DSP and Mixed Signal Design Consultant http://www.abvolt.com
OT: Good EE books and project kits for little kids
Started by ●October 25, 2008
Reply by ●October 25, 20082008-10-25
"Little kids", how small? My first kit Phillips EE1003 http://home.hccnet.nl/piet.blaas/ee-bouwdoos.htm I was about 10, and was very disappointed at first about this gift until next day when I finally caught the meaning about it all. And here they are, ALL of them http://ee.old.no/ (linked from http://www.kranenborg.org/ee/ee3.htm) Not much answer to you, but "those were the days" Christen
Reply by ●October 25, 20082008-10-25
Vladimir Vassilevsky wrote:> > Can you suggest very basic EE tutorials, meccanos, project kits for > little children? Something that should allow building and trying the > simple circuits like amplifiers, oscillators, photosensors, logic gates, > microprocessors etc. without soldering the parts; with an accompanying > book explaining the operation. Also, it would be great to have an entry > level book on electronics for little kids. Can you recommend one?Nothing comes to mind right off, but you shouldn't overlook a wonderful book on the physics of surface tension, "Soap Bubbles: Their Colours and the Forces Which Mould Them". There is an inexpensive Dover reprint. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._V._Boys and http://store.doverpublications.com/0486205428.html (cheap at $7.95). It's not what you had in mind, but it's a delightful side trip. Jerry -- Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get. �����������������������������������������������������������������������
Reply by ●October 25, 20082008-10-25
On Sat, 25 Oct 2008 14:38:57 -0500, Vladimir Vassilevsky <antispam_bogus@hotmail.com> wrote:> >Can you suggest very basic EE tutorials, meccanos, project kits for >little children? Something that should allow building and trying the >simple circuits like amplifiers, oscillators, photosensors, logic gates, >microprocessors etc. without soldering the parts; with an accompanying >book explaining the operation. Also, it would be great to have an entry >level book on electronics for little kids. Can you recommend one? > > >Vladimir Vassilevsky >DSP and Mixed Signal Design Consultant >http://www.abvolt.comRadio Shack used to keep some stuff like that around. Looking at their on-line site it seems they still have a few things: http://www.radioshack.com/family/index.jsp?s=A-StorePrice-RSK&cp=2032062&categoryId=2032398&pg=1&searchSort=TRUE&retainProdsInSession=1&x=9&y=9 The Discovery store seems to have a few things that may be pertinent as well: http://shopping.discovery.com/category-1_TOYSGAMES/3_TG_TYP_ROBOTS-27996.html The hydrodynamics kit looks pretty cool, too. There are other vendors that should have similar stuff. I'd look around a bit to get a broader view to find what might suit you, but there's still a fair amount of that sort of thing around. Eric Jacobsen Minister of Algorithms Abineau Communications http://www.ericjacobsen.org Blog: http://www.dsprelated.com/blogs-1/hf/Eric_Jacobsen.php
Reply by ●October 25, 20082008-10-25
Vladimir Vassilevsky wrote:> > Can you suggest very basic EE tutorials, meccanos, project kits for > little children? Something that should allow building and trying the > simple circuits like amplifiers, oscillators, photosensors, logic gates, > microprocessors etc. without soldering the parts; with an accompanying > book explaining the operation. Also, it would be great to have an entry > level book on electronics for little kids. Can you recommend one? > >I suspect the "heyday" of such kits is long gone (last I saw was in a Tandy shop decades ago) , but in the UK Maplin do still list some. There is for example "Snap Circuits", parent site being: http://www.elenco.com/snapcircuits.html There is also this: http://www.apogeekits.com/lab_kit_el301.htm A friend of mine carried one of these from house to house over many years. It can be very difficult to let go! Richard Dobson
Reply by ●October 25, 20082008-10-25
"Christen Fihl" <look_at_HSPascal.fihl.net@nospam.plz> writes:> "Little kids", how small? > > My first kit Phillips EE1003 > http://home.hccnet.nl/piet.blaas/ee-bouwdoos.htm > I was about 10, and was very disappointed at first about this gift until > next day when I finally caught the meaning about it all.So, at 10, in a matter of a day, you mastered the concepts of Ohm's law, inductance, capacitance, switching circuits, and amplifiers/oscillators? Holy cow, you must be a genius!!! At about the same age (maybe 9), my dad started me off with a VERY simple kit in which you wound your own potentiometer and could build VERY simple circuits involvling lights, the potentiometer, a buzzer (I think), etc. -- % Randy Yates % "She tells me that she likes me very much, %% Fuquay-Varina, NC % but when I try to touch, she makes it %%% 919-577-9882 % all too clear." %%%% <yates@ieee.org> % 'Yours Truly, 2095', *Time*, ELO http://www.digitalsignallabs.com
Reply by ●October 25, 20082008-10-25
Vladimir Vassilevsky wrote:> > Can you suggest very basic EE tutorials, meccanos, project kits for > little children? Something that should allow building and trying the > simple circuits like amplifiers, oscillators, photosensors, logic gates, > microprocessors etc. without soldering the parts; with an accompanying > book explaining the operation. Also, it would be great to have an entry > level book on electronics for little kids. Can you recommend one?You might find a nice joint project at http://www.electrokits.com/, but you'll have to fill in theory yourself. Jerry -- Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get. �����������������������������������������������������������������������
Reply by ●October 25, 20082008-10-25
> So, at 10, in a matter of a day, you mastered the concepts of Ohm's > law, > inductance, capacitance, switching circuits, and > amplifiers/oscillators?Nope, I did as instructed, and made some circuits (morse, blinking lights, radios,..) I managed to kill the transistors in a few days, and keept making new examples, but as none worked, I finally send my mom to a radio shop in the nearby city with the BC148B's (mounted on a small pcb). I made a qualified guess about the problem beeing those things. Or lucky guess, or just being a genius :-) My own kid I gave (when he was 9) a building block type of EE, with some 150 examples, but basically it is about 10 different ones multiplied with "now try same with a motor instead of a lamp". And the blocks has some IC internally and about 6 IO's without any docs whatsoever. I cannot tell why/how thinks works when you do so and so. And I cannot help my kid in understanding, so this kit had no long term life. Christen
Reply by ●October 25, 20082008-10-25
Jerry Avins wrote:> Vladimir Vassilevsky wrote: >> >> Can you suggest very basic EE tutorials, meccanos, project kits for >> little children? Something that should allow building and trying the >> simple circuits like amplifiers, oscillators, photosensors, logic >> gates, microprocessors etc. without soldering the parts; with an >> accompanying book explaining the operation. Also, it would be great >> to have an entry level book on electronics for little kids. Can you >> recommend one? > > You might find a nice joint project at http://www.electrokits.com/, but > you'll have to fill in theory yourself. > > Jerry-- Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get. ����������������������������������������������������������������������� Those who insist that their friends behave rationally run out of friends.
Reply by ●October 25, 20082008-10-25
Jerry Avins wrote:> Vladimir Vassilevsky wrote: > >> >> Can you suggest very basic EE tutorials, meccanos, project kits for >> little children? Something that should allow building and trying the >> simple circuits like amplifiers, oscillators, photosensors, logic >> gates, microprocessors etc. without soldering the parts; with an >> accompanying book explaining the operation. Also, it would be great >> to have an entry level book on electronics for little kids. Can you >> recommend one? > > > Nothing comes to mind right off, but you shouldn't overlook a wonderful > book on the physics of surface tension, "Soap Bubbles: Their Colours and > the Forces Which Mould Them".Sounds more like a study on economics.> There is an inexpensive Dover reprint. See > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._V._Boys and > http://store.doverpublications.com/0486205428.html (cheap at $7.95). > > It's not what you had in mind, but it's a delightful side trip.What I would really like to avoid in this thread are the touching stories about the old good times, what a brilliant kids we were and how great our kids are. There seem to be are quite a few books and electronic kits around; the question is if you can recommend a particular book or kit that would be right for the 10 y.o. Vladimir Vassilevsky DSP and Mixed Signal Design Consultant http://www.abvolt.com
