Old git thread 2

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How times have changed.
When I were a lad living in a cardboard box by side of t'moterway.....

You used be able to get a whole host of electronics kits for kids, i.e. build your own radio, etc, etc.
I remember even having a ladybird book of electronics for kids.

So I do a search to find something my 9 year would enjoy.

There is bugger all out there these days. Just a really shitty toy'r'us style thing that my son will soon forget.

No wonder everything breaks these days as kids don't grow up being geeks any more and learning the real basics


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Comments

  • TTonyTTony Frets: 27346

    Raspberry Pi?

    Having trouble posting images here?  This might help.
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  • Go to Maplins, they've got loads of those simple kits
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  • ROOGROOG Frets: 554

    Agreed Maplins, even john lewis sell something, but I haven't found anything as professional as the 'Radionic X30

    http://searle.hostei.com/grant/ElectronicKits/index.html#RadionicX30

    that I had as a kid, indeed, our school had them and I know that Philips who branded the later stuff also produced very sophisticated kits used for teaching purposes at higher 'college' level. Its passing is a sad loss IMO.

     

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  • monquixotemonquixote Frets: 17485
    tFB Trader
    My nephew has quite a good electronics set, he also has Mindstorms which is very cool.
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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27590
    Much as I like those older kit thingies, I'd rather opt for either an Arduino/Pi/similar or a breadboard and box of components.

    I've been making my dear old mum a house sign that lights up as it gets dark outside; the original approach was all simple electronics, a square wave generator and a comparator so it was a sort of PWM based dimmer system, all low tech. But that proved tricky to get the threshold right, so as far as I can tell the simplest approach now is to do it with an Arduino. Simplest in the sense of how much effort is required to end up with a working thingy!
    "[Sporky] brings a certain vibe and dignity to the forum."
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  • frankusfrankus Frets: 4719
    A sig-nat-eur? What am I meant to use this for ffs?! Is this thing recording?
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  • equalsqlequalsql Frets: 6084
    My nephew has quite a good electronics set, he also has Mindstorms which is very cool.
    I was just checking out the Mindstorm stuff this morning and feck me it's expensive 

    :(

    I'd love some of it but I could build a tweed 5e3 for that sort of money

    (pronounced: equal-sequel)   "I suffered for my art.. now it's your turn"
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  • monquixotemonquixote Frets: 17485
    tFB Trader
    TTony said:

    Raspberry Pi?

    Much as I love the Pi I don't really think it's a great tool for teaching kids despite that being its aim.
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  • I don't see why not, @monquixote - its cheap and you can get the all the software building tools you need for nothing. Natch you need a tutor whos going to tell them the right way to use it, but its a whole lot better than teaching kids BASIC on a ZX Spectrum and then thinking they're fit for work in the real world. You get proper languages, real build tools, and a real Operating System. What's not to like?
    "Working" software has only unobserved bugs. (Parroty Error: Pieces of Nine! Pieces of Nine!)
    Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
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  • monquixotemonquixote Frets: 17485
    tFB Trader
    I don't see why not, @monquixote - its cheap and you can get the all the software building tools you need for nothing. Natch you need a tutor whos going to tell them the right way to use it, but its a whole lot better than teaching kids BASIC on a ZX Spectrum and then thinking they're fit for work in the real world. You get proper languages, real build tools, and a real Operating System. What's not to like?
    As a platform for learning to code it doesn't really do anything that any PC doesn't do. 
    Admittedly if you didn't have any kind of computing device it's a cheap route, but if you have to buy all the guff to go with it then you might as well buy a little netbook.

    If you actually want to understand low level stuff you are far better off buying a Arduino. 
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  • MickMick Frets: 98

    Rapid Electronics is a handy place for all sorts of electronic components. ;)

    Also check out their education section, as they have a few kits http://www.rapidonline.com/Education/Electronics

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