The Fun Of Electronics Kits

For years kids enjoyed the fun of electronics kits. You could learn to build a large number of different pieces of technology. Kids (and adults) could pick and choose different kits where they could learn to build any number of things. Instructions would guide the user through step after step of creating something from scratch. At the end, the user would be rewarding by having a completed electronics kit.

soldering station & tools for electronic assembly
soldering station & tools for electronic assembly

 

Often times, electronics kits would lead to kids becoming interested in science, engineering, learning, and any number of other activities. This has lead to more and more kids seeking STEM(Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) related careers.

What Could You Build With An Electronics Kit?
Just about any kind of basic electronic device could be built from an electronics kit. AM/FM radios were always popular. Some other electronic device include:

  • Television Remotes
  • Corded Phones
  • Remote Control Cars/Planes
  • Robots
  • Sirens
  • Lights
  • Clocks
  • Circuit Experimentation Kits

More advanced kits could be purchased but required more work and expertise. Advanced electronics kits were more likely to be messed up and carried with them a longer build time. Some even required more advanced techniques.

No matter whether you had a basic kit or something more advanced, there is always a level of fun and challenge that is involved. You might also be interested in Used Office Equipment Buying Tips.

Why Did Electronics Kits Start To See A Decline?
More and more over the recent years, electronics kits have seen a decline in popularity. There are a variety of reasons for this. Each one is sadly related to the future and the ability to mass produce so many items at great prices.

One of the biggest disadvantages to traditional electronics kits is that they are limited. Most kits only allow you to build one device or item from the kit. And even then, you can only build it one time. On rare occurrences, you can disassemble devices but that is rare.

So many of us have enjoyed electronics kits, that it is sad to say that the parts that were included in these kits were extremely cheap. It was easy to break them and sometimes a kit being broken wasn’t the user’s fault, it was the kits fault too.

While you could learn how different parts on electronics projects would work with each other, you couldn’t learn how the specific part worked. Many parts can be used in a variety of combinations to obtain different results. If users wanted to learn exactly how these pieces worked and wanted to experiment, they would have to buy more parts to test them out.

You will also find that there is a limited amount of interactivity once you build electronics kits. Even kits with boards and circuits meant for interactivity have limits. You would have to experiment with modifying the board in ways that they were never designed for. This could resulting in damaging all of the parts.

Electronics kits have never been super expensive but at the same time, kids would have a hard time affording more than one. If you manage to finish the kit quickly and want more, or want to experiment, affording more will take time.

A lot of these kits came from stores like Radio Shack. Unfortunately, in recent years, Radio Shack has gone under. Meaning that you now don’t have many places that you can go to buy these kits (or parts) in person. You can still buy them from the internet but it doesn’t have that same feel and you can see parts next to each other before buying them.

If you want to learn about electronics and technology in a hands on manner, electronics kits have always been the way to go. Modern technology is making these kits harder to come by. But there is a replacement option out there. Imagine being able to make whatever you want with unlimited options. Check out our next article to see how that can happen.