Make: Electronics Component Pack 1 - Second Edition Kit Follows The Latest Make: Electronics 2nd ed Educational Book by Charles Platt

I have become interested in learning about IoT (the internet of things) - so much so that I bought CanaKit Raspberry Pi 3 Ultimate Starter Kit - 32 GB Edition which is a Raspberry Pi 3 kit to start to learn. After a week or two playing around with various operating systems and media centers, I decided it was time to move on to some code and some circuits. The trouble was that the kit didn't come with any experiments or guides on how to put any circuits together with it - their website didn't have any either. Through youtube videos I managed to eventually get an LED to light up based on code. However, I was constantly worried I would do something wrong and damage the Pi.So I was presented with a pretty major problem. First, I needed a way to learn about basic circuits - and really I am a complete beginner (I am an adult so a lot of the child oriented kits here on amazon are of no interest). Second, to do anything truly interesting, I needed other components (i.e. capacitors, transistors, etc.). Third, the Canakit didn't even come with a case to put all my stuff in - so I wanted a box or kit to store my current and hopefully future components.So in trying to fit those requirements, I ended up here looking at the kit before I found or ever heard of the book. I decided to buy both, and give the first part of the book and this kit a go. It looked like it fit the bill, and I could see that the book builds up to playing with an Arduino, which is a goal I have with the Pi.So now that I've covered the context of how I ended up here, let me give a proper review of the kit, keeping my motivations and beginner status in mind.Shipping Experience - 5 starsI ordered the kit on Sunday with standard shipping. I had it in hand that Wednesday. Amazon hadn't even shipped the book yet in another package - so shipping was pretty excellent.Unboxing - 4 starsThe website claims over 100 components and I believe it. With all the little parts, I wanted to go through the kit first and make sure I wasn't missing anything. The kit comes with a sheet of paper with an overall guide of where everything is, but I couldn't find a proper inventory of items and counts (how would I ever know if I was 1 resistor short?). Nonetheless, watching a video review here on Amazon it appeared I had the same thing, and so far I haven't been short on anything.Deluxe vs Regular - 5 starsI truly appreciate the options. The deluxe has a multimeter and some batteries (Regular has no batteries). I went with the Regular because I have plenty of batteries and I had a multimeter already. So I appreciate the opportunity to save some money and not buy something I already had.Other Items - 5 starsLet me say it upfront - even with the kit you will still need other things. Experiment 5 requires a couple lemons. Experiment 6 requires some wire cutters and a needle nosed pliers. Later experiments could use some jumpers (while not recommended by the author I like them as a beginner because they save some time). The author covers these items at the front of the Chapters - so plan ahead. I only have late nights to experiment, so without planning it would set me back a couple days. Even so, these items are common enough that again I appreciate the seller keeping costs low and not selling something in the kit I already had.Kit Box - 5 starsOne of my goals was to have a place to store my Raspberry Pi that came with the Canakit. No problem - I could rearrange things in this kit a to accomodate it. The box itself is perfect for what I wanted.Components - 5 starsExtra components are included - in some cases even intended to be destroyed. As of experiment 8, only 1 component didn't work -- specifically one of the DPDT relays just didn't work in the oscillating experiment. The second worked perfectly. The book intended for 1 to be cut open (which i didn't do at the time), so it was nice to have a second one, and if I do cut one open, it will be the one that doesn't work.Pairing with the book - 5 starsHaving the book with the kit has worked out pretty well. I am currently ready to start Experiment 9 (out of the first 11 the kit is intended for). As a complete beginner, I would have spent a ton of time trying to get these items. This kit is a huge timesaver for working through the experiments in the book.Company - 5 starsThe kit included multiple notes, and I even got an email from the sellers saying thanks. I appreciate their appreciating my business. I haven't had a need to communicate with the sellers, so can't comment on how responsive they may be if a problem arose.Generally I am quite pleased with both the kit and the book. Really though - all this is just words. I had put off buying kit 2 (and ultimately 3) because I wanted to see how 1 worked out before laying down some more money. Having made it through the first 8 experiments, I am planning to continue further once I finish Experiment 11. So I'll be opening my wallet to buy the next kit, which is probably a better summation of what I think of the kit than anything else I have said.***************************************UPDATE -- KIT 2 REVIEW***************************************I bought Kit 2 after my review of Kit 1 above, and have continued with the experiments in the book. I have completed the first 19 experiments now, and am ready to start experiment 20. I thought it was time to do a review on Kit 2.I bought the regular kit - I already had a soldering iron and as fate would have it, I even had the adjustable Radio Shack power adapter the book used - so I didn't need either of the items that come in the deluxe version. Again appreciative the seller offered the option so I didn't spend money on things I already had.Generally speaking, the same notes I made above for Kit 1 also apply to Kit 2 - 5 stars across the board. In this review I will focus on differences and notes regarding my experience.First up, whether it is obvious or not, it is important to note that Kit 2 isn't all inclusive for experiments 12-24. Some items, such as the breadboard or a DPDT switch, are used in experiments 12-24, but aren't included in this kit. Rather, it is assumed that one already has those items from Kit 1 and are reusing them. So if you decide to skip the first 12 experiments and Kit 1, and go straight into Kit 2, you will have to buy some extra items to run the experiments.Also, a noteworthy item not included in the kit is a helping hand with a magnifying glass. The author recommends having one for the soldering experiments, and having completed them I second the recommendation. I spent a lot of time shopping on Amazon for the perfect one, but in the end, I liked one in the local Radio Shack better than anything I found online. In any case, if you plan ahead like I do, expect to buy one in addition to this kit.Also not included is a project box for the intruder alarm experiment, but personally I had no interest in putting the box together - the alarm isn't real-life usable in my opinion, so saving money is again a better option.That all said, Kit 2 feels "beefier" than Kit 1. The experiments are more complicated, and while I haven't counted the individual pieces, it correspondingly seems like Kit 2 has more components than Kit 1. Given that Kit 1 included a discount to Kit 2, I consider it a great deal.I did need to contact the sellers for this kit, and the experience was pretty good - I would rate it a 5 for service and 4.5 for resolution -- so let's call it 4.8 out of 5 overall, as I will explain.When I reached experiment 19 - the reflex tester - which is the circuit shown on the cover of the book, I ran into some trouble. Specifically the LED counters included in my Kit 2 turned out to be common anode displays - the experiment actually requires common cathode displays. This is something of a confusing point in the experiment because of an undocumented error in the book - 1 of the 3 sets of LED counters the author recommends are in fact common anode. The reality is that common anode displays simply won't work as I found out for myself.So I contacted the sellers with the problem. They responded promptly. and found that they had received a handful of common anode displays that made it into kits, and my kit was one that had them. They immediately shipped me common cathode LED counters, and an extra 4096 that I damaged while figuring out why the LED counters didn't work. Most importantly, they were courteous and responsive - 5 stars for service.The reason I am giving a 4.5 out of 5.0 for resolution is because of the second set of LED counters that then came. The original LED counters, that didn't work, took 5 rows on the breadboard as expected by the book --- the second set of LED counters did work, but took 7 rows on the breadboard. Since 3 LED counters are needed for the experiment, that meant that I needed 6 extra rows beyond what the book required --- BUT the experiment takes all 60 rows of the breadboard! Meaning it was impossible to arrange the circuit in the same way as the book. So to pull it off, I used the breadboard that came with the Canakit (62 rows) and then rearranged a couple rows to get everything to fit. Of course, the wiring for the LED counters needed to be different from the book too - it wasn't too hard to work out from the datasheet. I'll include a photo of the completed circuit with the modifications I made to get the 7 row LED counters on the breadboard in case someone else got them.So, communication and service was great - would have given a full 5 stars if the second set of LED counters were 5 rows. Given my experience with the sellers, I am pretty sure they would have sent another set of LED counters had I asked, but given I got the circuit to work I'm satisfied.Otherwise, Kit 2 has been smooth sailing with no further issue. So if you have read this far, let me unequivocally state that I think Kit 2, like Kit 1, is great and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a kit for the book.************************************UPDATE - KIT 3 REVIEW************************************I've bought Kit 3 and now have it hand. I will write a complete review for it once I've completed some of the experiments with the kit.

As an aspiring electronics hobbyist, I wanted to set myself up for success with the Make: Electronics series of books. While it's possible to source all of the components you'll need by hand -- doing so is quite a project in and of itself. For instance, even with a parts list, it can be quite difficult to ensure that the components you're buying are the right ones.And that's why these kits are so fantastic.Instead of scanning through the book and putting together one (or, inevitably, two) parts orders -- you pick up one of these kits and... that's it. You're done. You've got everything you need right there.Moreover, these kits aren't just a bunch of electronic components crammed into a box. They're neatly organized Plano-esque storage cases with all the components parceled out and meticulously labeled. With one of these, all you have to do is read the book, pick out the components you'd like to use, and build away. Easy.That said, these packs are indeed a bit pricey ($80, yikes!) -- but given the amount of time, effort, and eyestrain they'll save you in the long run, they're more than worth the cost. Frankly, I'm not entirely sure how much the raw materials would cost if you bought them individually from, say, Jameco. But I suspect that the markup isn't all that high when you consider everything you get with this kit.Long story short: if you're looking to get the most out of the Make: Electronics series of books with a minimum of fuss, searching, and sorting -- this kit is an excellent choice. I'm grateful that ProTechTrader took the time to put this together: the kit may be third party, but it's still more complete (and more up to date) -- not to mention affordable -- than the kits that Make put out a few years ago... if you can find them in stock anywhere.

This kit contains a collection of components useful for doing the first few experiments in Make: Electronics 2nd edition. I suspect that I paid quite a bit extra for the convenience of this package. Resistors, capacitors, etc. are pretty cheap so I suspect that if I went around and bought all the stuff I needed, I could get it for less money. But it would take me a bunch of time to find the necessary stuff and being a novice, I might buy a wrong part or two. Plus then I’d have to spend time organizing all the stuff I bought or have it be a big mess. This kit comes with a plastic box and everything is bagged and labeled and put in a specific compartment and it comes with a sheet that is a map of where all the stuff is. My time is valuable so I don’t mind spending a bit to save some time. The case is nice because it organized everything though it also makes me nervous because the latches on the case don’t inspire a lot of confidence in me. They don’t feel super tight so I fear them opening and spilling out stuff, though this hasn’t happened yet. I wish the latches felt a bit more solid.It came with a note that mentioned that these are put together by a husband and wife team, so I thought it was nice that I was supporting a small business.