Electronics Workshop Kits

[jmeosbn]

Hi all,

We've discussed in the past, buying a bundle of components such as various sensors etc, as a basis for running workshops for Arduino, Raspberry Pi, or just general electronics.

I've started thinking about what examples to include in our workshops, and I'd like to start preparing one soon. So what I'd like to get sorted over this coming week, is a simple kit of sensors, LEDs, a diode and transistor or two, b/b friendly switches, LDR, potentiometers, etc.  There are various kits available - including some from banggood - but most are oriented around a certain project, or contain items we don't need or will purchase separately.

Ideally we'd also have a breadboard, jumper wires, and arduino in each kit, but that can wait for now - we've already found a good source of those and we have plenty available to try out with. Btw, I noticed earlier that banggood also do the Arduino Leonardo for only 50p more. :)

Most of the standard example arduino sketches should be possible, though I don't care about doing advanced stuff or anything with more costly parts (e.g. LCDs etc.) and price should be around £5 without breadboard, arduino, or jumper wires.

So, anyone have a suggestion of where best to buy these from? I'd like to get something ordered this week - and ideally delivered soon after - but, just adding components piecemeal from Farnell quickly becomes expensive (though we could do that for now just for one or two kits?) and looking through Aliexpress is just overwhelming.

[Gyrobot]

 

There is what looks like a perfect starter kit available at Banggood : http://www.banggood.com/UNO-Basic-Starter-Learning-Kit-Upgrade-Version-For-Arduino-p-970714.html which includes the "UNO" and prototype extension board too. Perfect for beginners and to offer the kit included as part of a workshop price.

 

There is a sensor kit which also looks pretty comprehensive although I guess some sensors will never get used : http://www.banggood.com/37-In-1-Sensor-Module-Board-Set-Kit-For-Arduino-p-89734.html

[Gyrobot]

So I have found 3 potential beginner kits, I wouldn't want to make the call which one is best to centre a workshop around, but the first one has a motor and a servo in it :

 

http://www.banggood.com/UNO-Basic-Starter-Learning-Kit-Upgrade-Version-For-Arduino-p-970714.html

http://www.banggood.com/Uno-R3-Starter-Basic-Kit-For-Arduino-Beginner-p-968829.html

http://www.banggood.com/UNO-R3-Beginner-Starter-Learning-Kit-For-Arduino-p-965985.html

[Robert Longbottom]

Yeah, its tricky.  Any of those would "keep you quiet" for a while and if you have no particular project in mind then it would be plenty of stuff to play with.  The cheaper one looks as good as any of the others really so if I was buying for me I'd probably get that unless there was a specific bit I wanted in one of the other kits.  And they are certainly better value than anything I've see elsewhere.

I think all those kits are more focused at "Arduino" rather than "electronics".  So it depends what your aim is, there is a lot you can do without an Arduino using just components and a breadboard.

Something more like this (http://www.bitsbox.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=272_276&products_id=2009) from bitsbox would give you more raw electronics components, though it doesn't seem all that cheap in comparison and you'd probably run out of things to do pretty quickly.

Buying a kit you will always end up with some bits you don't really want, and probably not enough of the bits you do want!

(I'm not sure I've helped in any way there, but unless you have a specific project / list of bits this will always be the problem.)

[Jamie Osborne]

Any one of the kits linked so far would be good to have for the Hackspace - and we probably should buy one of them - but I don't want just one! ;)

We need a set kit for at least six people to run as a workshop.  I think we'll end up just ordering components piecemeal, using the kits linked, as well as those at arduino.cc, as a guide. Though resistors can just be bought as a big pack (of various values), then split among several kits - likewise for jumper wires.

Totally agree wrt arduino and electronics*. My intention is to start with just a breadboard and components - no micro-controller - using simple circuits interacted with using simple switches, potentiometers, LDR, etc. The aim being to show a little electronics theory (and that an arduino isn't always required), then where the arduino can slot in to either automated that manual interaction or vary it in a way that far easier (or only really feasible) in software.

* this is partly why I though the shrimps - self built arduinos - would be a good exercise; though this could get too in depth, or take too long. (The other part was just that it's cool - I admit it!)

Jamie

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[Robert Longbottom]

Yeah, I thought you were aiming for more raw electronics than "plug and play" arduinos.

It will depend very much on the audience as to how far you can get and how quickly.  I suspect a shrimping kit is too advanced for a "beginners" workshop.  There's a fair chance you will need to explain how a breadboard works depending on the audience.

Starting on the breadboard and bring in the Arduino later seems like a good approach to me.  I have (had) all the parts to build a line following robot that was purely breadboard, but I think it gave it away.  Maybe you could do that and then build the same on an Arduino.  Though even that could be way too much to cover depending on the audience, but you'd cover LEDs, resistors, ldrs, motors, transistors / motor control, then all the same on the Arduino.

[Damian Axford]

thinking aloud - might be worth a step back and try to get a view from your target audience.    and/or think of it in marketing terms - what's likely to get the most uptake/engagement.  For example, which of these is most likely to get high attendance:

1. Get started with Arduino - hands-on workshop classes to get you familiar with using Arduino to interact with the world - makes things move, flash, buzz and more.  £10/wk for a 4 wk course, includes an Arduino starter kit.
2. Get started with Electronics - hands-on workshop classes to get familiar with basic electronic circuits, from transistors and LEDs to capacitors and diodes.  £xx/wk for a 4 wk course, includes an electronics starter kit.

Working from end-game backwards might help you decide what route to take, and setting constraints such as it'll be a four week course, may help clarify scope and therefore which bits need to be in a kit.

An excellent "first" Arduino project could be a useless box...   very basic set of parts (arduino, one servo, a switch)  with simple additions to make it more fun (LED, buzzer, light sensor, microphone, etc).  The "box" could be cardboard (or lasercut foam core :) ).

This would make option 1 more like:

Get started with Arduino - hands-on workshop classes to get you familiar with using Arduino to interact with the world - making things move, flash, buzz and more.  During the 4 wk course you'll build, program and customise a "Useless Machine".  £10/wk; includes an Arduino start kit.

[Jamie Osborne]

Definitely will be spending time to get familiar with the breadboard. I intend to do enough sans-arduino that they won't just be following a drawing and not understanding the connections.

A line following robot would be cool - but might steal the thunder from Logobot!

Arduino is definitely the core aim of the workshop - but not where it'll start. Either way, I think Damian can write the copy for it! ;)

It's tough deciding on how much time to devote to a full project. The aim would be understanding all the basics in small steps. So if the project could bring together the understanding from those smaller circuits, then that should be efficient as far as time goes.

Is foam fairly cheap? I was looking at a very simple robot that used laser cut wood - but it seems that's out of our budget??

Jamie

[Damian Axford]

:)

foam is approx £3 per A1 sheet in bulk.  

thin corrugate is approx £1 per A1 sheet in bulk.

thin plywood (2mm) is approx £15 for equiv size, but only really available in smaller sheets (300x600mm is quite cost efficient)

In terms of scope/time - most people probably won't sign up for anything that takes too long or requires attendance over lots of consecutive weeks.  They also won't want the financial commitment if it gets too expensive.  10 wks is probably an absolute maximum.  <=6 more likely to get high uptake.  you can always run a part1, followed by part 2 course.  Maybe 5 wks each.     Each session prob 1.5hr max, with a break half-way.  gives you about 75min teaching time.  At least half of that is discussion, people trying stuff, getting confused, etc.  

In terms of ordering content, starting with breadboarding basics is logical, but potentially boring.  You might be better off starting with the arduino (blink tutorial) and progressively adding other concepts (e.g. breadboard LED + resistor) to keep engagement/interest level high.  The focus being on giving attendees something interesting they can take-away to fiddle with at the end of each session.  For example: 

• wk1 - PWM fading LED (on a breadboard) triggered by a push button switch.  Introduces key concepts around Arduino, programming IDE, breadboarding, LEDs, resistors and buttons
  
• wk2 - Add a servo and a buzzer that plays a basic tune.  Introduces...  blah blah

An Arduino course could quickly become a programming course (or at least embedded programming), so need to be clear how much programming knowledge you expect people to come with vs what you'll teach.  

At the end of the day - the materials for this are cheap and the risk of getting it wrong is low, so I'd just pick something you can execute quickly/simply and see if it works.  In that sense - a quick/short course for a small number of people is prob best.

hope that's useful.... prob. used more than my 2 cents :)

[jmeosbn .]

"a quick/short course for a small number of people is prob best."

That's what I'm hoping to do soon. I'll have to start putting a list together of components to buy...

Jamie Osborne

[Jamie Osborne]

I'm still interested in playing with the sensors that anyone here has to bring in. :)

Damian, do you think an i2c example is too advanced (I assume that's what your quadcicle gate sensors used)?

Jamie

[Damian Axford]

depends....  if there's an existing library for the sensor, then it's easy.  Otherwise, not   :)

In reality, someone has generally written a good Arduino library for most sensors - esp. anything sold via Sparkfun, Adafruit, etc

[Malcolm Pett]

Have to agree with Damian

KISS

Short session maximum 6 lessons.

You need to give an end result...

"Learn to make a bit in 6 easy weekly lessons."

And ideal lay out the lesson plans...

Week 1. Your learn...blah, blah

Week 2. etc.

If you record the sessions you could sell it as a DVD or online course after!

Mal

On Monday, 27 April 2015 18:16:07 UTC+1, jmeosbn wrote:

[Jamie Osborne]

Hmm.. giving a summary of lessons is a good idea. Not sure about recording for sale - though a lot of money is made on that.

I can't believe you're both thinking about this thing going on for SIX weeks!!

Jamie

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