Consumer electronics are everywhere now, but most of them have inner workings that are sealed off to the user, or too small and integrated to be tinkered with even if you can get them open. This can be very discouraging to a young, and potentially inventive mind. In this article I've picked out some kits that I think are excellent for learning all about electrical and electronic technology from the ground up.

The 'Brain Box 188' is a great beginner kit designed for kids 7 & up. It has enough components and hookup combinations to build and test 188 different circuits. The circuits are connected using simple snap together bars, and it comes with an interactive CD that provides animated instructions.

The 'Elenco MX-907 200-in-1 Electronic Project Lab' is a slightly more sophisticated version of this same concept. Probably appropriate for 10 years and older, it offers more components and more possible design combinations. Instead of snap-on bars, the components are connected using pre-cut wire lengths that are held to the components using spring clips. This is the type of kit that I enjoyed so much when I was younger, especially because it has the flexibility to be interconnected with external devices and allows you to get creative.

The 'LEGO MindStorms NXT' robotics kit ads mechanics and robotics to an electronics education. It comes with a humanoid type physical frame, servo motors to make it move and walk, electronic sensors to "see" its environment and help it navigate, and a programmable control module to act as its "brain". The controller includes a fairly sophisticated microprocessor, flash memory to store programming and data code, and USB and wireless connectivity for interfacing with a personal computer. There is also some interesting 3rd party software available to assist in writing programs for the controller, such as from National Instruments.

For someone interested in learning the fundamentals of programming a computer, and the satisfaction and excitement of creating their own video game and playing it, XGameStation makes several different game console kits. These kits are actual computer gaming consoles that can be programmed to play any video game of the user's creation, allowing for the hardware capabilities. The kits come with all the necessary components and hardware, PC interface cabling, programming software, and a detailed instruction and programming manual written by computer scientist Andre LaMothe. There are also some example games included that can be played right away.

Industrial and home automation is everywhere now. There are literally hundreds of kits and ways to get started learning about these fields, but one of the best and affordable is the 'BASIC Stamp Microcontroller kit'. There are several different variations of the kit, with varying prices, but they all include a programmable microcontroller chip, circuit board with some interfacing circuitry (for connecting to external devices such servo motors and sensors), a communication cable for connecting to a PC for programming, and an instructional manual. The manual details the microcontroller design, how it operates, how to program it, and some example uses. This is a great way to learn about electronic and automation technology from the ground up.

I've just touched on a few of my favorites for advancing ages and levels of sophistication, but they're all a great way to get started in the fun and exciting fields of electronics, robotics, computers, and automation. The most important thing is that they all start the user with a fundamental education on the basic building blocks of the various technologies and then advance on that solid foundation. In my opinion that gives the user a definite advantage over many others that they may compete against if they pursue a technology career in the future.

P.H.

Where these kits can be purchased:
RoboToys.com
RobotStore.com
XGameStation.com
Amazon.com