Starter kit

Question

What would be a good starter kit for a new maker. Considering parts and tools? Everytime I want to try a new project, I am lacking the parts or the tools to get it started. How did you guys got started.

jw0752 · Accepted Answer

Hi Karl, The sensors are the same for use on one platform or the other. You will just have to incorporate the proper programming. Arduino code may not work on a different board but the sensor itself will be the same. This is also true of all the other peripheral active and passive components as well. The only parts this is not true with are the accessory boards that may be designed to work specifically with one system or another. If you are going to work your way through a book of experiments you can look to see which sensors you will need to complete the experiments. You will find there are lots of good places to get the components you need including the sponsor of this website ( Newark Electronics / Farnell). You also mentioned tools. Here again I would not be too quick to spend a lot of money. Get the basics and then add as the need presents itself. This will keep your costs down, not leave you with a bunch of tools that you thought you needed and didn't and also give you the fun of getting a needed tool when you have the right application. Electronics is like every other thing we do in life. I can go out and buy a fishing outfit, a bunch of tackle, a boat, and all the other accessories but that will not make me a good fisherman. That will only come with learning and experience. I look forward to seeing what you build. John

jw0752 · Answer

Hi Karl, It takes time to accumulate enough parts so that you do not have to place an order every time you do a new build. Some things like resistors and caps are cheap enough to just stock up a bunch of different values. If I am going to start into a book I look it over first and make a list of the components that will be needed for the experiments I plan to run. Then I will place an order ahead of time. Often if I need one part I will order 3 or 4 for future needs. I also salvage a lot of parts from old circuit boards. Despite my best plans I am constantly having to place small orders to fill in gaps and needs. The next step is to have a good plan of organization so you can find the part when the time comes to use it. I keep a list of the non-trivial parts that I have in Xcel. Each part number is followed by a description and then a location in my bins. This way I can search the Xcel file and then go right to the proper bin. The prepackaged beginners kits are ok too and depending on where you get them can even be a pretty good bargain. For me collecting the parts and organizing them is part of the fun of electronics.

John

jw0752 · Answer

Hi Karl, The book that I like to recommend for learning basic electronics is "Practical Electronics for the Inventor" 3rd Edition by Paul Scherz and Simon Monk. It covers a lot of subjects from the foundations quite well. There are a lot of circuit examples. If you want to learn more about Arduino check out Jeremey Blums "Exploring Arduino" where he takes one through many of the different things that you can do with Arduino. Here is the page of his website that talks about the book. http://www.jeremyblum.com/portfolio/exploring-arduino/ Another author that has a lot of books with experiments and projects is Charles Platt with his MAKE: ELECTRONICS Series and Encyclopedia of Electronic Components series. On line there are many tutorial sites but one of my favorites is: http://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/ Check some of these out and then follow your curiosity. The electronics field has grown very large and diversified. There is something out there for everyone's interests. John.