Would you build from a kit?

I would be very unlikely to build from a kit.

(I don't count self assembly furniture as kits.)

Mainly because it is very rarely cost effective - probably because shipping parts and instructions costs  a lot more than shipping an assembled item.

I agree that it can be a good way of getting started for some although I always bought the bits myself.

Now I design new stuff, mostly for work but sometimes for fun.

MK

There are large numbers of people that will build from kits, as proven by Ikea.

I would argue that most of these people build from kits in order to achieve an outcome, like building an Ikea chair because they need a chair to sit on. Many do not buy the kit simply to enjoy making or learning how to make the chair. I think the majority would prefer to simply buy a ready made chair but buy the kit because it is cheaper and the time it takes to build from a kit is much shorter than starting from scratch with the raw materials.

In my experience, I found electronic kits were useful to learn from and you got something out of it at the end. For example, building an Audio player from a kit was one of my favourites. The downside is that often the quality was poor (both in terms of build quality - because the maker was learning and messed things up, and the components used were not always the best for the job - often chosen because they were more robust and easier to install etc.). Before Instructables and YouTube came along the documentation provided with these kits tended to be dreadful.

More recently, I've tried kits from Adafruit and Sparkfun and they were pretty good with great (video) instruction & documentation. Mind you, I recall Arduino's recent attempt at creating an Engineering Kit, which received very mixed reviews due to build quality. Yet with the right skill (as demo'd by different Element14 members) the projects created from this kit were amazing.

I like buying kits. Often I buy to support the person/group who've made the kit, or just because it's super cool, but I really enjoy putting something together that has been assembled ready for me and can be (almost) mindlessly put together as an evening activity. Feels a bit like putting together a Lego set, you could come up with your own ideas and build from a box of bricks, but a set you can follow the instructions and put together is satisfying once completed.

If it was something I wanted to do, a kit of parts would be great as long as the mark-up wasn't too high vs time to order and kit by hand.  A lot of people I know would prefere a kit for the re-assurance that it should work...

Dan.

Yes.  Well constructed kits bridge gaps. The gaps could be knowledge, level of understanding or skills sets. Good kits increase the odds of success. Who doesn't want to be successful? If in the build process the kits not only bridges but fill the gaps then the kit has exceeded expectations. That is the hallmark of many a Heathkit of old. The suggestion, kits make build easy has merit. What a good kits does is define the easy.

I just received a kit from Adrafruit to create eye animation with two small TFT screens. Before the purchasing I was overwhelmed by the requirements to make such a project successful. I'm confident I have all the parts, check. I know I don't have all the knowledge but there are working models, check. I don't believe for one minute the kit will be easy but I am looking forward to knowing what I didn't know before purchasing the kit. I'm trusting Adafruit to deliver success.

A very good discussion and I'll probably echo quite a few points already made, but before I get too far ahead of myself, I'd have to say that I absolutely love kits.

As an introduction to electronics, kits were the easy way in. Back then, in Australia, many started with the *** Smith Funway to Electronics series - myself included. Sure, there were theory textbooks, but the kits were what made things "real" and taught us by throwing into the deep end. Practical skills such as soldering, fault-finding/troubleshooting and circuit modification are not things that can be taught in an engaging way without something to build. It allowed me to pick up these skills even before I managed to design PCBs (which, I'm still in the process of doing) and spared me the inconvenience of chasing part/catalogue numbers, ordering bits, meeting minimum order quantities and hoping I didn't make some tiny insignificant mistake that would mean it wouldn't all come together at the end.

Now that I have advanced quite a bit from my "introductory" phase - guess what? I'm still fond of kits. To me, it's now turned into a nice weekend activity when I get the time and something reasonably priced turns up. Sure, most kits won't blow any decent mass manufactured product out of the water, nor will it be entirely too economical, and it comes with the caveat of "assembly skills required", but it's a good way to kill time and give that nice soldering iron a run. I find it relaxing to focus on a project like a kit - sometimes following instructions, making my own if there aren't any, just to brush up on my resistor colour code, through-hole soldering skills and perhaps challenge myself to a little surface mount along the way.

In fact, since the loss of *** Smith, I've ended up sourcing random low-cost Chinese eBay kits just to build for fun - I've still got a few in a drawer that I haven't had the time to document, but these are the ones I've built so far:

• https://goughlui.com/2016/09/28/project-reverse-eng-hex3653-av2b-stereo-fm-receiver-kit/

• https://goughlui.com/2016/10/01/project-7-023mhz-pixie_4-1-qrp-cw-transceiver-kit/
• https://goughlui.com/2016/10/02/project-s66de-9018-based-am-radio-kit/
• https://goughlui.com/2016/10/02/project-7-023mhz-pixie_v3-qrp-cw-tranceiver-kit/
• https://goughlui.com/2016/10/15/project-cd2003gpsc3610d-fm-receiver-wlcd-alarm-clock-74-108mhz/
• https://goughlui.com/2016/10/21/project-sainsmart-forty-9er-3w-7-023mhz-qrp-cw-transceiver-kit/
• https://goughlui.com/2016/10/27/project-yydzw-bh1417f-based-stereo-fm-transmitter-kit/
• https://goughlui.com/2016/10/27/project-reverse-eng-repair-atmega328-based-transistor-tester-kit/
• https://goughlui.com/2016/11/09/project-at89s52ds1302-based-led-clock-kit-ec1204b-equivalent/
• https://goughlui.com/2018/05/09/project-generic-chinese-electronic-led-windmill-kit/
• https://goughlui.com/2018/05/09/project-unbranded-38-x-5mm-led-diy-lamp-kit/
• https://goughlui.com/2018/05/09/project-eqkit-hbl-22-breathing-green-led-heart-kit/
• https://goughlui.com/2018/05/10/project-unbranded-generic-ne555cd4017-smd-led-chaser-kit-yl-117/
• https://goughlui.com/2018/05/11/project-generic-electronic-57-led-hourglass-kit-tj-56-205/
• https://goughlui.com/2018/05/11/project-generic-18-red-led-flashing-love-heart-kit-tj-56-30/

Of course, if you're setting up a kit, I'd hope it's of higher quality, with the correct components supplied and with proper instructions unlike some of these cheapies.

From my perspective, kits definitely have their appeal - for those who just "want the end result" but the item isn't something worth having mass manufacture of - a kit is a good way to distribute it effectively. For those who just want to occupy their weekend with a project - it's got its appeal. For those who might be a beginner who wants to learn a little from their mistakes or to get them comfortable with modifying circuits on PCBs rather than breadboards - also a great tool. For making the project "real" - along with its non-idealities, construction difficulties, burnt resistors/transistors ... these are experiences that are worth having and having a kit can make it just that much easier especially for projects with complex BOMs.

- Gough

I built a few electronic kits when I was younger (much younger) but have only built two since taking up electronics as a hobby.  One was the TI Robotics Learning Kit which I RoadTested and the other was a Nixie tube driver.  The Nixie tube driver was a disappointment because I did not really learn much from it.  I leaned quite a bit from the Robotics kit however.  In general, I would not consider a kit unless it offered a good learning experience and of course good value.  I really appreciate e14 members who elaborate on how they design and give enough information to replicate, or in my case modify a design to suit my needs.  I have a couple of projects based on ideas from e14 waiting on time to do them.

IMHO kits have also thr "stimulating effect" to be the starting point for others, users abd makers, to havk it and upgrade, change, make better or simply something new and different starting from our job.

Enrico

When I'm building for the first time (mostly when learning) I usually go for kits or sub-assemblies. After the learning curve is over I try to come with my own design.

Luis

All good points John. But we keep buying and building kits because we get something from it.

Sometimes the build result has a short useful life before interest wanes, but I also have a few project builds that I use multiple times every day. Other things end up on display or in a rogue's gallery or only get pulled out when a demo is called for. These builds all have value - there is a lot of store-bought stuff I will throw away before I throw away something I built. And if I designed it, throwing it away is sacrilege.