(Part 2) Best early development science toys according to redditors

I think this is it in action.

And another user pointed out that this is the amazon link. I might get one myself, kinda cool!

I'll use it to power my Galaxy Note 5! /s

https://www.amazon.com/American-Science-Surplus-25620-Pathfinders/dp/B0087V3N3U

https://www.amazon.com/Pathfinders-Hydraulic-Machines-Platform-Excavator/dp/B00192MFDS/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=science+kit+excavator&qid=1556355070&s=gateway&sr=8-3
https://www.amazon.com/Thames-Kosmos-Air-Water-Power/dp/B003KZ0Q4C/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?keywords=science+kit+excavator&qid=1556355109&s=gateway&sr=8-4

https://www.google.com/search?q=syringe+excavator&oq=syringe+excavator&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i60l2j0l3.7927j0j4&client=ms-android-verizon&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

Amazon Link

I highly recommend the Hakko 936 soldering iron Hakko 888 soldering iron, which is still actually available. It's hard to fathom how a $100 soldering iron could be that much better than a $20 one, but once you start doing anything more serious than just sticking some wires together, it's worth it.

As for other tools,

• Standard needle nose, dikes, and pliers set
  
• Tweezers - Additionally plastic ones if you're going to do PCB etching.
  
• Dental Picks - for positioning surface mount parts and pushing wires into molten solder.
  
• Wire strippers - You'll often see people using the combo wire stripper / crimpers. They're not as nice as a real pair of strippers.
  
• +/-12V power supply for basic analog electronics, 5V for digital work
  
• Breadboard
  
• Solder sucker - Copper braid is useful for the same thing, but given the choice of the two, I prefer the sucker to undo soldered joints.
  
• 30x Jewelers Loupe - Mostly useful for surface mount work, but pretty much all soldering is easier when you're able to look at it.
  
  As for components, I've been buying them piece-meal for years, so other's will probably be able to yield you a better recommendation for kits than anything I can find just from a quick search. I do mostly digital work, so as far as passives, my main stock is:
  
  
• 0.1uF and 100uF capacitors, 25V
  
• 100, 330, 1k, 4.7k, 10k, 100k, 1M resistors
  
  If I need any other resistor for a specific project, I'll tend to just buy an extra 10 and keep them in labeled coin envelopes.
  
  Random other pieces:
  
  
• Precut Breadboard jumper wires
  
• 7805 - 1A 5V linear regulators
  
• 1N4007 diodes
  
• 1N4148 small signal diodes
  
• 3V linear regulators if you do low power work (MSP430, etc)
  
• An Arduino - If not for real projects, I use this a lot to hack together crude digital signal generators to test other chips.
  
• LEDs - I found a good deal on bright red ones, but any will do
  
• push buttons, power switches, DIP switches (4 in a tiny package that fits in breadboards)
  
• Copper clad perf board - To make through-hole projects permanent. Be careful because this also comes without the copper pads, which is just more of a pain in the ass to use.
  
• Copper Solder braid
  
  Edit: Fixed the soldering iron model.
  
  Disclaimer: I'm using my Amazon Associate links for all of these, which always feel a little amoral and a conflict of interest, but really, if my apartment were to go up in flames and I could afford it, I'd buy every link on this list right now. Does anyone have strong opinions one way or the other on using them?

It's not a myth, it's fact: https://www.amazon.com/4M-4568-Potato-Clock/dp/B001T8OFQM

Sunnytech Mini Hot Air Stirling Engine Motor

• Fire TV Stick, which is a lower-cost alternative to the awesome Fire TV. (think Apple TV, but actually good)
  
  
• Raspberry Pi which is a tiny fully-functional/fully-featured ARM computer.
  
  
• Arduino, which is an easy-to-use electronics prototyping platform, great if you're interested in learning how to make your own electronics and whatnot. (you might also want this, this, this, this, and this. Should be less than $40 altogether, though you could also probably find like a starter kit that comes with an arduino, book, and components.)
  
  
• Huion drawing tablet, great for if you want to do digital art. I haven't used this model specifically, but I do have the (bigger/more expensive) Huion 610 Pro, which I love.
  
  
• Amazon Prime student was like $40 IIRC, not sure if that has changed though.

> https://www.amazon.com/American-Science-Surplus-25620-Pathfinders/dp/B0087V3N3U

For ages 8+

Elenco Tyrannosaurus on Amazon. Link

You can also go to Edu-Toys where they have this, a Velociraptor, and a Brachiosaurus.

The planets are from a Solar System set by 4M and I painted them.

Arduino and Rasberry Pi are two embedded system ecosystems that have big communities and support. You could get a newb kit and start from there.

Also, back in the day, it used to be all about analog electronics. I had the "Getting Started in Electronics" Radio Shack book by Forrest Mimms, and a 50-in-1 experiment board.. Super fun.

If I wanted to make something computer-y / motor-y, I would probably make a track-running inverted pendulum to freak out the squares...

You didn't specify life size

> This is traditionally known as an external combustion engine in contrast to an internal combustion engine where the heat input is by combustion of a fuel within the body of the working fluid. Unlike the steam engine's use of water in both its liquid and gaseous phases as the working fluid, the Stirling engine encloses a fixed quantity of permanently gaseous fluid such as air or helium. As in all heat engines, the general cycle consists of compressing cool gas, heating the gas, expanding the hot gas, and finally cooling the gas before repeating the cycle. -- from purchase link below

• watch via u/All_I_feel_is_rage
  
• purchase via u/Meeager

Here's a similar kit on Amazon. http://www.amazon.ca/Pathfinders-Hydraulic-Machines-Platform-Excavator/dp/B00192MFDS this often gets posted crediting the kid for building it, definitely a cool toy though.

It shows this product, found the review

Good Point!

https://smile.amazon.com/Oakland-Ballistics-Wooden-Trebuchet-Kit/dp/B004080576?sa-no-redirect=1

Get the pre-made wires and don't bend them. The lengths provided are at breadboard sized increments and will fit without bending.

I've searched and can't find the original news story, this happened before they sold them online. (Presumably what made the idea take off)
This is the one you can get off Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Pathfinders-Hydraulic-Machines-Platform-Excavator/dp/B00192MFDS
If you notice in this clip, the kid made the wooden part out of something that used to be something else. Also, syringes basically all look the same, you can't really go off that and tubes.

THIS IS AWESOME AND I WANT IT.

In theory yes. In reality, you would need so many batteries to do any good. You can pick up a small tumbler for around 40$ I have one myself, and think it’s awesome! I’m working on an idea with a 55 gallon drum, however the noise would be hellacious. Lame part is waiting like a month to go through all the different grits to make em shine. I’ll plop this here.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01I56RV0C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_SlxQCb675V0DA

http://www.amazon.com/Toysmith-441709-Eulers-Spinning-Disk/dp/B000239E6Q/

First of all props to you to introduce your son to electronics and ask to find a good method for him to learn it out of interest.

I remember having electronics kits which had a bunch of simple components connected by those metal spring terminals. They often came with booklets to go step by step through simple projects to gain some understanding.

Perhaps you could look at toy shops and see if they carry some educational electronics kits? I remember book shops also sold them though I'm not sure if they'd still.

I found this on Amazon, seems a bit different with magnets snapping together but looks like it goes step by step in explaining: https://www.amazon.com/Snap-Circuits-SC-300-Electronics-Discovery/dp/B0000683A4/. Looks a bit expensive but not sure if that's different in the US.

Oh boy I even found one of those kits with the spring terminals: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00000IUD2

Best of luck!

This one is beautiful: assemble and paint your own solar system model! There are Instructables for proper moving orreries, but the materials are pricey.

> Noone here is saying that this would substitute a formal education with more advanced tools

>overly complicated.

You're building a strawman here. Breadboards are not "overly complicated." They're actually quite simple and extremely versatile. If you ask me, the pen is overly complicated as it only really solves the problem of using a piece of wire. You still need a way to connect the wire, so they're promoting using magnets which to me is very clumsy and much more fragile than a breadboard.

If you're really that scared of wire, just buy a pre-cut wire kit. You can even re-use it when you're done!

The only "feature" of this pen is that it lets you draw which actually distracts from any educational benefit of the device.

I believe it's this one

She might enjoy this: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Starter Rock Tumbler Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01I56RV0C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_ugN8Bb26CR0H1

The link by RKNFXX shows excellent examples what to aim for, I know you said you’re new to soldering, so I highly suggest buying a practice board before attempting again.

Quick advice, dial it back on the amount of solder you use, it looks like you’re globbing onto iron tip then lowering onto the contact points (just a guess) it’s better to hold the iron tip on to the pad (and if you can, slightly touching the pin legs) and then feed a bit of solder onto the pad until you get a small cone shape. Do not keep the soldering iron on any surface for more then 3 seconds — if it takes longer to melt the solder then you’re iron isn’t hot enough yet.

Practice boards:
WHDTS 4-Digit Digital Clock Kits with PCB for Soldering Practice Learning Electronics with English Instructions https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0711MHKDZ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_7nf7CbRRH12A3

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F392121560808

This looks like it's from an educational building kit. I actually have one like it, but I haven't had the chance to build it yet. Here's a link for anyone who wants one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0087V3N3U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_hBixybDTJF9XT

This 4D shark model (actually now I want it...damn Amazon).

The snap circuits version is 20$ right now on amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CIXVITO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008J5551M/

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000JSGLBK/

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000239E6Q/

There are entire websites/blogs devoted to science toys.

Sometimes something as simple as a pair of large superstrong magnets makes a lovely Christmas gift for a responsible boy or girl. http://unitednuclear.com/index.php

It looks like you're set up as far as it goes for electronics (projectors, a TV, and hopefully at least one computer) so I wouldn't waste any money there. Look for things that are reusable and don't have a high cost of upkeep.

Basics

First and foremost set aside some money for classroom basics that will be useful for any type of science lab.

• Safety goggles
  
• Good quality rulers
  
• Tape measures
  
• Stopwatches
  
• Duct tape
  
• Wire clips
  
• Cheap multimeters
  
• Battery chargers
  
  Life Sciences
  
  This is probably the cheapest subject to teach since a lot of the things you'll cover can be grown in coffee cans and mason jars. You'll need flower pots, some spades, watering cans, and some grow lights if you don't have good natural lighting. You can do simple and cheap projects like a tabletop biosphere with some mason jars. You should probably get one decent microscope with a camera you can hook up to a computer or directly to a projector. The students don't need to learn to use a microscope, they need to learn about whatever you're looking at with the microscope.
  
  Physical Sciences
  
  If you want to teach the kids electronics buy this whole series of books and several of these bad boys. The Electronic Playgrounds are fantastic for teaching basic electronics because they don't need any soldering, are very versatile, and best of all reusable. If you lose some of the wire they come with just clip your own. IIRC the instruction booklet gives all the gauges different wires.
  
  Earth/Space Sciences
  
  These sciences are larger in scale and scope than you might be able to demonstrate in the classroom. You might buy a cheap weather station and make a project out of keeping track of the readings. Over the years students will be able to compare their measurements to those of classes made years prior. This is also a place where decent software or just some good imagery will help teach the subject.
  
  Check out the following sites for some idea for experiments/demonstrations/activities and then work backwards from there. Figure out what you would need to perform experiments you think will fit your lesson plans and then build a shopping list. There's a multitude of science demonstration projects you can do very inexpensively. If you're smart with your money you can fund your science lab for the next few years even if you've got to spend all the money right now.
  
  Exploratorium Science Explorer
  PBS Kids Science Experiments
  Hands-on Activities for Teaching Biology to High School or Middle School Students
  National Geographic Lesson Plans
  Scientific American Bring Science Home
  
  
  Get a class subscription to Make magazine, National Geographic, Astronomy Magazine and whatever else seems appropriate. Build a small science library in the classroom. Get some good science oriented DVDs. As a practical matter you might also want to get a nice locking cabinet to store whatever nice new things you end up buying. It would be horrible to spend your grant money only to have all your new expensive equipment stolen by some asshole.

The box says "Edu-toys" but the Amazon pagesays "elenco.

I got it for $65 2 days ago. I had been watching for months for the right price. I've seen it for as high as $130.

I'm Canadian obviously but I found it on Amazon.com for ya.

Google the Pathfinders kits. Their kits demonstrating hydraulics are fantastic.

1.[A cobalt blue mixer for all of your baking needs.] (https://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-KSM150PSBU-Artisan-Pouring-Shield/dp/B00005UP2Q/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1525043431&sr=8-13&keywords=blue)

2.[Nothing says summer like sunscreen!] (https://www.amazon.com/Banana-Boat-Performance-Spectrum-Sunscreen/dp/B00B81XR1Y/ref=sr_1_5_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1525043593&sr=1-5&keywords=sunscreen)

3.[ A hot dog slicer in the shape of a dog.] (https://www.amazon.com/Banana-Boat-Performance-Spectrum-Sunscreen/dp/B00B81XR1Y/ref=sr_1_5_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1525043593&sr=1-5&keywords=sunscreen)

4.[ I'd love to gift this record player to someone simply because it is awesome!] (https://www.amazon.com/Victrola-Bluetooth-Suitcase-Turntable-Speakers/dp/B076JV6ZM8/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1525043902&sr=1-3&keywords=record+player)


5.[ I think that everyone should read the complete harry potter series for an adventure that will last.] (https://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Paperback-Box-Books/dp/0545162076/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1525044043&sr=1-11&keywords=harry+potter)

6. A nifty book of christmas songs for the low price of 0.99

7.[ A fancy dog bed, so your dog can rest comfortably!] (https://www.amazon.com/Best-Friends-Sheri-OrthoComfort-20x20x12/dp/B008GQV004/ref=sr_1_16?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1525044898&sr=1-16&keywords=dog+bed)

8.[ These llamas don't really have a use, but they are stinking cute!] (https://www.amazon.com/NOVICA-Llama-Couple-Ceramic-Statuettes/dp/B01M01J4XL/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1525045051&sr=8-6&keywords=llama+statue)

9.[I think everyone should watch wonder and realize that it is totally okay to be different.] (https://www.amazon.com/Wonder-Julia-Roberts/dp/B07894ZBDN/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1525045156&sr=8-4&keywords=wonder)

10.[ A lifestraw would surely come in handy during a zombie attackas you are still going to need uncontaminated water to drink.] (https://www.amazon.com/LifeStraw-Personal-Emergency-Preparedness-LSPHF017/dp/B006QF3TW4/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1525045256&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=lifestraw&psc=1)

11.[ This yoga mat will totally help me achieve my fitness goals for this year!] (https://www.amazon.com/Sivan-Health-Fitness-2-InchExtra-Exercise/dp/B00UXXF734/ref=sr_1_17?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1525045361&sr=1-17&keywords=yoga)

12.[ Add on items can be the worst or the best. Whatever your opinion on them you are going to love this hair mask!] (https://www.amazon.com/Garnier-Fructis-Strengthening-Treat-Minute/dp/B074V4TGW9/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1525045564&sr=8-3&keywords=garnier%2Bhair%2Bmask&th=1)

13.[A harry potter funko for those in love with the world of wizards and magic!] (https://www.amazon.com/Funko-Quidditch-Harry-Potter-Figure/dp/B010OOSBMK/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1525045675&sr=1-1&keywords=harry+potter+funko)

14.[A cabinet set for the low price of 13000. What a deal!] (https://www.amazon.com/Chinese-Rosewoo-Noodle-Cabinets-Acs1500/dp/B004WLU2LA/ref=sr_1_1?s=furniture&ie=UTF8&qid=1525046163&sr=1-1&refinements=p_36%3A1000000-99999999)

15.[ A shark anatomy model that will show you the inner workings of your favorite aquatic species!] (
https://www.amazon.com/Vision-Great-White-Shark-Anatomy/dp/B001YIT1YI/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1525046239&sr=8-5&keywords=shark)

16.[ This is honestly the best candle ever! Who doesn't love the smell of fresh apples?!] (https://www.amazon.com/Yankee-Candle-Large-Jar-Macintosh/dp/B007FSDIJA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1525046342&sr=8-1&keywords=apple+yankee+candle)

18.[I think a nice journal would be helpful for writes to jot down their ideas quickly.] (https://www.amazon.com/Tree-Life-Leather-W-Cord/dp/B00A5T35JY/ref=sr_1_4?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1525046405&sr=1-4&keywords=leather+journal)

19.[ For some strange reason I am currently obsessed with pins! There are so many different ones, but I think this is my favorite one!] (
https://www.amazon.com/Night-Owl-Paper-Goods-Sloth/dp/B072KLVW8B/ref=sr_1_3?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1525046480&sr=1-3&keywords=enamel+pin)

20.[ I mean who doesn't want a tacocat on a hamburger in their bathroom?!] (https://www.amazon.com/Waterproof-Bathroom-Space-Shower-Curtain/dp/B01834W4H6/ref=sr_1_13?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1525046532&sr=1-13&keywords=Cat+in+space)

Here, try attaching these to your computer, it should speed things up a bit.

Pretty Cool

get him something educational or tickets for the zoo or the aquarium :3 this would seem cool for to a 6 year old

>How does a potato know what time it is?

You never heard of a potato clock?

Want to learn about circuits? Get a Snap Circuit board for $20. My 6 and 8 year old (and I) have learned a great deal about circuits and basic electronics and if the want to dive deeper with a bread board they would already be a step ahead on basic principles.

As for the educational/school angle - $20 gets you a kit that teaches multiple projects, doesn't require additional components and doesn't run out of ink. Just AA batteries..

http://www.amazon.com/Snap-Circuits-Jr-SC-100-Kit/dp/B00CIXVITO/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1413517936&sr=1-1&keywords=snap+circuits

http://www.amazon.com/Elenco-Electronic-Playground-Learning-Center/dp/B0035XSZDI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412479994&sr=8-1&keywords=Electronic+kit

http://www.amazon.com/Elenco-Electronics-Snap-Circuits-Snaptricity/dp/B0013BL3LK/ref=sr_1_38?ie=UTF8&qid=1412480035&sr=8-38&keywords=Electronic+kit

http://www.amazon.com/Elenco-EP-50-Electronic-Playground-50-in-one/dp/B00000IUD2/ref=pd_sim_t_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=0KPKE2ZHBDF256TN2M8K

http://www.amazon.com/Elenco-EP-50-Electronic-Playground-50-in-one/dp/B00000IUD2/ref=pd_sim_t_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=0KPKE2ZHBDF256TN2M8K

I had the Electronic Playground thing back when I was a kid. It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot from it.

You'll find a ton on Amazon/eBay. I bought a few for my 11 year old to practice with.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0711MHKDZ/

https://www.amazon.com/Icstation-Soldering-Assemble-AT89C2051-Electronic/dp/B0146I2PFY/

Check the Related Items at the bottom of the Amazon page for other ones.

You won't really find any in kuwait from what I know of. However seeing as this is a child, I'd recommend buying a microscope kit that they normally sell at fantasy world and just having him look at stuff around the house ig

Some of them include insect samples that they can peer at 2.

If that's too specific there's this thing called an eyeclops that would plug into the TV and magnify whatever you had on it by like 500x

200x* https://www.amazon.com/EyeClops-Bionic-Eye-Multizoom-Green/dp/B000PGRBGA

but yea I remember putting it onto my carpet and seeing the fibers, it was crazy as a kid.

They probably have a better one now also at fantasy world.

Either way gl

edit: cheaper https://www.amazon.com/Eyeclops-09388-EYECLOPS-Video-Microscope/dp/B01CY8B4UU/ref=pd_sbs_21_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01CY8B4UU&pd_rd_r=Z07A3ZWRF59M63PBHFDX&pd_rd_w=1AuDd&pd_rd_wg=2m4oN&psc=1&refRID=Z07A3ZWRF59M63PBHFDX

Good idea!

I searched amazon for "trippy toy" and didn't get much, but looked for phsyics toy and found a couple cool things, like these

https://smile.amazon.com/Flow-Ring-Kinetic-Spring-Sculpture/dp/B014M8IP9S/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1492437384&sr=8-3&keywords=physics+toy

And plasma balls, which I'd totally forgotten about

https://smile.amazon.com/Plasma-ball-Theefun-Sensitive-Novelty/dp/B01NCN8SLI/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1492437518&sr=8-8&keywords=physics+toy

And this thing

https://smile.amazon.com/Toysmith-791709-Eulers-Disk/dp/B000239E6Q/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1492437518&sr=8-3&keywords=physics+toy

My kids used to have one of these : eyeclops
It looks like it could be crappy, but was actually really cool and functional. It magnified up to 200X and displayed on the TV.
I need to find out where it is, ... for some sweet karma.

two words...

Breadboard



Ok maybe that was just one word...

Anyone who wants one.

https://www.amazon.com/Vortex-Bottle-Connector-Tornado-Colors/dp/B0090LYSLC

wasn't even that hard to find. I kind of want it.

Beauty

• Hair Chalk Kit
  
• Fashion Headbands Kit
  
• Sparkle Tattoo Set
  
• Ink-a-do Tattoo Pens
  
• Mani Pedi Party Set
  
• Nail Stickers
  
  
  Tech-y Toys
  
  
• Voice Changer
  
• Snap Circuits Jr.
  
• Coke Can RC Car
  
• RC Copter
  
• RC Quadcopter
  
• RC Mustang
  
• RC Tranatula
  
  Nerf
  
  
• Strongarm Blaster
  
• Zombie Hammershot
  
• Thunderblast Launcher
  
• Bow Blaster
  
• Zombie Strike Target Set
  
• Crossbolt Blaster
  
• Rebelle Crossbow Blaster
  
• Pink Crush Blaster
  
  Arts & Crafts
  
  
• Scratch Art Kit
  
• Travel Spirograph
  
• Needlepoint Butterfly
  
• Spirograph Tin
  
• Paper Airplanes Kit
  
• Rock Pets Garden Frog
  
• Perler Bead Kit
  
• My First Sewing Kit
  
• Butterfly Necklace Maker
  
• Paper Bead Making Kit
  
• Shrinky Dinks Jewelry
  
• Needlepoint Flower
  
• Clay Charm Craft Kit
  
• Mr. Sketch Scent Markers

know what i bought last week?

http://www.amazon.com/Elenco-Science-T-Rex-Skeleton-Replica/dp/B003CP0BSQ

a three foot long t-rex skeleton model.

it's going to be the mother fucking tits. i love being 30 with disposable income coming out my ass.

http://www.amazon.com/Elenco-100-Capacitor-Component-Kit/dp/B004YHZDW0/ref=pd_sim_60_4?ie=UTF8&dpID=51eBE5ZzncL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=0SVCS5J35KJBVF17S4DS

Found the canadian! That's too many loonies for me.

Here is the same thing with more FREEDOM and GUNS

Yes, perfboard, breadboard, protoboard. These are all correct although "breadboard" often implies the solderless type like this (more info here).
You connect a resistor by bending it's leads and pushing them through the holes. Then you solder them onto the board on the other side (you know what resistors look like right?)
Usually I place all my components on the board and then wire the components together according to the schematic. Here's an idea what the back side might look like.
In the end it is rare that the board and the schematic look at all similar.

Do you have all the components you need?...
Nevermind that for now... To Youtube!!
There is soooo much material on youtube. I searched "how to populate a perfboard" and clicked a random vid. Looks promising. I didn't watch the whole thing, but clearly it's related to what you're trying to learn. Likely there are better tutorials, it's just a matter of searching and watching.
Good luck! Don't be afraid to break things :)

You are going to want to balance tools and parts.

TOOLS (must haves)

• Multimeters (At least two, I suggest starting with one cheapo ($5-$10) and one in the $30-$50 range)
  
• Variable regulated power supply with current limiting (Skip the cheap/dangerous chinese crap and get a used HP/Agilent/Keysight one off ebay like this or this.)
  
• Breadboards (several)
  
• Jumper wires
  
• Wire strippers and cutters
  
• Decent soldering Iron ($50-$100) (DO NOT CHEAP OUT ON THIS)
  
• Desoldering pump and/or wick (The ctrl-z of the soldering world)
  
• Heat shrink tubing for sealing connections (Especially if you are going to be doing outdoor stuff)
  
• Microcontrollers (I suggest starting with an Arudino Uno since it has the largest amount of online support material, you could get an Uno kit, any of them will be fine)
  .
  .
  TOOLS (eventually)
  
• Logic Analyzer (Let's you see the logic signals in your circuit which is super helpful for debugging, I have a bitscope micro which is decent, but the software kinda sucks and is more than just a logic analyzer)
  
• A function generator (variable voltage and frequency for sine, square and triangle waves) (Again I suggest used off ebay, something like this.)
  
• Oscilloscope (a really amazing tool for actally seeing what is going on in your circuit)
  .
  .
  PARTS (vaguely in order of usefullness)
  
• Elenco Resistor Kit
  
• Elenco Capacitor Kit
  
• Elenco Transistor Kit
  
• Elenco Diode Kit
  
• Elenco LED Kit
  (Of couse you don't have to get the Elenco kits, those are just the ones I use and really like)
  
• Voltage regulator ICs (Great for providing regulated power to things that need more than what your arduino can provide)
  
• Trimmer Potentiometer Kit (really useful to have around for many projects)
  
• Old electronic equipment to scavenge parts out of (Many of my parts have come from old equipment or broken ATX computer power supplies. Tearing stuff apart is both fun and yields great parts.)
  .
  .
  .
  I think that's all for now...

This is similar (although not as good)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Elenco-EP-50-Electronic-Playground/dp/B00000IUD2/ref=sr_1_10?keywords=electronics+kit&qid=1556184856&s=gateway&sr=8-10

Might be worth doing a little beginners kit that you care less about to test your skills first (something like this). Don't worry, It's not that hard though, good luck.

The RHS is pretty good, congratulations!

For the LHS you're attempting to use a floating (i.e. neither terminal grounded) 12V power supply, to synthesize -3.4V_with_respect_to_ground and +8.6V_with_respect_to_ground (3.4 + 8.6 = 12). I recommend you connect these supplies to two circuit "stages" . Stage1 is an NPN transistor circuit that takes (0V, +3V) inputs and produces (+8.6V, 0V) outputs. Stage2 is a PNP transistor circuit that takes (8.6V, 0V) inputs and produces (-3.4V, +8.6V) outputs. Or you can zener clamp the high level of stage2 so its outputs are (-3.4V, +3.4V).

It's a shame you went straight to dead-bug-on-groundplane soldered implementation, without first building on a solderless plugin protoboard. In its current form, trying out modifications will be difficult.

Ah right. Thanks for the correction. I was under a false impression.


When I first read about the lighthouse set up I imagined it was somewhat like my wife's star projector.

I figured that the sensors on the headset were seeing the laser points projected around the room in a similar way to the early HMDs that operated by observing a bunch of QR codes plastered around the room, only this time they're invisible to humans.

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B001YIT1YI/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1509981811&sr=8-6&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=shark+kit

I had one of these when I was younger. I concur. They might have them at Toys R Us

I am 23 years old, and go to an engineering college. Every one of us own Legos. They are never outdated. You can get the kits, or really cool architecture ones to let the kids build the Eiffel tower or something.

Don't know if you have girls or not, but there is always GoldieBlox. The kids I nanny have the spinning machine. They also really love Snap Circuits. I also got them a stack of origami paper several months ago, and we learn different creatures together while talking about their habitat, what they eat, etc. We make whole webs with predators, prey, plants, everything. My boss also recommended me Dr Toy to look at when trying to find new projects for the kids.

Like this?

For anyone wanting to get one here you go.

Buy one of these https://www.amazon.com/Vortex-Bottle-Connector-Tornado-Colors/dp/B0090LYSLC and glue/epoxy/whatever it to any water gun you like?

[Here](Vortex Bottle Connector - Tornado in a Bottle Colors May Vary https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0090LYSLC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_gtamDbGSH7GCK)

If you want to practice your soldering technique I suggest buying a cheap practice kit on Amazon. Something like https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0711MHKDZ/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_My2iDbACSXY8Y or just search online for soldering practice kits.

Elenco makes parts kits that you can buy on amazon. I'm aware of the diode, capacitor, and transistor kits.

https://www.amazon.com/Elenco-100-Capacitor-Component-Kit/dp/B004YHZDW0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1465659726&sr=8-1&keywords=elenco+capacitor+kit

That said, you can always make your own and it will be a better value for money.

Get on Digikey and look for standard capacitor values in various orders of magnitude and buy 10-20 of them. To start out, get 100, 330, 470 pF as ceramic and 1, 10, 100, 330, 470 nF in film caps. They're cheap, even in low quantities.

For transistors, get 50 2n3904 transistors and 50 2n3906. Works out to about $8 each. 50 of each should be way more than enough for a long time. For diodes, you can get 50 1n4148s for less than $3. For rectifier diodes, 1N4007s are less than $5 for 50.

Especially for passives, when you buy in bulk, the price per unit falls sharply.

I've always wanted one. Don't know why I didn't bother to check Amazon til now.

yeah it's good to be able to make custom lengths with solid wire but i think jumpers they are generally easier, pretty fast and neat. (this kind of thing: https://www.amazon.com/microtivity-400-point-Experiment-Breadboard-Jumper/dp/B004RXKWDQ).

i think i had a similar plan with big muffs, i actually made a vero version with all the variable components socketed and the intention of being able to try all different cap and resistor values, transistors, diodes etc... and it's had the same values since i put it in the box.

I have a model of a shark that has all the internal organs modeled, with one side being clear. You can find one here: https://www.amazon.com/Vision-Great-White-Shark-Anatomy/dp/B001YIT1YI

Alternatively, if you want to go for a big budget item, Megalodon teeth are surprisingly cheap! ^^^relatively Only $200.

I just ordered components to make my first box mod, but have done small electrical work before.

Helping Hands will make your life much easier, may not be necessary if you only intend to make one mod.

a decent digital multimeter is required, as is a Soldering iron.

A Breadboard is very useful to ensure everything works as it should, before you have it all finished and put in the case.

those are all I can think of right now, sure there are others people use regularly though

You can do quite a bit with a few sets of pipettes and a small centrifuge. Basically any experiments you want to run up to 400 level Cell and Molec, but I would imagine you'd want to start simpler with 7th and 8th graders. Electrophoresis is cool, but the practical concepts behind it are probably a little beyond middle schoolers. If you wanted too though, you would need pipettes and a centrifuge anyway. Regardless, these are the two instruments they wil use the most should they actually pursue science, so it would probably be beneficial to have early exposure to them.
As for experiments, I always thought bacteria cultures were kind of fun when I was in high school. You can grow bacteria that glows in a black light. Kids love things that glow. Plus if you have a basic microscope you can actually count colonies, and run a full ap level lab experiment. If you don't have a microscope, you can use this TvEyeclops thing.

http://www.amazon.com/EyeClops-Bionic-Eye-Multizoom-Green/dp/B000PGRBGA

My brother has one. Not as clear as a regular microscope, but it's suits the purpose and allows you to the show the image on a TV Screen. You can probably use it to look at a bunch of things in your curriculum. from onion cells to salt grains. Ultimately, even if you did the experiment as a class exercise, it would be pretty good experiance into what real science is like in college and the work place.
You can buy everything I listed here, plus the first round of reagents and consumables for some experiments for about three grand. Leaves you some money for hot/stir plates, beakers, and basics.

And I just realized my undergraduate bio lab at a 30k/yr college was funded on less then 5 grand...

Video microscope.

http://www.amazon.com/Eyeclops-61081-EyeClops-BioniCam/dp/B00153C5KY

http://www.amazon.com/EyeClops-Bionic-Eye-Multizoom-Green/dp/B000PGRBGA/ref=pd_sim_t_4

Magnifying classes

Prisms

Various rock samples, you can gather these for free

For electronics, you can build a simple bench-top power supply from PC power supplies. A cheapo pc power supply runs about $20, and will put out 3.3V, 5V and 12V. Also, they can provide a lot of power, and so 1 supply can power a lot of experiments.

Programming-wise...

Arduinos are fun, and with some servos and potentiometers, can be used to build robot arms. Potentiometers can be gotten at Radioshack. Servos can be had from places like Hobbypartz.com. Boarduinos, made for tacking onto breadboards, work great with the simple bench power supply built from a PC power supply.

To use a boarduino, you will need a breadboard

http://www.amazon.com/Elenco-9440-Breadboard-JW-350-Jumper/dp/B0002H4W0U/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1319603959&sr=8-12

Cheaper ones can be found. But these are great for electronics.

On the "Simpler is better" angle,

http://scratch.mit.edu/

The scratch programming language provides a simple visual interface to building programs.

How many kids per session? Same kids do all 6 sessions?

I really love the German examples given for introduction. 9V battery, LEDS to see what happened.

You could use $2.10 solderless breadboards Issue I had was my surplus resistors had oxide on the leads, so you had to hold the resistor and spin it while pressing the lead against a pencil eraser to clean that layer of oxide off.

I think it may be this

• I can't recommend a better book than this one.
  
• Get this resistor kit. Seriously, I bought one of these a year ago and I've never once had to buy more resistors.
  
• You're going to need a capacitor set like this one.
  
• You're also going to need a breadboard.
  
• Make a trip to Maplin and get an assortment pack of LEDs and a few switches. Trust me, this will make your life a tons easier when it comes to making proof of concept or test circuits. And they make circuitry more interactive and fun!
  
• Lastly, get a cheap multimeter. You can get one at Maplin or somewhere similar for like <15 pounds.
  
  Sorry about the links, I'm in the US so the prices will be in USD but that shouldn't be a problem. I really hope you find this hobby as intriguing as I do, I started a year ago making little flashlights and what-not and now I'm making motion detectors and all kinds of cool gadgets. If you'd like some guidance or help, don't think twice about PMing me! Best of luck.
  

You guys could make one of these or buy a kit like this

https://www.amazon.com/NATIONAL-GEOGRAPHIC-Starter-Rock-Tumbler/dp/B01I56RV0C/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=rock+tumbler&qid=1562519447&s=gateway&sr=8-5

I built this with my son when he was 4 or 5, we had a blast. It was a good opportunity for us to explore planning and patience, as there are times when you need to leave it for some time for glue to set.

Pathfinders Robotic arm https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0087V3N3U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_UfjiDbHSY8RHV

After doing some digging I found some models that still have a Pluto(like this one). It seems like most dropped it, though.

They still do similar toys, but without the multimeter, function gen etc. I had one when I was a lad:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Elenco-EP-50-Electronic-Playground/dp/B00000IUD2/ref=sr_1_1?s=kids&ie=UTF8&qid=1523449652&sr=1-1&keywords=learn+electronics

https://www.amazon.com/Oakland-Ballistics-Wooden-Trebuchet-Kit/dp/B004080576

30ft ;)

It's a DIY clock, I've been learning to solder. Here's the kit: https://www.amazon.com/WHDTS-Soldering-Practice-Electronics-Instructions/dp/B0711MHKDZ

Yes, telephone feeders work good.

You can buy kits that has the wires pre-bent too. They are easy to use and much faster to build with. I use pre-formed for most stuff then use phone feeder for those lines that can't be laid flat for some reason.

http://www.amazon.com/Elenco-Piece-Pre-formed-Jumper-Wire/dp/B0002H7AIG

This is a 350 piece kit, but they make smaller kits too.

I mean, define compatible. I'm confused about what you're looking for exactly. If it is rated for the power specifications you need and terminates in a way that you know how to work with there's not too much more you need to worry about. If you post your circuit we can maybe give you some better guidance, but I think as long as you get reasonably-rated through hole versions of your parts you are going to be fine.

Do you have a base stock of parts like caps and resistors? If not, this Electronic Suprise Box is a cheap shotgun method of getting a base stock going, plus you usually get a decent selection of LEDs, switches, or whatever else they sweep off the table in to your box. If you don't want to dedicate a ton of time to sorting them, you can order kits like this and this.

If you're wanting to better understand how this stuff all works, then check out Getting Started In Electronics by Forrest Mims. You won't regret it.

Most importantly--and I can't stress this enough--RadioShack should be your last resort. You'll pay 10x as much for terrible components. Things that cost pennies on Mouser or DigiKey will be dollars there.

https://www.amazon.com/Wooden-Trebuchet-Kit-Oakland-Ballistics/dp/B004080576/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1498225556&sr=8-2&keywords=desk+trebuchet

A rock tumbler like this one from Amazon. It is fun project plus a geology lesson and when the included rocks are done, she can use small rocks from her own yard. Ages 8 and up.

So this basically? Vortex Bottle Connector - Tornado in a Bottle Colors May Vary https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0090LYSLC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_b2GMBbXRCRP5G

http://www.amazon.com/Elenco-365-Piece-Resistor-Kit/dp/B0002HBQHW/ref=pd_sim_t_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=14BEKDGCZYR4BRZH99QE http://www.amazon.com/Elenco-100-Capacitor-Component-Kit/dp/B004YHZDW0/ref=pd_sim_t_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1ZY4TZ8KX03R67FCGF50 do these look like a good deal?

Dave from EEVblog recommends building power supplies. They're pretty simple, and it doesn't hurt to have a bunch of them. You can find kits, which will teach you how to solder parts onto a PCB, but it's not too hard to design a supply around an LM317 regulator, the data sheet will have the circuit you need right on it. This will also be a good chance to learn the non-electronics skills you'll need; instead of buying a plastic box, make one out of plywood and paint it up.

Once you have a power supply or three, start playing around with simple analog circuits. You should have a breadboard and jumper wires and at least one good multimeter, though the aforementioned EEVblog recommends two, and not cheaping out on them. He did a $50 multimeter shootout , if you don't want to watch an hourlong video this was the winner, but it's worth watching to see why it won. Anyhow, you can find kits and project ideas online, get some random parts and start playing around until you have a good feel for old school analog circuits. Try to make up your own project and build it, even if it's completely useless.

At some point, preferably after you have a good grasp of analog circuits, you're going to have to move up to digital. Arduinos are a good start, they're popular enough that you can't look at a single page of Instructables without tripping over an Arduino project. You're going to have to learn some programming to make it go, but there's a million tutorials online. To make the pinball machine go, you're going to have to learn how to use the Arduino (or something like it) to control analog components, probably while giving them their own external power source. You'll also need to know how to drive a display for the scoreboard, and of course you'll have to program the logic for keeping track of the number of balls left, current score, and what inputs translate to what increase in score. The programming alone is a big undertaking, so if you go forward on this, be prepared to spend years on it.

A good project to do would also be to make a MAME cabinet. It's much simpler on the electronics side, you either hack the buttons and joysticks into a USB keyboard controller, or buy one of these which does the same thing, and then use an old PC and monitor. The hard part is building an arcade cabinet, which is still a lot simpler than building a pinball table. You'd be looking at a couple hundred dollars in parts, but that's not too bad compared to what you want to end up doing.

Had one of these when I was younger. Lots of entertainment extremely cheap.

Eyeclops? https://www.amazon.com/EyeClops-Bionic-Eye-Multizoom-Green/dp/B000PGRBGA

Also, commercial for it https://youtu.be/RqT_nh9AzZg

Poppy seeds

A jeweler's loupe for admiring your dank weed

There are some videos on r/lsd, I think, of someone who combined these two trip toys. It ends up looking pretty cool. http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Motion-12665-1-Laser-Sphere/dp/B003150CFO // https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009S3IBI8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_jq4xwbNWTAEY9

1500 lady bugs

Edit: here's a video of those two projectors together https://youtu.be/1LSuhEAC3u0

My son recently had his birthday and I got him Snap Circuits Jr.. It's a really fun kit that he can do by himself or with me building a number of interesting electronic projects. It's very well conceived - like Legos but with electronic components.

Purchasing link from Amazon.


I could not find a link to purchase hurricane balls though. I was more interested in a set of those.

Edit: For a reasonable price.

Quick Google search gave this

https://www.amazon.com/Edu-Toys-Science-T-Rex-Skeleton-Replica/dp/B003CP0BSQ

You can make batteries out of potatoes. What it potato is the holy grail for batteries. Or at least the missing ingredient to long lasting batteries

Thanks for downvoting me you idiots....do research potato batteries are a real thing

A great way to get started with this stuff is through a company called SparkFun based out of Boulder Colorado. They sell two kits both for about $100:

1. https://www.sparkfun.com/products/12060
   
2. https://www.sparkfun.com/products/13154
   
   These kits come with all the sensors, LEDs, transistors (controllable switches), and a really easy to read tutorial book to take you step by step from blinking an LED to controlling stepper motors.
   
   $100 can be a bit much so if you don't care about looks as much/want to buy sensors as you go you can buy the Arduino (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11021), Breadboard (http://www.amazon.com/BB400-Solderless-Plug-BreadBoard-tie-points/dp/B0040Z1ERO), a refill kit (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/13110), and a few transistors (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/521) for about $50 bucks and then all of SparkFun's tutorials are online (https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/sik-experiment-guide-for-arduino---v32/experiment-1-blinking-an-led). These include all the code, how to use the sensors/wiring, and anything you want.
   
   Good luck!
   

Have an earlier version of this one which was a little cheaper if I recall correctly and it is amazing.
Note that:

> It does not project actual constellations or stars, it's an entirely random display of projected stars.

http://www.amazon.com/Can-You-Imagine-Twilight-Projector/dp/B009S3IBI8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449210884&sr=8-1&keywords=laser+twilight+stars+projector

Can You Imagine Laser Twilight Projector https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009S3IBI8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_jq4xwbNWTAEY9

Creative Motion Laser Sphere https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003150CFO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_pr4xwbRXHP4Z5

I actually got this idea from someone else who posted a video of it a while back. Too lazy to look, but I believe the post was called "my trip room"

This is 8 year old kid science - http://www.amazon.com/4M-4568-Potato-Clock/dp/B001T8OFQM

Well this is one way to get someone to send the guy into the stratosphere. However, I have a cheaper solution. Cuz, ya know, a lot of these GoFundMe's and not are cons.

4M Solar System Planetarium https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HGJJ7W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_2rSYzbZYJHAZ1

Yeah you've pretty much got it. The controller you linked is the newest version of the teensy, and while it will work fine and will be more upgradable, since you are on a budget you could use any of the teensy boards for this. I would probably just a teensy++ or 2.0. As far as upgradability goes, it depends on what you think you might want to add. For comparison, here are the specs for the ($30usd) teensy++2.0(www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Teensy-2-0/221541256601) :

8-Bit AVR Processor (AT90USB1286)
128K Flash Memory, 8K RAM, 4K EEPROM
USB Can Emulate Any Type of Device
Single Pushbutton Programming
Arduino Compatible
8 Analog Inputs
46 Digital I/O Pins
9 PWM outputs

and the ($20 usd) Teensy 2.0 :

8-Bit AVR Processor 16 MHz (ATMEGA32U4)
31.5K Flash Memory, 2.5K RAM, 1K EEPROM
USB Can Emulate Any Type of Device
Single Pushbutton Programming
Arduino Compatible
12 Analog Inputs
25 Digital I/O Pins
7 PWM outputs

note the difference in analog (faders, knobs) and digital (buttons, switches) IO pins, and think about what you might want to add down the line to decide.

You can use any Teensy controller, arduino, any arduino clone, or any microcontroller that says it has a teensyduino or arduino compatible bootloader. Almost all of the controllers on this page would be suitable for the application I've described.

A breadboard is a rectangular plastic block that is covered in holes with contact clips inside them that you push wires into to build a prototype of your circuit before you do any soldering. It consists of two power "buses" (common contacts) that run down each side, each with a positive and negative hole. In the center are two banks of holes that are arranged into rows of 5, in which all of the holes in each row are connected.

This probably sounds pretty confusing but they are very easy to use, and allow you to quickly build, troubleshoot and test your design before soldering anything, and when you do solder, you can just go piece by piece from your breadboard. This video actually shows a light-controlled midi controller being put together on a breadboard using a Teensy, and shows it interfacing with ableton in real time. Take note of how the power buses on the sides are used, and how the board sits over the ravine, otherwise all pins opposite each other would be shorted to one another.

This page explains how breadboards work very well. In the videos of the teensy on the breadboard, the controllers are the version with header pins to be used with breadboards. This will make it much easier for you to prototype your design, then when it works how you want, you can actually transfer it to a "permanent breadboard" that has holes through the board surrounded by solder pads that you will solder you circuit to once you drop all the wires and teensy pins through the board. If you get one like this that has the exact same layout as a standard breadboard you can literally lift it off the breadboard and drop it into the solderable board if youre gentle. If you can get scrap wire and solder materials (be sure to watch a few videos on soldering ICs and microcontrollers, as the teensy really is teensy, about 17mm x 35mm, so you can imagine how close the pins are. Soldering really isn't difficult if you are patient and prepared though) and build you own enclosure, you can easily keep this under budget.

As a science teacher, this jumped out at me.

Snap circuits!!

Something like a rock tumbler?

Oh dear god, please buy one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/Elenco-Piece-Pre-formed-Jumper-wire/dp/B0002H7AIG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345765743&sr=8-1&keywords=jumper+wire+set

http://www.amazon.com/Breadboard-jumper-wire-70pcs-pack/dp/B0040DEI9M/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1345765764&sr=8-2&keywords=jumper+wire+set

You are going to injure yourself cutting and stripping wire for your project.

I know you said you didnt the longer lengths, but at a cost of $20 you get the whole kit which includes every size you could need for a single standard size bread-board....

https://www.amazon.ca/Elenco-Piece-Pre-formed-Jumper-Wire/dp/B0002H7AIG