I've just bought a new soldering station (just a cheap one from Maplin) and would like to have a few basic soldering jobs/projects so I can put it to use and get a bit of practice in to build my confidence. I've done my share of odd jobs over the years with basic irons but I want to spend some quality time with my new toy and improve my skills. I'd also like to start learning more about electronics this year so starting with a few basic kits to put together seems like a good idea. I'm wondering if anyone can recommend any particular kits, or other resources like books, that are relatively cheap but interesting and educational. If anyone has kits or anything else that may be useful please let me know too (mods, I figured while I'm asking advice I'd stick to one thread but if this request needs to be made via a wanted ad in the mp please let me know and I'll start a thread there.) I don't really know what I'm looking for which is why I'm posting here. I've seen kits starting at 99p on eBay that are very basic (doorbells for example) and I'm happy to pick up some of these to start with but I'm keen to know where I can go from there as that's not going to hold my attention for long. One thing I would enjoy making is a theremin but the ones I've seen are quite pricey for what they are. Besides kits I'll probably also mess around with old and/or broken stuff, but the kits do appeal as they seem a good way to develop an understanding of how things work.
You should probably be looking at picking up a breadboard, a basic power supply and a multimeter. That would get you through begginner DC circuits and you can move on from there. I've no idea about kits though.
I have a decent multimeter, and I do intend to get a breadboard and stuff but I'm specifically after things to solder at the moment for the practice.
Best way to start soldering is not trying to solder a kit, but desoldering an old board and maybe soldering it back together. That way you'll get a feel for your tools and stock up on some basic components. You could go kit route, but prob will destroy your first 3-5 by botched soldering alone.
I have experience, I've made adapters for stuff, modified LED drivers, swapped LEDs in a fan controller and my old case, repaired headphones etc. All the jobs I've done have been successful, no disasters, so I'm sure the kits would come through unscathed, I just don't really consider myself particularly adept at soldering and want some projects I can get stuck into for practice so I can feel a little more confident in my ability. Repetition of a task, you know...
I'll put it in other words - have you got any experience soldering PCBs? I've seen disasters that come out of electricians that "been soldering for 20 years". Don't take this personally, all I'm saying is that you should get something disposable for you first couple tries.
As above with the Velleman Kits. Maplin sell those same kits. If you decide on one, go for the most basic one you see. Don't touch any of the microcontroller ones because you'll learn squat. If you're learning electronics, you'll want to learn the basic passive componenets like resistors and capacitors, and how they work. Then transistors. Once you understand how a transistor works, it opens up a whole world of possibilites, trust me. Knowing how the components work is essential for troubleshooting when there is a problem. I'll second what was said about a breadboard and multimeter. Invaluable tools for learning, especially the meter. Even a basic £4 multimeter should be fine for low voltage stuff. Ideally you want one that can measure DC current, but I don't think the cheapos do.
I've worked with a few PCBs yes just not loads. I've been looking on eBay and I can get quite a few basic kits dirt cheap (from 99p up to a few quid) so I'll grab a few of those as a starting point I think. This is the multimeter I've got:
I spent a long time researching before I bought one, I couldn't afford to spend a lot you see but I know cheap can mean bad with that sort of stuff so I wanted to find a good budget option. It doesn't get tons of use, which is another reason not to spend loads, but I've been very happy with it and I can't see myself needing better any time soon. I found money in my PayPal account I'd forgotten was there and so went on a mini spending spree last night on eBay. I've picked up a few little solder it yourself kits and some breadboards, a little PSU and a load of components. Most is coming from China so it'll be a few weeks before I get my hands on it but I'll post back here when I've got them to let you know how I got on and give my opinion on the kits.
My soldering station arrived today, I've literally just opened the box and the first thing in there on top of the internal packaging was the manual. I took it out and had a quick leaf through it and was pleased to read that the station features "imported temperature-beard materials with long life." That's good then
