Hey guys! Recently I’ve been receiving great number of requests to write about electronic hobby kits for adults. If you are good at soldering and love to built soldering kits, my review of Electronic soldering kits for adults is here. However, don’t get me wrong: this article is not only for experienced solders. There you can read about various soldering kits aimed for all skill levels, from absolute beginners to advanced.
This post would be about electronic hobby kits: robotic kits and circuit kits for adults.
Let’s start with some robotic kits.
5 Best Electronic Hobby Kits for Adults in January, 2021 Review
Image | Product | |
---|---|---|
Best Choice | SunFounder Robotics Kit for Arduino
| Check Price |
Also Great | Robot arm 6DOF Full Metal
| Check Price |
Include Ohmmeter | Maxitronix 200-in-One Electronic Project Lab
| Check Price |
Great Starter Kit | REXQualis UNO Project Super Starter Kit
| Check Price |
Advanced Kit | GAR Monster Starter Kit for Arduino Uno
| Check Price |
There is a large number of robot kits available nowadays. And before you start looking at any of them, it would be better if you know what exactly you would like to have. In order to do so, you need to assess your level of skills (including programming knowledge and experience with Arduino, Raspberry, etc) and answer a few questions listed below.
- How good are you in programming?
- Do you have any experience building robots?
As I always do in my reviews, here I will start with the educational kits for the beginners.
SunFounder Robotics Kit for Arduino, 4-DOF Dancing Sloth Programmable – DIY Robot Kit for Kids and Adults with Tutorial
If you want to start with a simple robotic kit, this is the one. This cute, high quality Sloth robot can be programmed to walk, dance and change its gestures. And you have a chance to learn coding much faster and easier than with visual programming language software, or coding for Arduino.
Yes, this robot looks like a funny toy, however, it should be considered as a new generation educational gadget coming with high performance, good quality 9G servo motors. Moreover, it has ultrasonic “eyes” which help it to avoid obstacles.
The kit includes everything what is needed for building this robot. Step-by-step instruction is also part of the kit. You will learn how to assemble the mechanical parts and electrical modules: head of the robot, its electrical modules, all servos, battery and feet. All the information related to ultrasonic connection, servo calibration and run tests, and more is also provided in the manual. In case you would need more advice related to the assembly and programming of the gadget, you can always refer to the manufacturer’s website for further information and/or instructions.
I highly recommend this kit for robotics’ beginners as it’s a practical development kit for Arduino.
- Cute design
- High quality 9G servo motors
- Easy to follow detailed manual
- Easy to assemble and code
- Good value for money
- Some of the users found the downloading instructions too complicated.
Robot arm 6DOF Full Metal Programmable Robotic Arm with Feedback of Servo Parameter
This kit comes with Intelligent serial bus servo LX-15D and bus servo controller, metal bracket, metal rotation station, and machine claw. Once assembled, this robotic arm could be programmed in various styles. It supports computer programming and mobile phone programming. Moreover, the arm supports manually positioned programming. It means that you can position the arm manually and memorize those positions for recall. I would like to emphasize that this robotic arm features innovative control methods: it supports not only wireless handle and computer control, mobile phone, but also wireless/wired mouse control.
Robotic controller comes with arm core CPU, built-in Bluetooth module and 16M memory.
Driving source of the robotic arm is the intelligent serial bus servo LX-15D. It features full metal gear, high-precision potentiometer, large torque. It can also support read angle, feedback of the temperature, voltage. If the servo is out of order, the LED indicator starts blinking.
This robotic arm uses vacuum cup, which can firmly fix it to the surface.
I would highly recommend it to those who makes their first steps in robotic building and programming.
- Full metal gear
- Possibility to set the rotation speed if the servo
- Possibility to write action group
- Easy and simple operation
- Great interface
- Support Android/iOS operation system
- Suction cup design preventing the arm from slipping
- Easy assembly instructions
- None
Maxitronix 200-in-One Electronic Project Lab
With this electronic kit by Elenco you would have a chance to explore electronics with 200 experiments! This is a perfect electronic trainer helping you would to build your own AM broadcast station and radio, Ohmmeter and rain detector, burglar alarm and telegraph, and more. Moreover, as sound effect tools are also part of the kit, you would be able to produce amazing sound effects. The kit comes with a built-in speaker, earphone, meter, seven-segment LED digital display, out-front controls.
Note: No soldering required!
Recommendation: This kit is worth getting for an adult making his first steps in electronics! I can assure you that after playing with the kit you will have a clear understanding of the basis of electronics and reading schematics. It’s a good introduction to analogue and digital circuitry.
- Possibility to built up to 200 projects
- Fully illustrated, easy to read manual with detailed project instructions, schematics, circuit explanations
- A great teaching tool
- High quality components
- None
REXQualis UNO Project Super Starter Kit with Tutorial and UNO R3 Compatible with Arduino IDE
If you want to get started with learning Arduino, go for this kit! It comes with absolutely everything you might need to learn electronics and programming. The kit is aimed to reach not only absolute beginners which can get started with robotics and programming, but advanced users too. Teachers, students, and experienced hobbyists could build various instruments or make at least 21 Arduino Projects listed in the tutorial.
This kit features EXQualis UNO R3 controller board which is 100% compatible with the official Arduino microcontroller boards. It means that all official Arduino codes, sensors software can be used. The only thing you need to do is to download and install the Arduino IDE on your computer and you are ready to start!
The kit comes with a 1A power adapter which is a perfect replacement of standard 9V battery. There are LEDs, good quality breadboard, buzzers, motors, and plenty of other properly labeled parts and components. Detailed tutorial is part of the kit too.
- Great value starter kit
- Good quality breadboard
- 9V 1A Power Adapter
- Easy to follow labeling system of the parts and components
- No Wi-Fi support
- There are come complaints about tutorials: some users would like to have more detailed educational information about programming
GAR Monster Starter Kit for Arduino Uno Mega Nano – Great Kit for advanced hobbyists
This complete advanced kit has everything any user might need to get serious with programming electronics and exploring the Arduino system. It comes with more than 65 pieces and four main boards: ESP32, Mega 2560, Nano V3, and 100% Arduino-compatible Uno R3. 25 Sensor Modules, HC-05 Bluetooth Module, W5100 Ethernet Shield, NRF24L01 Wireless Transceivers and other components would allow you to build lots of electronic and robotic projects. Basically, the number of things you can do with this kit is unlimited.
Note: Lots of tutorials for each sensor are included into the kit. However, personally, I think that there should be more information for beginners: how not to damage Arduino board by overloading it, for instance.
Recommendation: I highly recommend this kit for everyone who would like to play with Arduino boards!
- Can be used by users with different skills level: beginners, intermediate and advanced users
- Easy to assemble
- Good value for money
- Easy to follow instructions and informative tutorial
- Very well packing of all the different parts
- Works with Raspberry Pi systems
- Worth money
- Clear and detailed guide with tutorial
- None
FAQ:
I’m an absolute beginner in electronics, and I would love to start learning it. What is the best way to start?
The best way to start is with educational electronic kit with no soldering required. You need to learn schematics and basic of electronics.
Do all electronic kits come with original Arduino boards?
No, they are not. Vast majority of kits come with other boards, however, they are Arduino compatible.
Are snap circuits kits available for adults?
Good question… They are, but they are mostly for kids. More information you can get from my post Snap Circuits Kits for Teens
Are hobby electronic kits battery operated?
Yes, most of the kits are batteries operated. It means that you need to buy AA batteries to power up projects. However, there are some with a power adapter which is a perfect replacement of standard 9V battery.
Is a detailed manual supplied with each hobby kit?
Yes, basically, every kit comes with a detailed step-by-step manual. However, you can always get an additional information in the manufacturer’s site or YouTube
Conclusion
I hope this post would help you not to get lost among the overwhelming number of the electronic hobby kits for adults. Sometimes it’s not that easy to find a proper one for an experienced adult, but you can always buy a “Mega” set with lots of components and start with your own projects.
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