circuits for beginners

bungaro79

hi,
i run an after school STEM club in the primary school i teach in. i'm looking to introduce electrical engineering in, we have snap circuits already but now i want to go a bit more advanced. so i'm looking at getting some breadboards (although i'd love to do soldering with the class!) and the bits and pieces i'll need to do some circuits. i'm learning as i'm going along and i've found this website (http://www.instructables.com/id/Ten-Breadboard-Projects-For-Beginners/) and i'm wondering if this is something which people would think would be a good place to start from??
if so then where would be my best place to buy the items needed?? i know that you can get some leds and resistors really cheap on ebay but i don't know of any reputable sellers.
any info would be gratefully received!

KeithTS

I've only looked over the first couple of projects but that looks like a simple introduction. Another alternative is the Make Electronics book:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Make-Electronics-Learning-Discovery-Technology/dp/1680450263/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451898347&sr=8-1&keywords=make+electronics

this starts very basic but gives some good detail geared towards younger people in the descriptions of how things work.

Try these for components to get you started:
http://uk.farnell.com
http://www.rs-components.com/index.html
http://www.mouser.in/
http://www.digikey.co.uk/

Hijpo

Sorry to hijack the thread.

I was looking at the kits that are sold specifically for the books, it looks like a lot of components to try track down and buy individually.

If i was to buy the component kits from Make, will there be power issues given that they are from the US?

I see they use AC adapters for example, i know i could probably buy a european adapter but what about the components being powered with it?

DublinDilbert

Hijpo wrote: »

Sorry to hijack the thread.

I was looking at the kits that are sold specifically for the books, it looks like a lot of components to try track down and buy individually.

If i was to buy the component kits from Make, will there be power issues given that they are from the US?

I see they use AC adapters for example, i know i could probably buy a european adapter but what about the components being powered with it?

Why don't you look at doing some arduino projects, combine sensors (eg ldr) with some software.

TheChizler

The kits with all discrete components held in place where you wire between them might be a better option, individual components would get lost or their legs bent and broken too easily and would make reusing difficult. Buy a handful of replacement components for the inevitable LEDs and caps that are "accidentally" blown up.

These kits are generally battery powered, probably better to shy away from mains supplies with kids.

To answer your question about US vs EU supplies; as long as the output voltage and jack polarity are the same, and current capability is similar or greater they will be compatible.

KeithTS

The power supplies won't be an issue. Typically in the Make electronics book and other similar titles you'd be using 5/9/12V DC. As long as you have an appropriate DC supply you'll be fine. An American kit may have a 110V AC to 12V DC adapter so you may need to switch that to a 230V to 12V for example but there's not going to be AC mains used in projects for beginners.

I wouldn't worry about losing components or anything as the passives such as caps/resistors/LEDs can be picked up for next to nothing if the kit is to be reused