Kit Complexity: 5
(1=Easy, 5=Difficult) Is the kit easy, moderate, or challenging to build for its most likely target audience? Kits clearly aimed at children would, for example, be rated differently from microcontroller kits.
Phantastron Synthesizer Kit
In an alternate Old West universe, folks played synthesizers, and they called ‘em “Phantastrons.” Incorporating tubes, steel panels, and a branded wooden crate ripe for customization, this is one unusual synth kit. The power supply comes mostly assembled, but the 30s-era “turret board” is a challenge for seasoned solderers. Not your standard volt-per-octave functionality; this oscillator […]
Musical Instruments: music, musical instruments, synthesizer
PoddWatt Series 1 Amplifier
Just one listen to this home-built, high-end tube amp, and you’ll quickly discover that there’s more to that classic song you’ve been listening to for years. It has nothing to do with nostalgia — tubes just sound more musical than pure solid state, and the PoddWatt is a prime example. So, what can you get from a […]
Cloning a Fluorescent Gene
When I told my 8-year-old daughter I had a kit to clone fluorescent jellyfish DNA, she was excited to try it. But this is a high-school level project. The reagents are sent in a styrofoam box with dry ice, and the projects require a polymerase chain reaction thermal cycler (which Genotyp will loan out to classrooms that […]
Finger Magic Origami Kits
Origami kits always intrigue me, but after folding a few animals I wonder what it’s all for. So when I discovered Finger Magic, I thought, origami with a purpose! Not only do the kits teach fresh origami like Small World-style elephants, 3D tulips, and butterflies, but some kits come with greeting cards and envelopes. Just attach […]
Mignon Game Console
Although 5×7 pixels aren’t a lot to work with, it’s easy to get lost in Olaf Val’s Mignon Game Kit. This minimalist handheld gaming system is hands-on in more ways than one. The first step is to put it together; second is to hack code for the Atmel ATmega8 microcontroller that powers it; and third, […]
MicroRax
Need miniature aluminum girders for your next robot? Look no further than the lightweight MicroRAX building system. Parts include 10mm aluminum beams and braces, plates, brackets, and other connectors. They’ve even developed adapter plates to attach your ’RAX to VEX and NXT constructs, allowing you to merge multiple building media. The beams are sold in 900mm […]
Tools & Workshop: building system, microrax, Tools, Workshop
AL5B Robotic Arm Combo Kit
Ready for a challenge? Try one of the robotic arms from Lynxmotion. I got their AL5B arm kit, which sports a 5oz lift capacity, five joints, and a reach of 7½ inches. I assembled it in one evening, and I’ve been having a blast with it ever since. All arms in the product line are […]
MadeUSA Robot Base Full Kit
Around my house I’ve renamed my MadeUSA “Big Bruiser” for the black and blue marks it leaves on my ankles when it runs into me during programming tests. Chalk it up to an occupational hazard. And besides, I got these bruises while having fun. This bot, which is strong enough to cart around a full-grown […]
