Elenco AM/FM Radio Kit |Switch Between ICs & Transistors | Solder | Great STEM Project | Superheterodyne Designed to AM and FM Broadcasts | SOLDERING REQUIRED

I was pleasantly surprised when I received this kit and opened it. Way more than I expected in terms of quality and educational value. This is a bit more than a quick soldering project; it teaches basic radio fundamentals and lays out the process in an extremely well written manual. A quick google/AI check can help one out if they get a little lost in the process but that's a fair price to pay for it's educational value. It's a little pricier than some of the other project radio kits but very well worth it. I very highly recommend.

With this review I hope give you some idea about what this kit does and doesn't do and how it can be a great learning tool for both young and old alike. This kit is very complete, everything needed for building a complete AM and FM radio is included in the box. All the parts are neatly laid out and placed on cards for easy identification. The construction manual is very easy to follow and it also includes tests needed to be done during the construction process as well as final tuning when complete. The radio's circuit board is laid out is with the AM section on the bottom and the FM on the top of the board. If you follow the manual you will be building the AM section first with the FM section second. This makes the construction easier as both the AM and FM sections of the radio are broken down into small sections, then a test to make sure everything is working before moving to the next section. The manual goes into how and why the circuits and other electronic parts do what they do and how they do it. This kit can be built with just a multi-meter or you can also use an oscilloscope for more complete testing and understanding of the parts and circuits, but the oscilloscope is not necessary for the build. This is kit is both a relaxing build and a great teaching tool. If you have teenagers in the house, this kit will teach how to make good solder connections of the parts onto the board. The board has more room between parts and solder pads, so the process is much easier to get the parts mounted to the board successfully. The board also has all the symbols printed on the board that you would normally see on a schematic drawing layout. This is a good way to see both symbols together and it helps in the learning process. The board also includes dedicated test points for doing the testing needed during the building process. This is one of the best kits to get your feet wet in electronics or as a very good teaching tool for young adults and adults alike. Once done you have a working AM/FM radio. Since this is a battery operated radio, its great to have around when the power goes out. I would recommend using a good 60/40 Tin Lead solder, with a diameter of 1mm, this solder is much easier to work with and make a good connection, you don't need all that heat on the board and electronic parts when learning. The provided solder is lead free and makes it more of a challenge to get a good solder joint when learning the soldering process. Fun project!

It's an interesting kit and rather fun. Certainly not for a beginner, but not overly difficult. Instructions were certainly good, even excellent. I had the "education" version which covered not only construction but also extensive testing and alignment information and a bit of radio theory. Unfortunately it was missing several transistors. Fortunately they are a very common type and I had some on the shelf. The lead-free solder the kit came with was useless and after a few frustrating attempts to work with it, it went in the trash and I used normal 0.032" rosin core lead/tin solder. Resistors and capacitors are attached to convenient cards and clearly labeled making finding the right parts easy. Unfortunately that isn't true of the transistors, which are simply dumped into small bags with other misc. parts. The coils are about as cheap as they they come. Use caution when turning the slugs to adjust them, they're easy to mess up Full testing and alignment really require an oscilloscope and audio/RF generator to get the most out of the kit. If you lack one or both of those, you can get away with just a VOM for preliminary testing and troubleshooting. Maybe? Alignment for proper receiving is going to be interesting if you're trying to play it by ear without the right test gear I'd think, but could probably be done.

I bought this because I thought it would be fun to build and refresh some of my basic RF electronics skills. Kit is fairly easy to assemble but not for a total novice. The manual starts you off but then leaves you to assemble the kit without the step-by-step that other kits include. Or perhaps I'm missing some supplemental documentation. Not a big deal if you're careful and have some background in electronics and/or assembling kits like this. Another issue is all of the solder pads on the board are very shiny and smooth and solder doesn't want to stick, even if you use flux. You're going to want to rough up the pads slightly with an emory cloth or other small abrasive tool. The ferrite AM antenna coil needed to be reglued to the core.

Excellent.

I wholeheartedly recommend this kit. It presented both a challenging and enjoyable assembly experience. The included manual is exceptional. Not only does it provide comprehensive assembly instructions, but it also delves into the technical background of each radio section, accompanied by meticulously detailed troubleshooting tools. Notably, I gained valuable insights into operating an oscilloscope solely through this manual. I highly suggest this kit to individuals with an interest in electronics.

Mejorar la calidad del PCB

O kit é excelente. Muito boa a apredizagem.

Working very well Highly recommended Very informative

２つ購入しました。一つは組み立て用、もう一つは部品の特性測定用や部品在庫用としてです。しかし、組み立てテキストが、細部まで気を使っているので驚いた。つまり、電源とアンプ回路から始まって、最後にアンテナとLC回路を作る形になっていて、回路毎に、直流電圧測定による動作確認や、信号発生器とオシロスコープを用いた回路特性測定をする仕組みになっているのだ。しかも、AMのみでなくFM も受信出来るのにも感動した。

Excelente