Make Electronics Book

[Nart]

Has anyone used the Make Electronics book? While snap circuits is interesting, I think one would learn more by going through the Make book. 

Has anyone used both snap circuits and the Make book and can compare?

 

http://www.amazon.com/Make-Electronics-Discovery-Charles-Platt/dp/0596153740

 

My second question is if you have used the book, did you buy the material separately or did you buy the kit from Makershed?

[Alte Veste Academy]

How old is the kid in question, and what are that kid's general abilities and interests?

 

You definitely learn more from the Make book, but it is at a much higher level. Little kids can enjoy Snap Circuits and learn a bit. Medium kids can learn a lot about electronics with Snap Circuits and the Teaching Guide. Advanced medium kids with fantastic reading skills and an extraordinary DIY bent can use the Make book successfully, but most will need parental assistance with it. As a DIY, my personal opinion is that a medium kid would need to be highly interested and advanced or approaching. Otherwise, it is a project best saved for later, maybe 12-13. 

[daijobu]

Has anyone used the Make Electronics book? While snap circuits is interesting, I think one would learn more by going through the Make book. 

Has anyone used both snap circuits and the Make book and can compare?

 

http://www.amazon.com/Make-Electronics-Discovery-Charles-Platt/dp/0596153740

 

My second question is if you have used the book, did you buy the material separately or did you buy the kit from Makershed?

 

Me!  Me!  :hurray:   I've used both.  I used the first kit of SC and we are about halfway through M:E.  

 

There are big differences between M:E and SC.

 

1.  M:E requires a certain amount of fine motor dexterity.  SC has a satisfying click when everything comes together, perfect for younger elementary.  I would recommend M:E for upper elementary and older.  

 

2.  SC is more superficial than M:E.  M:E really gets into detail about logic circuits, timers, counters and the like.  I didn't study this stuff until college.  The caveat is that I haven't used the more advanced SC kits and books.  What we've used of SC didn't provide much in the way of theory.  It was more, here's how to build a helicopter, and that's it.  

 

3.  SC is open and go.  All materials are included, except maybe AA batteries.  M:E is definitely not.  There are A LOT of materials to buy and it is confusing.  Some parts are obsolete, but can still be found if you dig around the internet.  I was on the phone with Mouser at least twice to clarify some purchases.  However, I just eat this stuff up.  (I also love BFSU if that gives you any idea of my personality.)  I viewed the whole purchasing experience as a learning experience.  It also entails a significant expense beyond the cost of the book.  (I'm happy to help you locate items, just post a message or PM me.)  I did not buy the kit from MakerShed, and I might have saved myself some time in doing so.  

 

4.  There is a youtube channel and blog that follows the blog and also provides some direction.  I have links to them in other topics on this forum;  search the forums and you should find them.  

 

If you have any specific questions about Platt's book, do post again.  He's already published his sequel!  

[daijobu]

Case in point, I just realized that although I recently purchased a kit of assorted capacitors, I specifically lack one that 0.33uF electrolytic.  I have others that are close, but I'm not sure if they will still work.  So I just spent another $8.  

[Nart]

Me! Me! :hurray: I've used both. I used the first kit of SC and we are about halfway through M:E.

 

There are big differences between M:E and SC.

 

1. M:E requires a certain amount of fine motor dexterity. SC has a satisfying click when everything comes together, perfect for younger elementary. I would recommend M:E for upper elementary and older.

 

2. SC is more superficial than M:E. M:E really gets into detail about logic circuits, timers, counters and the like. I didn't study this stuff until college. The caveat is that I haven't used the more advanced SC kits and books. What we've used of SC didn't provide much in the way of theory. It was more, here's how to build a helicopter, and that's it.

 

3. SC is open and go. All materials are included, except maybe AA batteries. M:E is definitely not. There are A LOT of materials to buy and it is confusing. Some parts are obsolete, but can still be found if you dig around the internet. I was on the phone with Mouser at least twice to clarify some purchases. However, I just eat this stuff up. (I also love BFSU if that gives you any idea of my personality.) I viewed the whole purchasing experience as a learning experience. It also entails a significant expense beyond the cost of the book. (I'm happy to help you locate items, just post a message or PM me.) I did not buy the kit from MakerShed, and I might have saved myself some time in doing so.

 

4. There is a youtube channel and blog that follows the blog and also provides some direction. I have links to them in other topics on this forum; search the forums and you should find them.

 

If you have any specific questions about Platt's book, do post again. He's already published his sequel!

Thank you so much for your review; it was exactly what I was looking for. My kids are only 5 and 7 but love to tinker and make things. They are a little young for the Make book, but have enjoyed going to Radio Shack to buy a few wires, battery holders, switches, and light bulbs to make a simple circuit, a light wand, and a bristle bot. I don't want to spend a lot of money on Snap Circuits when I hope to use the Make book with them in 2 or 3 years. I don't know much about electronics but would love to learn now so it will be easier for me to help them in a couple of years. Even if they never are interested I flipped through the book and it looks like so much fun that I want to get started on it,

So would you recommend buying the pieces separately or if you had to do it over would you buy the kit from Makershed? Did you save any money buying the components separately? Have you gotten to the soldering chapter yet? How old do you think a kid should be before learning to solder?

Thanks again!

[Eagle]

We recently got the Make: Tinkering book. It might be more suitable for your kids at this age. It does have a chapter on electronics which could get them started on simple circuits. It has lots of fun projects like magnetic gizmos, a wooden scooter, a Popsicle stick car with a motor (we made this and it is awesome), an art spinner machine,etc.

[daijobu]

So would you recommend buying the pieces separately or if you had to do it over would you buy the kit from Makershed? Did you save any money buying the components separately? Have you gotten to the soldering chapter yet? How old do you think a kid should be before learning to solder?

Thanks again!

 

I enjoyed purchasing the parts myself as I thought it was a learning experience, but it is time consuming.  I don't know if I saved any money; probably not since I was buying for two kids and some cases, extra parts for myself to prep the experiments in advance.  In fact, I highly doubt I saved any money, considering all the money I spent on shipping.  

 

We did do the soldering chapter and it was very fun and we learned a lot.  I think the question of age and soldering is a good question for a separate post.  There are probably lots of parents on this list with more soldering experience than me.  My daughters are 11 and 13 and relatively calm.  I was right by their side for a long time before I felt comfortable letting them go at it without my direct supervision.  

 

Jameco and RadioShack have other electronics projects and kits, some of which require some soldering and are fun.  

[Beth S]

Our library had the book. :)

I'd also (separately) recommend the Make magazine subscription.

[Arcadia]

How old do you think a kid should be before learning to solder?

Your 7 year old could try wood burning/ pyrography with a soldering iron until he is confident. Then he could try soldering even though it might not look as neat initially.

 

I'm near RadioShack and Frys Electronics so it is easy for me to get parts. It won't be cheaper though to hunt all the required parts but would be more fun.

[daijobu]

Our library had the book. :)

I'd also (separately) recommend the Make magazine subscription.

 

I haven't picked up a Make Magazine in a few years, but when I read them I found the projects to be inspirational, but difficult for me to replicate.  Sourcing all the components was especially difficult.  I don't think it's really geared for beginner makers, but again, I haven't seen a recent copy.  

 

Platt makes it quite a bit easier in his book by including photographs and descriptions of the parts and where you can find them.  He also explains part numbers so you know for certain whether you are buying the right thing.  I do with he did this more, but the details he includes is far beyond what I see in other instructional guides.  

[MamaChicken]

My son has used both, started with Snap Circuits when he was 9.  I wouldn't skip this step.  Found the middle school curriculum to be very easy, but worthwhile.  Got a intro to soldering kit and he was off and running.  He worked through most of the Make Electronics book on his own.  Some of the projects worked great, others didn't, but he learned a lot from all of them.  He also uses the book Handmade Electronic Music extensively.  Hacking is very fun.

What I love is how he combines all of it.  He uses Snap Circuits to prototype circuits before he builds them.  They provide a very visual, logical, way to do electronics.  

Now he's 10 and Arduino is his passion.

Have you done Squishy Circuits?  Definitely do that!

There's a lot of good stuff here:  http://www.makershed.com/Intro_Electronics_s/49.htm  DS10 earned a Arduino Robotics kit and I'm going to order a couple silly fun kits, like brushbots, for my younger son, who isn't into this stuff.

 

I would never make a kid read any of these books though, and I only help when I'm asked.  If I made it part of a curriculum the joy would promptly leave it.  But if they do develop a passion for it you'll need to sacrifice a corner of your house to disassembled, partially assembled, and never to be assembled electronics. 

 

Good luck!

[daijobu]

 

 

I would never make a kid read any of these books though, and I only help when I'm asked.  If I made it part of a curriculum the joy would promptly leave it.  But if they do develop a passion for it you'll need to sacrifice a corner of your house to disassembled, partially assembled, and never to be assembled electronics. 

 

 

 

At the risk of going OT, I'd like to work through some feelings I have about what you wrote.  I have a couple of girls who really have no passion for this kind of stuff, but I make them do it anyway.  It is part of my curriculum.  It makes me sad to read that "the joy would promptly leave it" because part of me agrees.  

 

And yet, I don't think I've necessarily killed their interest in electronics...they never really had one to start with.  Our short lessons in soldering, 555 timers, etc., are met with mild interest, some eye-rolling, but never tears.  I keep my lessons short and sweet.  (Leave 'em wanting more, LOL.)  

 

I think it's important that they understand how things work by building things themselves.  I had never seen a breadboard before I entered college, and it put me at a huge disadvantage over the men in my classes who grew up with RS electronics kits.  My kids may never want to be EE's, but I don't want them to not choose it because they flail in their first electronics class and give up.  

 

So sometimes I feel Tiger Mom-ish for making them do this stuff, but I feel obligated to do so, particularly because I have girls who would never spontaneously gravitate to the topic.  I'd love to hear what others think of this approach, or maybe it's a post for a separate topic.

[dauphin]

I think a new topic would be welcomed as that discussion has many facets to it. My DD generally wants to dig deeper with things like this but a lot of this stuff just doesn't come across her radar. On another facet, there's your point of knowing a basic level both to not miss opportunities because of a lack of skills relative to others in an "intro" class, but also what are things everyone should just know regardless (like the attorney who says everyone -should- have some law school experience to understand how the legal system works and how it applies to so much of everyday life (eg contracts, and how they are written for when things go wrong, not right).

[Arcadia]

I have a couple of girls who really have no passion for this kind of stuff, but I make them do it anyway. It is part of my curriculum. It makes me sad to read that "the joy would promptly leave it" because part of me agrees.

Electronics is part of middle and high school physics anyway. Simple and parallel circuits are in elementary school science.

 

My kids aren't allow to skip history (they only like King Tut) or writing or any other required subjects just because they don't have a passion for those. Doing/learning things they don't fancy is good college/life prep anyway.

[MamaChicken]

I apologize if you found my statement offensive.  My impression was the the OP's kids were younger.  The Make book, and other books that I referenced are written way above elementary level, and my son would have been very frustrated with them if he wasn't personally motivated to learn the stuff.  There are also experiments in the book that just don't work.  There are adults with blogs totally dedicated to these experiments and we cross referenced with them.  Again, hugely frustrating unless you're pretty motivated.

I thinks its an awesome resource, but far from a "required" one here.  

 

 

At the risk of going OT, I'd like to work through some feelings I have about what you wrote.  I have a couple of girls who really have no passion for this kind of stuff, but I make them do it anyway.  It is part of my curriculum.  It makes me sad to read that "the joy would promptly leave it" because part of me agrees.  

 

And yet, I don't think I've necessarily killed their interest in electronics...they never really had one to start with.  Our short lessons in soldering, 555 timers, etc., are met with mild interest, some eye-rolling, but never tears.  I keep my lessons short and sweet.  (Leave 'em wanting more, LOL.)  

 

I think it's important that they understand how things work by building things themselves.  I had never seen a breadboard before I entered college, and it put me at a huge disadvantage over the men in my classes who grew up with RS electronics kits.  My kids may never want to be EE's, but I don't want them to not choose it because they flail in their first electronics class and give up.  

 

So sometimes I feel Tiger Mom-ish for making them do this stuff, but I feel obligated to do so, particularly because I have girls who would never spontaneously gravitate to the topic.  I'd love to hear what others think of this approach, or maybe it's a post for a separate topic.

 

[Snickerdoodle]

A black hole for the budget.   That's about what I can add here.  LOL

[TechWife]

Make: Electronics is best used by high school students who have an existing interest in electronics or a passion for making. My son has learned an enormous amount  by using this book to learn by doing some of the projects and using those projects as inspiration for other projects. He is a natural born maker, however. He also has another book on electronics that he has referenced extensively, the name of it escapes me at the moment.

 

He is completely self-taught in this subject, but because he has learned so much, he will get 1 high school credit for his work. I didn't make the decision to do that lightly, I compared what he has demonstrated that he knows with the course description for Intro to Electronics in our county schools. Between the two books and the work he has done (both successful and unsuccessful projects), he has earned the credit. 

 

ETA: We did buy the kit from Makershed. It was wonderful to know that he had whatever he needed at his fingertips and I didn't have to drive him all over looking for parts. 

[MamaChicken]

Oh yeah, definitely buy the kit.  We didn't and it cost us a lot of shipping and way too many trips to Radio Shack (he is well loved there).  

 

quote:

 

 

ETA: We did buy the kit from Makershed. It was wonderful to know that he had whatever he needed at his fingertips and I didn't have to drive him all over looking for parts. 

[daijobu]

I apologize if you found my statement offensive.  My impression was the the OP's kids were younger.  The Make book, and other books that I referenced are written way above elementary level, and my son would have been very frustrated with them if he wasn't personally motivated to learn the stuff.  There are also experiments in the book that just don't work.  There are adults with blogs totally dedicated to these experiments and we cross referenced with them.  Again, hugely frustrating unless you're pretty motivated.

I thinks its an awesome resource, but far from a "required" one here.  

 

No, no!  I'm not offended at all.  On the contrary, I'm glad you brought up the observation.  I am also a little jealous of you and other parents who have kids who are so passionate about some topic that all you need to do is give them a book, and they just go to town with it.  In the absence of such passion in my own kids, I feel the need to "fill the space" with exposure to a variety of topics.  As dauphin wrote, I don't want my kids to miss any opportunities just because it wasn't on her radar.  Now I feel a bit better about my homeschooling plan.  

[MamaChicken]

I totally understand.  I honestly don't post much and worry that I'm going to offend someone.  The homeschooling community is so diverse, which is awesome and intimidating at the same time.

I've got one really passionate kid, and its so hard to get him to do anything he's not passionate about, and one who really isn't passionate about anything (except maybe bodily noises, he's 8), but he'll do whatever curriculum I put in front of him with minimal fuss.

I expose mine to plenty of stuff they don't love too, just in case it lights a spark that otherwise wouldn't have had a chance.  If you don't get Make magazine, you should check it out.  There's so much more cool stuff in there that kids can get excited about (and adults too).

 

No, no!  I'm not offended at all.  On the contrary, I'm glad you brought up the observation.  I am also a little jealous of you and other parents who have kids who are so passionate about some topic that all you need to do is give them a book, and they just go to town with it.  In the absence of such passion in my own kids, I feel the need to "fill the space" with exposure to a variety of topics.  As dauphin wrote, I don't want my kids to miss any opportunities just because it wasn't on her radar.  Now I feel a bit better about my homeschooling plan.  

 

[daijobu]

 

 There are also experiments in the book that just don't work.  There are adults with blogs totally dedicated to these experiments and we cross referenced with them.  Again, hugely frustrating unless you're pretty motivated.

 

Speaking of which...could you ask your son if he was able to get Experiment 18 to work?  It's the reaction timer.  We were able to get everything to work until we added the last 555 timer.  

[MamaChicken]

nope, he says he didn't do that one, but wants to. :)

 

Speaking of which...could you ask your son if he was able to get Experiment 18 to work?  It's the reaction timer.  We were able to get everything to work until we added the last 555 timer.