Components Pack 2

I received my Components Pack 2 today... very well done. I can't believe I'm seeing all those hard to find (or at least, slow to find and receive) parts in one place... especially the 5V regulators of which Radio Shack doesn't seem to carry more than 1 at a time. Grrr.

Anyway... rather than go through the pack, I took some video and threw together this little 8-minute overview. Questions about it? Just let me know. I'll be taking it with me (along with the book) to the WorldFest International Robotics Competition being held in Atlanta this week, Wed to Sat... if you're in Atlanta, come by the LEGO booth and say hello.

Components Pack 1

So, I got my hands on the Make: Electronics Components Pack 1. In my best Vader voice - "Impressive."

First off, the case - hands down, this is one of the nicest storage containers I've ever seen. I've asked MakerSHED to consider selling these individually - they're that nice. (If you agree, add your voice to mine and email MakerSHED and ask them to put them up for sale.)

The pack comes with an inventory sheet, complete with labels for the individual bins and what you'll find inside them. As you can see, this thing is packed - over 350 pieces. I really do NOT want to add up the cost of all the items I purchased that are found in this kit - for $99.00, I'm sure it'll make me cry a bit. Big man-sized tears. If you are serious about following through the book and performing the experiments for Chapters 1 and 2, you'll save a bundle by buying this pre-loaded components pack.

The bottom portion of the case holds many of the larger items - spools of wire, breadboard, AC adapter, and more. The kit even comes with pre-trimmed patch wire - with heavy 22 or 20 gauge end tips exposed. I wish I'd had these when I started! You also get a whole bunch of patch cables (with gator clips on end) - way more than I purchased initially. It looks like the team at MakerSHED really put some thought into what to include that would make the reader's experiences better.

The top portion of the case contains all the smaller bits and pieces -resistors, potentiometers, capacitors, and more. There's even an X-acto knife for trimming away the walls of the spare relay - YES, they included a spare relay just as Chapter 2, Experiment 7 requires!

You've got fuses, batteries, battery holders, those crazy-difficult-hard-to-find 6027 programmable unijunction transistors, and a whole slew of LEDs.

(And for those who pre-ordered, they've thrown in some extras that you'll enjoy... )

The first thing I thought of when I inventoried my kit was how easy this is going to be for me, as a parent, to introduce my son to electronics one day... (if he's interested). Then I realized that, if I were a teacher, this would be something to recommend to those students (and their parents) who show an interest in electronics. Finally, I realized how easy MakerSHED has made it to organize classes around this material - we've got the book and now the components kits - I have a feeling we'll be hearing about "Make: Electronics" classes popping up soon.

If you've ordered the kit, let us know your own thoughts on the pack. And when I get my hands on Pack 2, I'll be sure to let you know my initial thoughts as well...

Chapter 4 - Shopping List

I gathered the Chapter 4 components and tools from a variety of sources.

Below, I've included description, part #, price, and where purchased.

Looking online, I paid way more than I should have for the various chips, but I was able to obtain them locally and visually inspect them. I also got a 20 minute education in other chips, so I figure the extra I spent was worth the extra information... future chip purchases, however, will likely come from Mouser.com where I think I see the best prices... please feel free to chime in about what you've found in terms of prices.

Components

ACK Supply for all chips below:

555 Timer chips x10, CA555E RCA, $0.80 each
$1.59 each for
CD74HC00E RCA
CD74HC02E RCA
CD74HX04E RCA
CD74HC08E RCA
CD74HC32E RCA
CD74HX86E RCA

CD4026BE RCA, $2.59 each

7492, $2.05 each
7406, $1.67 each
74LS27, $1.59 each

-----
Radio Shack Online items below

Item: 2761995
Description: 8-Pin Retention Contact
Quantity: 5 @ $.48

Item: 2761999
Description: 14-Pin Retention Contact
Quantity: 5 @ $.99

Item: 2761998
Description: 16-Pin Retention Contact
Quantity: 5 @ $.99

-----
AllElectronics.com items below

12-key numeric keypad - KP-12 (12 BUTTON KEYPAD - (KP-12)) $4.95

-----
Mouser.com components below

638-HLMPK150 Red LED, 660nm, $0.18 each

604-BC56-11EWA,HI EFF RED DIFFUSED numeric display, $2.73 each

Latching Relay 769-DS2E-SL2-DC5V 2A 5VDC DPDT, $4.86 each

10K Trimmer 652-3266Z-1-103LF 1/4" 10Kohms 10% $2.94 each

Voltage Regulator 512-LM7805CT 1A Pos Vol Reg , $0.37 each

Tactile Switches (already purchased for earlier chapter)


-----
Radio Shack Store components below

100K Potentiometer, 271-092 $2.99 each
10K Potentiometer, 271-1715 $2.99 each
5K Potentiometer (already purchased for earlier chapter)

Chapter 3 - Shopping List

We're up to Chapter 3! If you've looked over pages 95 to 104, you're likely overwhelmed at the stuff you need to gather. Don't be - the author does a good job of telling you what he feels are "Essential" versus "Recommended" versus "Optional" - pay attention to that and buy what you can, but some of this stuff is obviously very specialized and I'll likely wait until I need it before I purchase. Most of the stuff on page 99 I don't yet have... some of it can be pricey depending on where you look, but I have such an assortment of tools (including a Dremel) that I'll hold off on these until I discover it's a must have item.

That said, I did already own quite a few things here, so I apologize that I cannot give you a true cost for Chapter 3. Instead, below I'll tell you what I bought (including part numbers), where I bought it, and what I paid... Chapter 3 was another doozy of a bill, but I can already see a lot of this stuff getting used in later chapters and for future projects.

So, I'll start out by saying I already own a 30watt soldering iron, soldering iron stand, and a helping hand. I've had these for a while and cannot remember what I paid for them, but I got the helping hand at ACK for, I think, around $10.00. No memory of cost of iron and stand. I have lots of solder and wire already (page 100).

Okay, here's the list - I had 3 different sources - Mouser (M), Radio Shack Store (RS) and the online RadioShack.com (RSO) - source is listed after the name:

Clip-on meter test leads - RS - $3.49 Part 270-334

Solder pump (bulb) - RS - $4.99 - Part 640-2086

Desoldering wick/braid - RS - $3.99 - Part 640-2090

Heat Shrink Tubing - RS - $3.99 - Part 278-1610

Copper Alligator clips (pack of 10) - RS - $2.99 - Part 270-373

Perforated Board (small) - RS - $1.99 - Part 276-150

Perforated Board (medium) - RS - $1.99 - Part 276-148 (276-147 in book)

Perforated Board (large) - RSO - $x.xx - Part 276-170 (discontinued item)

Project Box - RS - $3.79 - Part 270-1805

Components

Binding Posts (4 in pack) - RS - $3.99 - Part 274-661

Panel-mount jack - size N - RS - $3.29 - Part 274-1583

DC Power plug - size N - RS - $3.29 - Part 274-1573

Boardmount Socket - M - $2.04 - Part 517-929974-01-36-RK

50 Pin Socket - M - $7.87 - Part 801-93-050-10-001000

DPDT pushbutton ON-(ON) - M - $5.85 - Part 633-MB206101-RO

Magnetic Switches - not obtained yet

5mm Red LED (2 per bag) - 2.5 volt - RSO - $1.49 (x3) - Part 276-041

5mm Green LED (2/bag) - 2.5 volt - RSO - $1.49 (x3) - Part 276-022

Signal Diode 1N4001 (2/bag) - RS - $0.99 (x3) - Part 276-1101

100ohm Loudspeaker - M - $3.90 - Part 25SP008

Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 - Shopping List (Partial)

Below is a partial list of my recent purchase from RadioShack.com... and I've attached a screen capture of my invoice from Mouser. There are a few other things I've purchased from my local Radio Shack that I'll write up shortly. Note that I've included Chapter # for the items below and the screenshot.

-----
Radio Shack

Item: 2761995 (Chapter 4)
Description: 8-Pin Retention Contact
Quantity: 5 @ $.48

Item: 2761999 (Chapter 4)
Description: 14-Pin Retention Contact
Quantity: 5 @ $.99

Item: 2761998 (Chapter 4)
Description: 16-Pin Retention Contact
Quantity: 5 @ $.99

Item: 2760022 (Chapter 3)
Description: 5mm Green LED
Quantity: 3 @ $1.49

Item: 2760041 (Chapter 3)
Description: 5mm Red LED
Quantity: 3 @ $1.49

Item: 2760170 (Chapter 3)
Description: Matching Printed Circuit Board
Quantity: 1 @ $2.99

UPDATE: I received an email from RadioShack.com stating that part 276-170 (Printed Circuit Board) is no longer available and is a canceled item. I'll look for a suitable replacement and let everyone know - this is the circuit board that must fit in the project box in Exercise 15. If anyone finds a suitable replacement before I do, please let me know.

-----

For Chapter 3, note that the "single inline sockets and headers" mention having a terminal spacing of .1 inch. This is called PITCH and is equivalent to 2.54mm... most of the Mouser descriptions use mm. I mention this just in case you don't buy the same part # I did in the Mouser screen capture.

For Chapter 3, also note that the tool shown in Figure 3-17 is around $50 at McMaster-Carr - I'm holding off on that until I find I really REALLY need it.

For Chapter 3, I found that the special sized perforated board shown in Figure 3-24 that will fit in the project box doesn't seem to be sold in Radio Shack stores. I think this is an online part only... may be wrong. Part 276-150 was carried in stores... they had a bunch of them. Same for the project box required for Exercise 15.

For Chapter 3, I haven't found the magnetic switches yet. Shouldn't be too hard to track down, but no pictures at Mouser to compare to the one used in Exercise 15.

For Chapter 4, I haven't yet ordered my chips - going to read the Fundamentals primer and then make my buys.

For Chapter 4, I bought almost everything at Mouser. I have NOT purchased the 12 key numeric keypad - it's about $60-75 depending on the one you buy... way too expensive. I'm going to try and find a less expensive version or use the book's suggestion to use 12 SPST NO pushbuttons instead.

UPDATE: I found the 12-key numeric keypad at All Electronics for $4.95. With shipping, however, it comes to $12.00. I hate paying more for shipping than the price of the part, but I cannot find this part locally at ACK or Radio Shack... argh.

Chapter 2 - Shopping List Update

I was able to obtain 4 of the 2N6027 transistors specified for Chapter 2. The actual cost was $1.09 each at ACK Electronics. They had 16 left (what I was told by the salesperson) when I picked up mine.

I won't need them until probably next week (Exercise 11, I think) but if you are having trouble locating them, give ACK a call. Radio Shack does not carry this component.

Chapter 2 - Shopping List

So here I am at Chapter 2 and it's time to go shopping. I'm fortunate that here in Atlanta I have not only a large number of Radio Shack stores but also one very handy electronics supply store called Ack Electronics. I've managed to obtain all the components needed for the Chapter 2 exercises, but I think it's time to issue a warning that the components in this chapter do add up quickly (in price).

Fortunately, a lot of the items purchased for this chapter will roll over into later experiments/chapters, so the expenses I've encountered should spread out, too... some of the things (the breadboard, for example), can be used indefinitely, even when the book is done.

UPDATE: The unijunction transistor is NOT carried by Radio Shack - at least, they didn't have that part # in their computer and one of the salespeople (fairly knowledgeable) couldn't find anything compatible. ACK does carry them at $1.00 each, so I've got them holding on to 4 of them until I can swing by to pick up.

So, let me go down the list and tell you what I found, where I found it, and the prices I paid.

I'll go throught the list in order, starting on page 39, and give you my thoughts:

Power Supply - Radio Shack (RS) - $19.99 - in stock, plenty of them
Breadboard with screw terminals - RS - $19.99 - in stock, 2 or 3

Wire Strippers - already owned a pair of Kronus from RS - can't remember what I paid for them, but it was around $16.00

Hookup Wire - RS - different part # than the book lists - 278-1221 (not 1222) - $6.99
Patch Cords - RS - (278-001 part #) - $6.99

Pushbutton - RS - (275-1571 part #) - $2.99 (x1) - not very similiar to book but close
Pushbutton - RS - (275-1571 part #) - $2.99 (x1) - package of 2 - closest to ones in book

Pushbutton - ACK - (30-14414 PHI part #) - $1.60 each (x2) - closer in look to the book

Switches - ACK - (35-130-BU GC part #) - $4.75 each (x2)

Relays - ACK (K10P11D15 part #) - $9.25 each (x2) (the book says to avoid substitutions but these were the closest I could find that looked like the ones used in the book - these are clear)

Relays - RS - (275-0249 part #) - $5.49 each (x2) (these look like the ones in the book, too - got them because I wasn't sure if the ACK ones will work)

Potentiometer - RS - (271-211 part #) - $2.99 (x1) plenty of them in store

Transistors (15 per bag) - RS - (276-1617 part #) - $2.59 (x1) plenty of them

Capacitors (specific) - RS - (272-1032 part #) - 1000 microfarad - $1.59 (x1)

Capacitors (mixture) - RS - (272-0126, 272-0130, 272-135, 272-0802 (pack of 20)) - $1.49, $1.49, $1.49, $4.49)

Resistors - RS - leftovers from Chapter 1

Loudspeaker - RS - (273-092) - $2.79 (x1)

If I used the calculator correctly, it adds up to $121.04 plus tax. Ouch. But again, so many things on here are going to be used throughout the book (switches, breadboard, power supply, patch cords, etc) and after I'm done... so I'm just considering this an investment in my education.

I'd love to hear from my readers regarding their experiences with ordering parts online... I'm sure I could save a little money here and there by going online, but do keep in mind shipping costs - if you end up buying parts from 3 or 4 different suppliers, be sure the cost of shipping doesn't go over what it might cost to spend a few pennies or dollars more at a local store.

And, of course, there's the possibility that the team over at MakerSHED might be putting together a parts bundle (or bundles) that correspond to the specific experiments in the book. Only time will tell.

So, time to organize all this stuff and get to reading up on Experiment 1. I hope to have some pictures and feedback for you by tomorrow evening.

Chapter 1 - Shopping List

One of the things I already love about this book is the shopping list - the author has done a very good job of providing full-color images of the components I need to buy (or dig out of my workshop's nooks). He goes one step further and even provides parts numbers (such as the Radio Shack catalog item number) to help you track down things.

Chapter 1 starts out by covering some of the basic tools you'll be using throughout the book as well as some of the very basic components you need to buy to perform the first 5 experiments in the book.

I have all the ch1 tools already - simple stuff, really. Pliers, multimeter, etc. And when the author recommends NOT using a autoranging meter, take his advice... I have both an autoranging one (very fancy, slightly more expensive) and a non-autoranging. The non-autoranging ones works very fast, just as he describes. I couldn't believe how annoying it became to wait for the autoranging meter to provide a reading.

Now, when it came to the components, I got in my truck and drove a few minutes down the road to my local Radio Shack (or The Shack, as they're now referring to themselves). I took my book with me and one of the employees helped me assemble the little bundle of resistors, potentiometers, battery holders, LEDs, fuses, and gator clips. Spent less than $15.00 on this first collection. (This doesn't include the cost of batteries, which I have plenty of at home.)

UPDATE: I had to go back and check, but the total cost of components was actually $22.00 but the Radio Shack guy gave me a nice discount on a few of the items because he was interested in the book, this blog, and my results. This reminds me that I need to go back and thank him and give him the URL!

Took everything home, unpacked it all in my electronics toolchest (see pics) and am ready to go with Experiment 1 through 5...

Note: I was not able to obtain the exact type of potentiometer described in the book - instead of a 2K ohm, I had to purchase a 5K ohm linear (0.5 watt) but I believe it should be an okay substitute. Radio Shack part # 271-1714