The Best Open Source Electronics Kits for Beginners
Electronics are the building blocks of the modern world. If you wish to understand how all of our technological achievements function, you can't do it without first tackling electronics. The best place to start learning is with open-source electronics kits. These kits provide you with all of the tools, parts, and instructions to build your own electronic creations. The options for what you can build are vast, and the potential for honing your skills is endless. In this piece, we have outlined the best open-source electronics kits for beginners to start learning what really makes the world go round.
Elegoo UNO Electronics Starter Kit
Build the future
If you’ve ever looked at your smartphone and wondered how in the world it works, this electronics starter kit from Elegoo is the perfect way to start learning. With Elegoo’s UNO starter kit, you can build a wide variety of simple electronic devices. Small fans, color boards, alarms, and even robots are possible to build with this kit. This is a very affordable starter set, but it also happens to provide you with some invaluable knowledge and the potential to hone your skills in the art of circuitry building. This is the ideal kit for novices who want to get a foot in the door with building electronics.
Pros:
- Allows you to build a ton of cool electronic devices
- Elegoo offers a free PDF tutorial
- Very affordable
Cons:
- Might be a little rudimentary for intermediate- to expert-level circuitry builders
CanaKit Raspberry Pi 4GB Starter Pro Kit
What makes you tick
Perhaps more than anything else, the modern world runs on computers. Without them, all of the convenient and life-changing advancements we’ve made would be impossible. If you’ve ever wanted to understand how computers actually work, this starter kit from CanaKit is the way to go. Their Raspberry Pi kit provides you with everything you need to build your own mini-computer. You could use it as your primary computer, but the lack of memory makes it a rather inefficient choice. Rather, it’s primarily used as an auxiliary computer that allows you to add additional space to your primary computer. However you intend to use it, this kit offers you an excellent starting point for your foray into computing.
Pros:
- Offers everything you need to build your own mini-computer
- You can use it as a primary computer or auxiliary
Cons:
- It tends to overheat often
RexQualis Electronics Components Fun Kit
It's electric
RexQualis is an up-and-comer in the electronics kit game, but we think it’s got the potential to become one of the biggest names in the business. And with this pick, the company offers an impressively packaged and neatly compartmentalized starter kit. Diving headfirst into the sometimes confusing and complicated world of electronic circuitry can be tough, but RexQualis makes the process inviting. The detailed instruction manual is available for download on the RexQualis website to help you start performing your own electronic experiments.
Pros:
- Neatly packaged and organized electronic starter kit
- Detailed instructions available for download
- Endless possibilities for experimentation
Cons:
- The instructions don’t offer a way to make specific devices, only basic circuitry knowledge
Elegoo Upgraded Electronics Fun Kit
If you build it, it will run
If you’re looking for something a bit more sophisticated, this kit from Elegoo should be more your speed. Elegoo is perhaps the top name in open-source electronics kits, and this pick is a perfect example of why that is. This kit is incredibly detailed and expansive, which is why we only recommend it to intermediate- to expert-level circuiters. Elegoo doesn’t even provide an instruction manual with this kit because they expect customers to have prior experience with electronics. With that said, the possibilities of what you can create with this one are boundless. If you’re looking to dive headfirst into this field and become immersed, this is the pick for you.
Pros:
- Wide-ranging, expansive electronics starter kit for intermediate- to expert-level circuiters
- Endless possibilities for experimentation
Cons:
- Not ideal for novices because there is no instruction manual provided
Elenco FM Radio Kit
This pick from Elenco might be one of our favorites in this product line. A lot of the starter kits on offer are perfect for learning and experimentation, but there’s not a whole lot of practical use on offer. With Elenco’s FM radio kit, however, you get the experience and knowledge of building circuits along with the added bonus of a classic FM radio when you’re finished. Compared to most other picks, this is a rather simple design, making it the ideal pick for parents trying to teach their kids about circuitry. Elenco’s kit does require a small amount of soldering work, which may turn some parents off. But if that doesn’t scare you away, be assured that this is an incredibly fun and practical kit to learn and experiment with.
Pros:
- Simple electronics kit that’s perfect for parents
- The end product is a fully functional FM radio
Cons:
- The radio can be finicky
- Requires soldering work which may make some parents feel uncomfortable
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I actually build with an electronics starter kit?
It depends on which kit you purchase. Some kits provide you with instructions on how to build many different basic electronic devices. More complicated kits leave the ball in your court as to what you wish to build. If you’re a total beginner, we recommend starting out with a kit that contains extensive instructions to help you build a cursory knowledge of circuitry before you move onto more advanced kits.
Do these kits require soldering?
Some do, yes. But many don’t. When soldering is required, it’s often minimal, but if you’re new to soldering, you may want to ask someone with experience to come to help you get the hang of it.