[GreenKeys] FWD: Here, kit, kit - interesting

[Edward Greeley]

Don't forget Ramsey Electronics - they have a nice selection of kits 
that includes many ham-oriented ones. (www.ramseyelectronics.com) Many 
of the kits also have optional pre-drilled/punched metal cases.

Don Robert House wrote:
> Here, kit, kit...
> 
> Brad Thompson, Contributing Technical Editor -- Test & Measurement  
> World, 12/1/2005
> 
> Do you remember Heath? No? Eico? Paco? If not, you're probably under  40 
> and have never practiced electronics as a hobby. Once upon a time,  
> these three companies and others offered test instruments as kits of  
> components. You—the buyer—provided assembly labor and quality  
> assurance, honing your soldering and troubleshooting skills in the  
> process.
> Unfortunately, a combination of factors, including loss of free time,  
> loss of interest in hobby electronics, economic pressures, and  
> unfortunate management decisions, ended the days of mass-marketed  
> instrument kits. You can't buy test equipment in kit form today...or  
> can you?
> 
> Kits for instruments are indeed still available, but they differ from  
> Heathkits in a number of ways. For starters, changes in technology  made 
> some kits obsolete—scratch tube testers and high-voltage power  
> supplies—and regulatory and legal forces have influenced designs.  
> Instead of jousting with safety agencies and bringing AC line voltage  
> into a kit, contemporary kits' designers are likely to opt for  battery 
> or "wall wart" power. Fragile glass and high voltages inspire  great 
> caution in legal minds, and the CRT-based oscilloscope kit may  be gone 
> forever.
> 
> Documentation accompanying some of today's kits lacks the level of  
> detail you'd find in Heathkit's gold-standard multipage assembly  
> instruction manuals and may consist of only a few cryptically worded  
> and sparsely illustrated pages.
> 
> You're also likely to encounter kits that consist of a printed- circuit 
> board and bags of parts, but that don't include a case to  house the 
> completed board. Getting sheet metal enclosures designed  and fabricated 
> in quantity remains a major expense and a technical  headache for a 
> small-scale kit producer for whom a hundred kits  constitutes a major 
> production run. Vendors who do offer kits with  cases use off-the-shelf, 
> plastic enclosures that require minimal  changes and are easily worked 
> with basic shop tools.
> 
> Some of today's kits take advantage of low-cost and versatile  
> microcontrollers. For example, one kit that I assembled can determine  a 
> three-leaded semiconductor's generic identity (i.e., FET, bipolar  
> transistor, etc.) and measure a few of its parameters in seconds. Not  
> bad for $50 and a few hours of my time.
> 
> The next time that you call, "Here, kit, kit," you just might be  
> surprised by what answers.
> 
>  Kits are available..
> If you have a young person on your shopping list, why not give him or  
> her an entry-level electronics kit, a few basic hand tools, a  soldering 
> iron, and most importantly, a few hours of your time as a  mentor? Along 
> with the kit, a young person can build self-confidence  and a sense that 
> technology is not only comprehensible but is also  possible to master.
> 
> The following vendors offer entry-level or higher-level electronics  
> kits. Note that the list isn't intended to be comprehensive or complete.
> 
> Velleman offers an interesting assortment of kits suited for many  
> levels of skill:  <www.vellemanusa.com>
> 
> Not much in the way of test instruments, but you'll find lots of  radio 
> kits:  <www.gibsonteched.com>
> 
> Here are more educational kits:  <www.kelvin.com>
> 
> Probably the most accessible source for electronic kits that don't  
> require soldering:  <www.radioshack.com>
> 
> For an overview of Heathkit's corporate history, go to:   
> <www.heathkit-museum.com>
> 
> ...and to view a PDF copy of Heathkit's October 1958 advertising  flyer, 
> see:  <www.heathkit-museum.com/features/hkflyer.shtml>
> 
> To visit one surviving business entity that keeps the Heathkit name  
> alive, visit:  <www.heathkit.com>
> 
> For brief descriptions of Eico, Paco, and other lesser-known kit  
> manufacturers, go to:  <www.qsl.net/kb7rgg>
> 
> For more information on Eico, go to:  <users.rcn.com/ 
> fiddler.interport/eico.htm>
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Don R. House K9TTY
> drhouse at nadcomm.com