DIY Electronics Learning Lab

Some time ago I came across a website advertising an Electronics Course.

As part of the course, they showed you how to make a version of an Electronics Learning Lab

similar to this one

but with stripboard (veroboard in the Uk) used to mount all the components around the breadboard.

From memory it had an Oscillator in the top left corner along with a 7 segment display and a row of LED`s along the top.

In the center, the breadboard was mounted.

The bottom right corner had a row of switches and I think some pot controls along the bottom.

Ive spent quite a long time trying to find it again using Google links (Ive searched my browser history)and images, but am unable to find it.

Hope you can help out me with this, as its really annoying me!

Thanks!

Gakken EX 150?

I notice that short shrift is given digital stuff and most of it is about 25 years old... I remember one nearly identical to it from Ideal Labs or something similar There were 3 or 4 companies that made products like that from the late 60 's to the 90's The name Ideal ... I saw one on Ebay a month or so back, an Electronics lab Very similar to your picture. Getting too old.

Doc

It was more like a bigger version of this

without the LCD, and a standard breadboard mounted in the middle.

The last picture looks a great deal more relevant to the world of Arduino. The first one is a general purpose Analog/Digital lab space. That product was more for learning analog basics. Unfortunately a Lot of the Analog world applies to the digital world but is never taught... Proper power supplies and how to connect and use them is really an analog thing that trips up about 1/2 of the users posting in this section of the forum. It still gets me sometimes especially when I get in a hurry...

Doc

I too noticed something similar.

I see in the US, Radio Shack has had an electronic learning lab in their catalogue, but it isn't available right now. I don't know if it will come back in stock some day: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3814337. I could find it on ebay.

Elenco has some also, http://www.electronickits.com/kit/complete/science/mx909.htm and http://www.electronickits.com/kit/complete/science/mx908.htm, but they don't use perfboard, just breadboard (or bredboard as one of the companies called it).

I suspect I saw the kit at my local electronics store (and it probably was the Elenco, but I don't remember the details).

Elenco made a Whole boatload of those things in the 70's. It was part of the American Backlash to Sputnik... When The Russians pulled a surprise on the Big Ole Bad US of A... learning science became real popular... it was part of what made Tandy Leather so very popular. I still can remember the tables in the store devoted to leather goods. Olsen Electronics was the place that put the PolyPaks on the map... I made my first clock from a CT7001 and 6 VFD tubes that I bought from both Radioshack/Tandy and Olsen Electronics. JFK had a lot to do with some of those educational programs too...

Doc

I cut my electronics teeth on this bad boy:

My what a neat person... it looks brand new... almost as if it was never used...

Doc

It's not mine - I destroyed mine. Just an image google found for me.

I knew that somehow... I just wanted, you to admit it... (about you destroying it, not where the stock picture of that device came from)...

Doc

So, after several hours of searching,(yes, my OCD kicked in on this one) :wink:

Here it is: (queue Sound of Trumpets or drum roll to taste)

Not quite as impressive as I remember it, but a starting point, if you want to build something like this.