Analog Parts Kit
The Kit is a very useful jumble of parts that is just aching for a companion booklet that leads newbies to the nondigital world through the fun landscape of analog electronics. An experienced engineer who needs parts for occasional experiments will find the Kit very useful. For $60 ($50 if purchased with the Analog Discovery scope) this is also a great deal for a parent of a youngster who wants to learn more about electronics. He will, however, need a mentor or will have to do a lot of homework to find ways to use the components.
This page (https://www.digilentinc.com/Products/Detail.cfm?NavPath=2,842,1018&Prod=ANALOG-DISCOVERY) gives a half-dozen experiments. For instance, one (https://www.digilentinc.com/Data/Products/ANALOG-DISCOVERY/Analog%20Discovery-SpeakerResonance.pdf) shows how to measure the resonance of a loudspeaker, which is a pretty cool concept as resonance is such a fundamental idea in electronics. But there's not a peep about what resonance is and why the experiment works.
The company also has over 40 videos (www.digilentinc.com/Classroom/RealAnalog/) explaining analog electronics with Powerpoint slides. Each has a couple of experiments, too, that use the Analog Parts Kit and the Analog Discovery. I looked at several of the videos and the slides; the courses look extremely complete. Go through them and you'll learn a tremendous amount about analog. But you'll also need to know calculus, which pegs this above the amateur level. The target market seems to be the engineering student crowd. Yet the components could get a much younger kid interested in this field.
Analog Devices has a bunch of experiments here: http://wiki.analog.com/university/courses/electronics/labs. They use a solderless breadboard but apparently not the Analog Discovery kit, as some of the activities require components not provided with the kit. At least one uses a 741 op amp! A great part in its day, but that day was long, long ago.
We had family here over Christmas. One of the children asked about the clutter of test equipment and components in my office. Using the Kit, in just a few minutes we built a sensor that flashed an LED when the temperature exceeded 75 degrees using the TMP01. Then, adding the AD654 V/F converter, a capacitor, and a few resistors we had the temperature varying a square wave's frequency. That, of course, meant using a scope.
He was mesmerized.
Every engineering student needs this or something similar to get some real hands-on experience with circuits. Reading about the subject is fascinating, but building stuff is what builds great engineers.
Jack G. Ganssle is a lecturer and consultant on embedded development issues. He conducts seminars on embedded systems and helps companies with their embedded challenges, and works as an expert witness on embedded issues. Contact him at jack@ganssle.com. His website is www.ganssle.com.
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