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Pretty good so far; if you are interested by the maker movement.
https://www.makershed.com/prod...

Sadly I think thanks to the sick liberal values in society and promoted by mass media

Maybe.... or maybe it's just your son and his friends.

My Son 12 yr old asked me for a soldering iron for his birthday. He now tries to fix any electronics that are broken. He pulled apart a Christmas penguin (with internal led lights) and tried to get it working again.

He took the iron and some other tools to school to show his friends, so his friends have some level of interest as well.

For Christmas I got him a number of soldering kits from Maker Shed http://www.makershed.com/ , as well as a couple of Arduino boards.

IOW it's a teleoperated waldo and not a robot.

Haven't you heard?

Anything that can skitter across the table is a robot.

Anything with eyes and moveable facial parts is a robot.

Any machine that looks like an arm is a robot.

A robot is anything that looks remotely like it's alive, or a piece of something alive.

Get with the program!

Redpark has gone through the MFi program so we don't have to.

I mentioned this in a different post, but if you want to experiment with iOS accessories you can get the Redpark TTL Cable for iOS. More information here: http://www.redpark.com/c2ttl.html

For $55, you can get the Redpark TTL Cable for iOS. More information here: http://www.redpark.com/c2ttl.html

Make magazine seems to have made a comparative review of the hobby market 3D printers recently. It is available here. I don't know if it's any good, but I am considering buying it because I am also looking for a 3D printer.

Seconded. And they have shields and sensors for damned near everything. We start playing with Gameduino, but we're also messing about with the motor shields(with hacked up RC vehicles), mp3 shields and a touchscreen.

Only if you sell the device in the market place. If you are looking to interface your own equipment to an iOS device, you can use a Redpark TTL cable. These are designed for hobbyists, and are designed to connect to Arduinos (among other prototype boards). They had them at MakerFaire for $50 -- http://www.makershed.com/Redpark_TTL_Cable_for_iOS_p/msrp03.htm

Well there is also the grandfather of them all,the Arduino which at $78 for the starter kit isn't bad at all, and if you want even cheaper they have the netduino for just $34, damned close price wise to the Pi. the nice thing about the Arduino is there are so many prebuilt modules you can just mix and match and build pretty much anything you want.

"How does the screen compare on price?" The beauty of Pixel Qi is they use the existing LCD Fab, it does cost a million dollar or so to start a run of displays. So price is dependent on the how many displays you want to make in one go. I have this ($275) 1st gen pixel qi 10.1 screen replacement screens in my netbook, works great only issue is one of the viewing angles is bad, I think from the left. http://www.makershed.com/Pixel_Qi_display_p/mkpq01.htm Out in the sun with the backlight off it goes from 1024x600xRGB (transmissive) to 3072x600 (reflective) sort of grey scale. So the battery life is very good with the back light off or down low. I do wonder what touch screen tech Pixel Qi people recommend to use with the new display.

"This module supports 1024 x RGB x 600 Wide-SVGA (WSVGA) mode and can display 262,144 colors. This module also supports two low power modes: a transflective mode with lower color and a reflective black and white (64 grayscales) mode." According to the spec sheet at http://www.makershed.com/Pixel_Qi_display_p/mkpq01.htm

There are numerous kits available, best sources for choosing one would be http://www.pololu.com/ , http://www.trossenrobotics.com/ , http://www.robotshop.com/ , http://www.lynxmotion.com/ , http://www.makershed.com/ and a bunch of others. http://sparkfun.com/ and http://adafruit.com/ for more general electronics components

Cant really recommend one in particular, as it depends on what you want to do. There are several categories : 2wheel differential drive bases, legged hexapods, 4wd bases, even bipeds and robotic arms.

If you get one that is designed to be Arduino-compatible, and can take any number of Arduino expansion shields, you will have endless possibilities. I'd say easiest starting point is a complete 2WD kit with some accessory sensors. This is a nice one http://www.makershed.com/product_p/mkseeed7.htm , comes with motors and all. Just pick a "mainboard" and motor driver shield and you are good to go.

There are numerous kits available, best sources for choosing one would be http://www.pololu.com/ , http://www.trossenrobotics.com/ , http://www.robotshop.com/ , http://www.lynxmotion.com/ , http://www.makershed.com/ and a bunch of others. http://sparkfun.com/ and http://adafruit.com/ for more general electronics components

Cant really recommend one in particular, as it depends on what you want to do. There are several categories : 2wheel differential drive bases, legged hexapods, 4wd bases, even bipeds and robotic arms.

If you get one that is designed to be Arduino-compatible, and can take any number of Arduino expansion shields, you will have endless possibilities. I'd say easiest starting point is a complete 2WD kit with some accessory sensors. This is a nice one http://www.makershed.com/product_p/mkseeed7.htm , comes with motors and all. Just pick a "mainboard" and motor driver shield and you are good to go.

They're not exactly the same but you can go over to The Make Magazine Maker Shed Store and buy a kit to make The Inchworm or the Twitchie Scorpion I'm sure that you'll find that things such as 1 Kw lasers or ground to ground missiles might be optional.

They're not exactly the same but you can go over to The Make Magazine Maker Shed Store and buy a kit to make The Inchworm or the Twitchie Scorpion I'm sure that you'll find that things such as 1 Kw lasers or ground to ground missiles might be optional.

They're not exactly the same but you can go over to The Make Magazine Maker Shed Store and buy a kit to make The Inchworm or the Twitchie Scorpion I'm sure that you'll find that things such as 1 Kw lasers or ground to ground missiles might be optional.

The Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Golden_Book_of_Chemistry_Experiments , an amazing book now considered dangerous. The book was apparently removed from most public libraries. I think you can find a pdf via the wiki p links though - it is an amazing book.

Check out Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments. Also check out Theo Gray's Mad Science: Experiments You Can Do At Home - But Probably Shouldn't.

While unfortunately I didn't have this book as a kid, I had some others that were similarly "dangerous", along with a chemistry set with most of the necessary chemicals. I made gunpowder once to prove to myself I could do it.

In high school chemistry the teacher would let some of us do our own experiments in the lab, before school, during lunch, and afterwards. To see if it was there a friend and I went to the library and looked in an encyclopaedia for the nitroglycerin entry and from there we thought we could make some. And we did. When we did we'd fill those small paint jars modelers use, then we'd go out into some woods and throw them around. We only did it a couple of tymes before stopping. The first tyme it was a kick, the second tyme though was "We already did this".

Falcon

Back when I was a kid, you could legitimately blow some shit up with your Jr. Scientist kit. Enthusiast experimenting books from Dad's era suggest using hydrogen cyanide kill the bugs for your bug collection. Stop pussifying science, and maybe kids will be interested again! I'm seeking funding for the Greyfox Science Kit, which will include a 2 inch "supermagnet", samples of lithium and sodium metal, a burner you can hook up to your gas line, a 1 watt laser and... what's that? I'm being the first lawsuit has already been filed...

You have to look for them but you can still find science kits and books like that. Make zine is one such place to look. Well, the Maker Shed store that is but the zine includes some good projects. One of the books the store has is Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments saying how to set up a lab at home. What I noticed last year was that Barnes and Noble Bookstore has started carrying science labs, though basic they can spark interest. For Christmas I wanted to get one for my niece and great niece, that is a couple of labs or replace one or both with a remote controlled helicopter.

Back when I was a kid, you could legitimately blow some shit up with your Jr. Scientist kit. Enthusiast experimenting books from Dad's era suggest using hydrogen cyanide kill the bugs for your bug collection. Stop pussifying science, and maybe kids will be interested again! I'm seeking funding for the Greyfox Science Kit, which will include a 2 inch "supermagnet", samples of lithium and sodium metal, a burner you can hook up to your gas line, a 1 watt laser and... what's that? I'm being the first lawsuit has already been filed...

You have to look for them but you can still find science kits and books like that. Make zine is one such place to look. Well, the Maker Shed store that is but the zine includes some good projects. One of the books the store has is Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments saying how to set up a lab at home. What I noticed last year was that Barnes and Noble Bookstore has started carrying science labs, though basic they can spark interest. For Christmas I wanted to get one for my niece and great niece, that is a couple of labs or replace one or both with a remote controlled helicopter.

"Societal norms and my sibling's procreative endeavors have put me in the position of having to buy gifts twice a year for young children."

Well, you needn't sound like a jerk about it. You have an opportunity to help these kids develop their brains. Yeah, that's a real pain in the ass.

Or you could just blow them off and become "Uncle* Poop-head".

"What makes them happy are unremarkable bits of plastic."

Like Legos or K'Nex? How about their metal cousins, Erector Sets and Meccano? All of these require some interest in the product and an interest in making stuff. Show them how you built a castle as a kid, or how you can build your own trains. Better still might be the Lego Mindstorms system whose "unremarkable bits of plastic" come together into moving parts and robots.

If that's not their thing, get them Nerf guns and play army with them. They learn tactics and get exercise. (And getting exercise will help run down the seemingly inexhaustible supply of energy that little kids possess, so bedtime will be easier for your sibling. This may well result in a series of better quality gifts as sibling realizes you're making his/her life easier.) If you really want to learn tactics, the classic board games are good: Checkers, Chinese Checkers, chess (but they may be too young for that), Go.

If they're old enough, maybe one of Make magazine's experiment kits would work. The Kid's Issue looks pretty cool.

Do not purchase a drum set under any circumstances.

But I really like the Lego idea. The best gift I ever got was hanging out with my UNIX programming aunt on Christmas as we put together the giant Lego castle I received. Then we'd take it apart and build something else. So better than the "unremarkable bits of plastic" is the knowledge that my aunt cared about me and if I had questions for an adult that were too embarrassing for me to ask my parents I could ask her and get an answer.

*The masculine form is used here because the overwhelming majority of Slashdot posters appear to be male. If the original (anonymous) poster is a female, please change to "Aunt Poop-head".

Can't buy ARM outside a cellphone? Are you kidding?

Check this out - this is just one I found with about 5 seconds

http://www.makershed.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MKND01

There are dozens of ARM boards out there suitable for DIY/embedded systems

Gettng Started in Electronics

If you're going with Forrest Mims, go all the way and get his Electronics Learning Lab. From there check out MakerShed's Intro Electronics. Also check out, and subscribe to, Make Zine. You mention micro-controllers, they have a number of projects that will let you learn them. One I liked and thought about trying was Garduino: Gardening + Arduino. This project uses an Arduino controller to control how much light and water plants get.

Now the OP asked about ham radio and CB, the best thing there is to find a local amateur radio group and ask them about learning. I don't know if things have changed much, but the local groups I knew or heard of were willing to help new people. They even had free classes.

Falcon

Start here : http://www.ladyada.net/library/equipt/kits.html

Probably the lowest cost, best-value combination of tools and supplies.

Start with this book : http://www.makershed.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=9780596153748

Don't be afraid to blow stuff up. Hell, in all the best books/articles I've read about the very first thing the authors have you do is blow up an LED. Get used to it.

I have to second this. I just bought that book from the Maker Shed, and it is more comprehensible to someone with absolutely no helpful electronic background. I've been doing the experiments, and it's been great.

I would like to second this. I picked up Make: Electronics as I am a programmer who's played with robots but never the physical design of circuits and such and I've found the book to be a wonderful introduction.

Going along with it, Make Magazine itself is a neat resource. A subscription gives you digital access to all past issues and there are some neat projects and ideas in it.

Of course just searching the internet for things you want to know more about helps, but the electronics book gives you a good start to get to the point of knowing enough to be able to ask further questions.

There's a followup book called Making Things Talk: http://www.makershed.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=0596510519 which deals with wireless communication and microcontrollers. A bit thicker than the electronics book and probably the area that you'll be the most interested in.

If you want to get started with basic electronics I highly recommend the Make: Electronics book from O'Reilly. It's just the right blend of theory with hands-on (or tongue-on practice as in the intro chapters on electricity!) Plus you get to have all sorts of fun ordering random parts from Jameco and Digikey.

If you go this route I highly recommend ordering the resistor intro pack and storage case from Jameco.

Have fun!

Neil

Start here : http://www.ladyada.net/library/equipt/kits.html

Probably the lowest cost, best-value combination of tools and supplies.

Start with this book : http://www.makershed.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=9780596153748

Don't be afraid to blow stuff up. Hell, in all the best books/articles I've read about the very first thing the authors have you do is blow up an LED. Get used to it.

Make Magazine came out with a pretty good book last year. The component packs are pretty good too.

http://www.makershed.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=9780596153748

My 13yr old son has found Make Magazine to be wonderful read. Their associated store has some great stuff.

Chemistry Kits:
http://www.makershed.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=89

Electronics Kits
http://www.makershed.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=49

Sorry to make it look like spam, but I'm a fan of the "Make" site.

Chemistry Kits:
http://www.makershed.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=89

Electronics Kits
http://www.makershed.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=49

Sorry to make it look like spam, but I'm a fan of the "Make" site.

http://www.makershed.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MSAK
Arduino starter kit. Comes with an Arduino (ATMega168 made all novice-friendly), breadboard, LEDs, buttons, wires, resistors, and a book to tell you how it works.

The Atmel AVR Butterfly is a $20 microcontroller on a board intended to be an introduction to AVR microcontrollers or microcontrollers in general. Low cost of entry, plenty of real world I/O (temp sensor, LCD, speaker, light sensor, ADC) and easy to program (free tool-chain, including gcc C compiler). Available from Digi-Key or Mouser online.

Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments from O'Reilly and Make-zine. Check out the author's associate website, HomeChemLab including their small but friendly and supportive forum.

Finally, for free, teach the lessons that freedom comes with the price of responsibility, and that knowledge and understanding are powerful (physics jokes aside) tools. Also honesty and integrity, include admitting to making mistakes and being unsure are valuable currency for building a reputation that can lead to being trusted (and respected). And that it is okay to be curiosity (though sometimes some tact is also needed). -- My parent's tolerance and patience were important factors in developing my good "geekiness" qualities, so I encourage an environment that is supportive not punitive about failure (mistakes).

"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new." - Albert Einstein

Science in Make is ambient - it doesn't hit you over the head.

My attempt to encourage science is the Open Source Hardware <Shameless-plug> High-Speed Photography Kit Version 4</Shameless-plug>

It's nothing you can't build yourself.

For the basics, you can earn your Amateur Radio Licenses. They require you learn some basic electronic principles that are beyond most of the kits.

I have played with the kits and they did not help. What I had to know to earn my amateur extra radio license required more knowledge. No morse code anymore, just 3 multiple choice licenses where all the questions are published.

What you learn is also specific to radios. Filters, amplifiers( sound and power), transmitter and receiver circuits. You learn what it means to apply Kirchhoff's laws. Also to put resistors, capacitors and inductors in serial or parallel configurations. The basics of analyzing power through circuits.

The basic books from amazon work well with the kits from radio shack. Make sure what you get has a breadboard. So I do not think that the snap electronics kits are good for adults. At the makers fair, there was the kit from sparkle labs, http://kits.sparklelabs.com/. The initial parts from sparkle labs are great, but the instructions are bad. But this kit, along with purchasing a reasonable digital multimeter and a book from amazon would be a great start. The kits sold by make magazine are excellent, http://www.makershed.com/. Make magazine is also a great resource,http://makezine.com/magazine/.

For the meter, spend the $50 for one that will test your components, resistors, capacitors, diodes and transistors also.

If you dive in and buy a soldering iron, do not cheap out. Spend the $40 for the basic Weller red soldering station or $110 for the basic blue station. Buy a pointy tip, $5. The chisel tip that comes with it is not good for soldering boards.

There are plenty of books that cover the topic with sample circuits. Look at the books offered at http://arrl.org./

A book "Hand's On Radio Experiments" is an excellent book. It publishes the first 60 articles written for ARRL's QST magazine. You can also buy a kit with all the parts needed to do the experiments. The book (http://www.arrl.org/catalog/?item=1255) and the parts kit (http://www.arrl.org/catalog/?item=1255K) is $100 from the ARRL.

Most of the above covers analog electronics. For digital electronics, there is a lot of support for digital electronics. The basic stamp kits are great for that. They sell very proven kits, http://www.parallax.com/ with very well written manuals that will take more than a weekend to go through. Also through the make magazine site you'll find project sites for other micro processors used by hobbyists.

Also, to have guided lessons, a class with lab at the local community college is also a great way to go if you have the time. After all the long winded crap above, if you really want to learn and want more than to look at a board and know what the parts are, this is probably the best way to go. Either way, depending on the depths of the knowledge you are looking for, it is between months and a couple years of learning.

Hope I see you at a booth selling a kit at the maker faire in a couple of years.

Long ass winded sermon over.

MAKE Magazine has a number of different kits available for an adult. There is this kit which has basic components (LEDs, resistors, capacitors, etc.) There are also programmable controller board kits available if you wish to tackle something more challenging. If you are looking to read up on the subject, a classic book would be The Art of Electronics. Even though it is becoming dated, a lot of the principles of electronics design are clearly laid out.

Great projects that encompass all types of electronics. My favorite place to find kits! http://www.makershed.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=20 Enjoy! Slewfoot

Get a subscription to Make magazine. Also, check out some of their kits. http://www.makershed.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=20