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I have owned both of these:
http://www.quasarelectronics.com/images/electronic-project-lab/epl130.jpg
http://www.quasarelectronics.com/images/electronic-project-lab/epl200.jpg
I can't seem to find a picture of the *first* kit I owned. That didn't
have LEDs - it had *lamps*. Three of 'em; red, green and blue. Literally
little bulbs with painted glass. You almost wouldn't believe you could
light one with just 3V. It also had a little electric motor, and a very
retro variable resistor. The "resistor" was a coil of wire, and you
attach a crocodile clip to it to set the resistance.
As you can imagine, this product has probably been discontinued now.
However, it looked something like this:
http://www.quasarelectronics.com/images/electronic-project-lab/epl030.jpg
Layout isn't quite the same. But it does have the same blue plastic
sides, the blocks of colour on a black background, and the vertical header.
The next unit that I got was the 200-in-1. The picture shown matches my
unit precisely. As you can see, it has a neat little "front panel".
The two knobs at the front are a variable capacitor and a variable
resistor. (The latter also acts as a switch.) Next to that is a volt
meter. You can just barely make out the 8-segment LED display and the
photo-resistor beside it. The white squares have red LEDs behind them; 6
small ones and one big one. (No difference in function though.) The
grill houses a speaker. (A few projects use it as a crude microphone.)
You could almost fail to notice the little black slide-switch next to
it. The red and black lugs at the end are sprung-loaded wire clamps, for
connecting, say, an aerial wire or probes or whatever. And the red bit
below that is a sprung press-switch.
On the main board itself, you can see the for yourself the inevitable
zoo of resistors and capacitors. There's two diodes, three transistors
(of differing polarities), two transformers (labelled "input" and
"output"), a relay (blue thing), a ferrite coil (obviosely every kit
must be able to make a crystal radio) and two ICs: one is a 74LS00, the
other is a dual JK flip-flop (74LS74?).
After that, I got the 130-in-1. (Yes, I realise that isn't in sequence.
Presumably it's what was on the shelf when my parents went shopping...)
This one also had three ICs - this time a 74LS00 and an op-amp. Nuff said.
--
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*
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