Buying the Stamp Discovery Kit for my son
Astrogirl1usa
Posts: 8
Hello all,
I have a question about what else I may need to get my son, in order for him to use/build the activities in the Stamp Discovery Kit. For example, does he need a soldering iron, solder, a solder remover tool? Please tell me what the proper name for the solder remover tool is. You know, the tool you use to pop off old solder from a circuit board. (I saw it done, once. Obviously, I know nothing about this stuff.) Any reviews would be welcomed, as well.
My son, age 13 1/2, is showing a lot of interest in electronics, robots and programming. I can't ask him about this, because it is a surprise for Christmas. Can anyone help me out here? I don't want him to end up not being able to do anything, because he is missing something he needs. Support isn't on the phones today, so I turned here for help.
I have a question about what else I may need to get my son, in order for him to use/build the activities in the Stamp Discovery Kit. For example, does he need a soldering iron, solder, a solder remover tool? Please tell me what the proper name for the solder remover tool is. You know, the tool you use to pop off old solder from a circuit board. (I saw it done, once. Obviously, I know nothing about this stuff.) Any reviews would be welcomed, as well.
My son, age 13 1/2, is showing a lot of interest in electronics, robots and programming. I can't ask him about this, because it is a surprise for Christmas. Can anyone help me out here? I don't want him to end up not being able to do anything, because he is missing something he needs. Support isn't on the phones today, so I turned here for help.
Comments
Hello there, and welcome.
The "solder remover" you mentioned is "Desoldering pump".
He will start with a microcontroller kit with a breadboard, where electronic components are fitted onto the board temporarily and with some wires for connections. The stores in Parallax.com contains several BASIC starter kits - you can check those out.
Edit: The "Discovery Kit" doesn't need any soldering. The breadboard is more than enough for earlier experimentation.
Astrogirl1usa,
Indeed, there are no special requirements for getting started with BASIC Stamps - you don't need any special tools with the BASIC Stamp Discovery Kit. With the Boe-Bot Full Kit you will need very basic hand tools (small wrench, pliers) but even the screwdriver is in the kit. Your son will be very pleased with your gift - you've come to the right place and I'm sure you will be fostering a new interest.
Be sure to introduce him to these forums, too. We have many sub-18 students hanging out around here and it's a clean place. I monitor it myself.
Welcome to Parallax.
Ken Gracey
Parallax Inc.
I would recommend a 7.5 volt, 1 amp Power Supply, it is very useful and it will pay for itself in a short time, you won't need to keep buying batteries.
The kit comes with one servo but if your son is into making things move he could make use of a couple more.
Standard Servo
Small servo
The Ping))) ultrasonic sensor is a popular and fun accessory. Note to Parallax staff: the image for this sure makes it look like the servo is included.
There is also the Boe-Bot which is the same price. It uses the same board and microcontroller as the Discovery Kit but is in the form of a small robot instead.
I would lean more towards the Boe-Bot myself because it has the potential to do all the things as the Discovery Kit and more. However, you would have to purchase some components separately if you want to follow every lesson in the Discovery Kit's What's a Microcontroller manual - which is freely downloadable by the way.
The Boe-Bot comes with the Robotics with the Boe-Bot manual which is very good as well.
Lastly, in case you didn't know, Ken Gracey is the top dog at Parallax. You won't find another company with better customer support.
Rich H
As a middle school science teacher, I would strongly recommend that you go with the BOE-BOT. The kids I teach make amazing progress with it, there is no soldering at all required, and the possibilities to extend, expand and improve are endless.
The BOE-BOT book shipped with the kit is outstanding, and in addition, the EXCELLENT "What's a Micro-controller" book that is attached as a PDF to the free Basic Stamp programming environment contains a number of additional activities that my gifted/talented kids really like.
The solder-less breadboard built in to the BOE will accommodate a huge number of off the shelf components from Parallax, your local Radio Shack, and hobby shops in general, and allow the BOE to control many different things besides just the BOE-BOT.
The advice above to buy a power supply is also excellent. Add a digital multimeter and a copy of Make: Electronics, and your budding electrical engineer will be in electronic nirvana.
Thanks again,
Astrogirl1usa
You and your son will have a great time with the Parallax products. Use these forums to ask for help at any time.
As for soldering, don't shy away from it as its a skill very useful as your son gets deeper in the hobby. I taught my daughter how to solder in a few hours when she was about 12. She's 28 now and no worse for the experience.
Cheers,
The soldering isn't tough - only thing is supervision at the first few rounds of doing. I did soldering alone when I was 13. Prior to doing it alone, my father taught me a few rounds on that first.