Tech Forum

I certainly agree with the esteemed Forrest Mims III booklets! However, the best resource may well relate to your 10 YO's motivation, learning style, hand skills and — lets face it — reading age and maths ability. Is he "as keen as mustard" or is this just a passing phase between skateboards and basketball?

I got e-started myself (rather in isolation due to a rural lifestyle) at much that age, back — sigh — in the early 1960s, in fact! This was valve/tube & pre- Internet, but I was both a bookworm and patient "hands on" explorer, so made pretty steady progress.

Components these days are pretty cheap — often free if rescued from e-waste, but basics are still needed. These all up now may only cost ~$20 and include some simple hand tools, crocodile clip leads, a solderless breadboard, assorted solid core wires, and a DMM (digital multimeter).

Switched 3 x AA battery packs are usually all you need now for a power supply. Assorted PC simulators (many are free) are wonderful too - the UK "Crocodile Clips" (now Yenka) remains appealing in spite of it's late '90s vintage.

A great starter kit these days are the "Snap Connector" sets. They readily modify to other circuits — even microcontrollers. Refer my PICAXEd approach on the basic "80 in 1" kit. www.instructables.com/id/quotSnap-connectorquot-PICAXE-microcontroller/

You really need a patient adult to guide however, as simple mistakes and techniques (soldering especially) can otherwise be MEGA FRUSTRATING. Retired radio hams have a long "Elmer" tradition of assisting youngsters, and may be especially suitable.

Try a search on: "Educational Electronics Kits For Students." You'll find things like the Learning Project Lab sets at RadioShack and other places, Electronic Snap Circuits (Elenco SC-300), and more.

Ask some of the advertisers in Nuts & Volts! I'm sure I've seen similar electronics lab sets advertised here from time to time. I know that www.allelectronics.com has a small learning lab with nine lessons, "TRONIX JR. ELECTRONICS LEARNING LAB."

Also try places like www.arrl.org and http://store.cq-amateur-radio.com/Categories.bok and look for books on beginning electronics.

Check out your local RadioShack and search out some of their publications written by Forrest Mims III. His projects are straightforward and simple and Forrest has a lot of years teaching electronics and writing educational articles for electronics hobbyist magazines. Most of the parts he uses in his circuits are available at RadioShack.

The best place for your 10 year old to start in electronics is your local RadioShack!  Check out this page from their web site: www.radioshack.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=4446519&allCount=150&fbc=1&f=PAD%2FProduct+Type%2FLearning+kits&fbn=Type%2FLearning+kits&filterName=Type&filterValue=Learning+kits

I suggest starting with one of the smaller "x-in-one" lab kits (i.e., the "Elenco" one). If your kid is really bright, the Model: 28-280 Electronics Learning Lab might be a good place to start. Once the kid starts to understand things more (say, in a few years), visit kit sites like Ramsey Electronics (www.ramseyelectronics.com) and Velleman (www.vellemanusa.com/home/?country=us&lang=enu), or even review the RadioShack link above for "starter" kits to assemble. If you have a Fry's Electronics store in your area, they carry Ramsey and Velleman kits.

FWIW, I started my "electronics career" when I was in Junior High (1975?) with the RadioShack "100-in-one" Electronic Lab kit. It wasn't long before I was building more complex solder kits.  Even today (at 53) the skills I learned from that RadioShack trainer are still in use on my job. If your kid displays an aptitude for electronics, see if your local Junior and/or High schools have electronics curricula and definitely check out your local Community Colleges or Trade School" for 2-year Associate Electronics Technician programs (where I got my Electronics Career started, O' those many years ago).