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Elenco 300-in-One Electronic Project Lab

Type(s): Electronics/Gadget
Tags: eletronics

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/sr=1-1/qid=1152230601/ref=sr_1_1/601-4358903-2466503?%5Fencoding=UTF8&asin=B00005K86O
$75 (US, estimated) Buy from amazon.com

Tool photo.

Working on the Elenco 300-in-One Electronic Project Lab, I had to squint through a magnifying glass to read the resistors while straining to hear the faintest radio signal through the old-time earphone. But despite the challenges of getting older, blinder, and deafer, building ridiculous electronics projects is just as fun as when I was a 10-year-old, self-professed inventor.

With a solderless breadboard and handfuls of resistors, capacitors, ICs, transistors, and zillions of connecting wires, you can build all sorts of preposterous projects.

Building the ESP Tester (Project #98) or Electronic Cat (Project #82) is quick since the supporting cast of built-in components — a slide switch, power transformer, 1.5- to 9-volt power taps, photo cell, etc. — is looped in as needed. After assembling the Funny Transistor Radio (Project #65), the same youthful wonder remains as you tune to one of the two measly stations on your primitive radio.