Your favourite kit?

[ScuzZ]

What's the best or most useful kit you've every purchased and built?

Mine would have to be the K8055 from Velleman.

**broken link removed**

http://www.velleman.be/ot/en/product/view/?id=351346

 

[Marks256]

My multimeter. I got it from a teacher, who got it from radioshack a long time ago. I don't think the shack sells them anymore, though... Very nice analog multimeter.

 

[j.p.bill]

My old Heathkit AR-1500 receiver. Not quite state of the art now, but it still powers my computer speakers. 35 years continuous use with only 2 rebuilds.

 

[Leftyretro]

My multimeter. I got it from a teacher, who got it from radioshack a long time ago. I don't think the shack sells them anymore, though... Very nice analog multimeter.

This was a kit as asked by the OP?

Lefty

 

[blueroomelectronics]

My Dragonfly kit

And my old Hero 1 robot kit.

 

[House0Fwax]

Velleman K8048 Pic programmer.
I've had a lot of use out of it.

 

[3v0]

HeathKit H11

 

[Andy1845c]

I've oly built a few kits, but Bill's Inchworm is by far the best and most useful to date.

 

[JimB]

Here is something I built from a kit, a couple of years ago now, but modified recently with a couple of factory options.

It is an Elecraft K2 HF amateur band transceiver.
Look here:
www.elecraft.com
for more information.

JimB

 

[kjennejohn]

That would have to be my first Heathkit, a FET-front-end analog meter. Worked great. I eventually sold it to a friend to purchase my first digital meter. The next kit from them was a dud, but I'll save that for the 'worst kit' thread...

later!
kenjj

 

[Leftyretro]

Here is something I built from a kit, a couple of years ago now, but modified recently with a couple of factory options.

It is an Elecraft K2 HF amateur band transceiver.
Look here:
www.elecraft.com
for more information.

JimB

Nice rig. I studied the documentation and the support forum for that kit for quite awhile several years ago. It really is a first class design that performs as well and in many cases better then the best of breed in ham radio. However ham radio is handicapped here as antenna restrictions keep one from getting the most from such a fine rig.

I build so many nice kits from heath-kit and knight-kit is the late 50s to early 70s that it's hard to remember which I enjoyed the most.

While we don't have the big dominate kit manufactures anymore, I do think there is a larger selection and better diversity for DIY and kit builders today. The web has changed everything for this hobby and of course the tech is so much more powerful and cost effective in real dollars that these really are the good old days, today

Lefty

 

[sam2]

Here is something I built from a kit, a couple of years ago now, but modified recently with a couple of factory options.

It is an Elecraft K2 HF amateur band transceiver.
Look here:
www.elecraft.com
for more information.

JimB

drool
sam2

 

[blueroomelectronics]

That Elecraft rig looks great, lots of PICs inside too

I noticed they don't use SMDs in their kits either, if they do they come preassembled. Nice touch.

 

[Ambient]

Inchworm+. Nothing beats a blue PCB! And it is very well laid out, too.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Inchworm+. Nothing beats a blue PCB! And it is very well laid out, too.

You've obviously never built a Heathkit!

Heathkit were THE kits.

 

[Marks256]

This was a kit as asked by the OP?

Yes, it was a multimeter kit. Just a few resistors, diodes, and some wire, but it is the most useful thing i have ever gotten.

 

[sasquatcher]

I'd have to say my Heathkit analog trainer from the 80's. I even have the backpack for it.

 

[blueroomelectronics]

Thanks for the Inchworm compliment, but my hat is off to Heathkit till Zenith got their hands on it.

 

[Ambient]

I have not seen the older heatkits, I am still a newbie of 7 years.

 

[3v0]

HeathKit Manual example and HeathKit Computers.

I found a link to the HeathKit H9 Video Terminal manual.

It was a dumb terminal and a pain to keep working. Had rows of non-gold connectors that need cleaning. No uP here. Rows and rows of 74LS logic chips