Ideas for teenage girls??

[Ani22075]

Hi I would like help getting a group of about 15 teenage girls soldering their own circuits... When I was like 8 I made a circuit board that was very simple it had a light bulb and a battery and I did the soldering myself at summer camp. I would like help on where to find simple projects like that.. (maybe abit more interesting than a light bulb but something the girls can feel proud to do) Where would i buy the boards? the Soldering irons the solder and what are some ideas?? thanks!! By helping out youre helping girls get into engineering!!

 

[Marks256]

WOW! Are you serious? All the girls here have no idea what soldering is! Ok, well, if each of your group members would be willing to give some of their own money to the group(maybe like $25us each?), then you could get some REALLY nice stuff from JAMECO. The link is: www.jameco.com

So, if you got $25 from 15 people, then that is $375 worth of stuff you could buy for the group. They have a nice soldering iron for about $6(i own one), and they are VERY reliable, and cheap. They also sell very nice PCBs, and components. Good Luck!

 

[Ani22075]

Thanks!!

Thanks that site was very useful.. Im going to double check with our budget but the Super snooper or the FM radio sound like good ideas. It doesnt have to go perfect but if its something theyll want theyll put an extra effort into the boards coming out right!

 

[Ani22075]

Oh What are PCBs and components? Dont the Components (resistors etc) come with the boards?? or am wrong in the terminology? its been over 10 years since ive worked with circuits. (other than some college physics calculations in a textbook)

 

[Marks256]

Oh, i am sorry. If you buy one of the kits, then yes, everything comes with it. You can also buy individual parts and things like that, too.

I would suggest getting the Super Snooper. For that price, it is a fair deal. Here are some things i would suggest getting as well(all the part numbers are Jamco part numbers);

Part #..............Description....................Price(US Dollars)
----------------------------------------------
208987CM.......35-watt soldering iron........2.99
141794CM.......1/2lb solder......................5.95

I would also suggest getting the catalog from them. It is free, and can be done right online. The link can be found on the top right of the home page.

 

[Ani22075]

Would 1/2 lb solder be good for 15 girls and 15 boards? if i buy the kit found on **broken link removed** for 9.95 each that includes everything other than the soldering iron and the solder that the girls would need?

 

[Marks256]

Would 1/2 lb solder be good for 15 girls and 15 boards?

I would seriously doubt that. I was thinking more along the lines of 1/2lb per person. This would allow for error, and fixing.

**broken link removed** for 9.95 each that includes everything other than the soldering iron and the solder that the girls would need?

Bingo. All you need is solder, a soldering iron, and 15 9V Batteries.

Oh, if your budget allows it, i would also suggest getting more than one soldering iron, especially for 15 individuals.

 

[Marks256]

Well, on second thought, i guess 1/2lb should be enough for about 3 or so people. But it wouldn't hurt to have a little extra. But i think 1/2lb would be adequate for 2-3 people.

EDIT:
I just looked at the difficulty level on the Super Snooper project. I wouldn't suggest starting them out on an "intermediate" difficulty. Maybe the "Siren Kit" would be better. It is a beginner's level. It is cheaper too. Here is the product number; 125137CM

 

[Ani22075]

Thank you!

Thank you so much for all your help! Youve been great. i'll look at both. I might be able to (depending on the budget) buy one of each try them out myself and see how it goes.. Theyre pretty bright girls going to a HS sponsored by Intel. They might be able to skip the beginer because i remember my instructor telling me that girls were better at sodering because we had better hand control (better handwriting ) But Ill see if i can try them both out.

IF other people are reading this please send suggestions as well.. if you know of other companies or have seen other projects that would be good let me know... theres always future projects to be done.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

WOW! Are you serious? All the girls here have no idea what soldering is!

My daughter Melissa solders really well!, I gave her a few minutes instruction when she was about seven years old?, and she's built quite a few kits over the years. They did a little electronics at school in year 8 or so, and she was the best solderer in the class, INCLUDING the teacher who was showing them how to do it

 

[stevez]

Ocean State Electronics, among others, has complete AM or AM/FM radio kits. While possibly a bit beyond the beginner stage it might be an advanced group project. While probably not the highest quality sound will result, the end product could be put to use.

 

[HarveyH42]

The Electronic Goldmine, an American Science & Surplus both have inexpensive kits for beginners. Might be worth a look, many are under $5.00.

 

[Marks256]

They might be able to skip the beginer because i remember my instructor telling me that girls were better at sodering because we had better hand control (better handwriting )

That could be. I think those levels are for electronics understanding. It is very true about the stability thing, at least for me. But then again, my soldering tip looks like the Grand Canyon!

The Electronic Goldmine, an American Science & Surplus both have inexpensive kits for beginners. Might be worth a look, many are under $5.00.

Yes, i like AS&S(American Science & Surplus), too. They have some wacky things! I think i have a magazine down stairs right now. They do have about 2 pages worth of kits, and other pages filled with so much misc.

 

[HarveyH42]

Yes, i like AS&S(American Science & Surplus), too. They have some wacky things! I think i have a magazine down stairs right now. They do have about 2 pages worth of kits, and other pages filled with so much misc.

The electronics stuff is sometimes much cheaper than anywhere else. Suspect they don't reasearch much before pricing sometimes.
6volt 100 mA Solar panel from Gamboy accessory...
AS&S $4.95
Allelectronic $7.95
Electronic Goldmine $8.95
Same exact panel.

Anyway, for absolute beginners. I'd stick with cheap & simple kits. Soldering takes practice, and the real thrill in kit building, is when it actually works. I'm sure most of us here have to go through our boards and correct stuff to get our projects working. Some parts are very sensitive and get damaged, little beads of solder bridging traces, forgot a jumper, diode in backwards, wrong parts... More advanced projects take more skills to find and correct common problems, which is a real thrill-killer. I didn't catch what sort of time frame you working in, like a weekly thing, couple of weekends... Might consider making it a team thing, 2 or more on one kit, less kits and greater chance of success the first time around.