Snap Circuits SC-300
by Elenco Electronics Inc
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Product Summary
Manufacturer: Elenco Electronics IncBrand: Elenco
Release Date: 2006-06-12
Model: SC-300
Product features:
- AWARDS: The National Parenting Center-Seal of Approval, Dr. Toy 100 Best Children's Products, Dr Toy Best Educational Products
- Contains over 60 Snap-Together parts. Build over 300 exciting projects.
- Clear and concise Illustrated Manual Included and Available Online.
- Build a Radio, Doorbell, burglar alarm and more
- No tools required
- Lenmar Ready-2-Go R2GAA4 1.2V 2150mAh Rechargeable NiMH AA Battery (4 -Pack)
- Sanyo Eneloop AA NiMH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries - 4 Pack
- Sanyo Eneloop AA NiMH Pre-Charged Rechargable Batteries with Charger - 4 Pack
- Sony Cycle Energy 2000 mAh Pre-Charged AA Rechargeable Batteries
- Sony 2500 mAh AA Rechargeable Nimh Batteries, 4-pack
Toys and Games Reviews of Snap Circuits SC-300
Customer Review: Fun, but ran into a few problems
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this toy for xmas for my 8 year old daughter, so that I could teach her a little bit about electricity. I have a fairly strong background in physics and electrical engineering, so I thought it would be a fun xmas gift that we could both enjoy.
The overall layout of the kit is very nice. It's very much like a big lego version of a typical bread board that is used to lay out electrical projects. The parts snap together nicely and the kit includes a clear peg board panel which is handy (but not required) for laying out projects. The instruction book includes many different projects that can be created using the pieces in the kit. However, it should be noted that many of the projects are slight variations from one another. For example, one project might be a tone generator, then the next few projects will just be changing capacitors in order to increase or decrease the tone frequency. Nevertheless, this still teaches you about how different items can affect the overall circuit/project.
Overall, I think some of the projects are a little beyond younger children. Hooking up a motor or light is fun, but suddenly jumping into a tone generator or full AM radio is a big leap for most people - let alone most kids. Even so, the kit has a lot of value and the projects are doable with some adult help. Following the diagrams can be a little tricky at times - due to how the items must stack on top of each other - but once you get the hang of it, it's not too bad.
On our particular kit, several of the components were defective and/or broke while being used. I actually ended up having to drag my oscilloscope out of the closet to verify that in fact some of the items had internal shorts (probably from poor wiring). The manual says to contact the company for replacement items (which I have done) and now I'm waiting to see if they take care of the replacement (I'll follow up later with a further update on whether or not they come through). Additionally, one of the small light bulbs broke away from the base, so it's probably not a good idea if kids too young use this kit without some supervision.
Due to the couple of defective (and suspected defective) parts, we were unable to get the AM Radio projects to function correctly. However, assuming things work okay, there are several nice Radio projects (complete with volume control and tuning) which look to be pretty fun. There are also a couple of fun components that respond to sound and light and these allow you to change tones based on light (such as moving your hand or dimming the lights in the room). The kit also includes two 3V battery packs (you have to supply the AA batteries of course). This is nice because it allows you to supply power in series or parallel (3V or 6V). There are also a couple of switches. Perhaps one of the most fun items in the kit is the flying fan. My daughter played with that silly thing for about two hours! Basically, it's a small motor and you set a small fan on the shaft. Once it gets up to speed, then you kill the power and the fan takes off like a helicopter. If you power it with 3 volts, it goes up about 3 feet high. If you power it with 6 volts, it really takes off like a rocket. There are also several LED lights.
The items in the kit are clearly marked and help ease you into learning how to read a schematic to a certain degree. The construction of everything seems pretty good.
Overall, this is a pretty good kit. However, I think it might be more fun for kids if there were a few more simple items to play around with and not as many IC's or transistors. Additionally, some parts sort of take the form of "black boxes"; these parts may be required to produce some of the projects in the kit, but it's a little more difficult for kids to really understand what function they are providing. Even so, I still can recommend the kit. It's a lot of fun and assuming the company stands behind the broken items in our kit, then I think it's worth the money and will provide quite a bit of entertainment (and educational) value to kids. My daughter already seems to grasp some of the basic concepts pretty well, although I have to keep an eye on her so she doesn't accidentally create a direct short with the batteries and burn the house down or something :-)
UPDATE: the company did replace the broken/defective parts in our kit at no charge. However, they failed to send one of the correct parts (I don't think they read my e-mail very closely). I didn't bother to contact them again. Overall, a fun toy that I think kids will have a good time with.
Description of Snap Circuits SC-300
This educational kit is loaded with more than 300 projects to build. For example, kids can learn how transistors and capacitors function, and how to make time-delay circuits. In addition, this version includes circuits showing how oscillators and photo sensors work. Projects involve an AM Radio, Burglar Alarm, Radio Announcer and more. Contains over 60 parts. Requires 4 "AA" batteries, not included.Give your child an exciting, hands-on introduction to electronics with Elenco Electronics Snap Circuits SC-300. This kit contains over 60 color-coded, real circuit components that snap together to create working electronic circuits and devices. Recommended for children 8 and older, this set offers 305 do-it-yourself projects that will give your child an entertaining, concrete education on how electronics work.
|
 Build 305 different electronic projects. View larger. |
 AM Radio View larger. |
Snap Circuits comes with over 60 pieces to create 305 different electronic projects. The pieces, which include snap wires, a slide switch, a resistor, a microphone, and capacitors, snap together easily onto the included plastic grid--no soldering required. Each piece is numbered and color-coded to make identifying them easy. These components combine to create working circuit boards just like the ones found inside televisions, radios, and other electronic devices.
Simple, Fun Projects Let Kids Learn While They Play
With its easy-to-follow instructions, Snap Circuits gives your child a hands-on education in how electrical circuits run the everyday devices that they're familiar with. They'll also gain valuable lessons in building and in following instructions. The project manuals include large color illustrations and simple directions for each project.
The project list includes all of the projects included in the SC-100 set and 204 additional projects, including a photosensitive electronic organ, a lie detector, an AM radio, and a two-finger touch lamp. With these projects, children will experiment with electric switches, integrated circuits, digital circuits, fuses, and the transformation of circuit sounds into other sounds.
Grow as You Go
Because the projects are arranged in order of complexity, kids can build on their skills as they progress through the manual. The lessons start out with a simple electric light and switch project that demonstrates how electricity is turned on and off with a switch. Further along, kids can put together a fire fan symphony, a water-detection alarm, a delayed-action fan, and more.
Design Your Own Circuits and Upgrade Your Kit
Once children have mastered several of the techniques introduced in this kit, they can use the components to experiment and create their own customized circuits and electronic devices. The Snap Circuits SC-300 can also be upgraded to the Snap Circuits Pro, Snap Circuits Extreme, or SCM-400 with the purchase of a UC-50, UC-70, or UC-100 upgrade kit, respectively. Kids will enjoy additional parts, manuals, and projects that'll take their kit--and their fun--to the next level.
Snap Circuits SC-300 requires four AA batteries, which are not included.
What's in the Box
Plastic snap-grid, 32 electrical components, and 2 project manuals.
| Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100 | Snap Circuits SC-300 | Snap Circuits Pro SC-500 | Snap Circuits Extreme SC-750 |
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