ELEGOO Electronics Component Basic Starter Kit

Superb complete breadboard kit for prototyping and testing. Great value as it includes jumper wires, a useful selection of components, and a power supply module. Arrived quickly with low postal costs.

I started my interest in electronics in a different age, more than 40 years ago. In those days, breadboards were very expensive and out of the reach of most hobbyists. Many a time I recycled components and the stripboard, as the cost was prohibitive. A trip to the electronics shop was expensive, and much pocket money was diligently saved for the latest chip or piece of kit. This kit which I purchased to support my Elegoo Arduino, like the processor board itself, is top notch. Extremely well packaged, I was impressed with how much was crammed into the box. The fact that high-quality polythene bags were used for the components speaks volumes, although in my day we would be looking at tin-foil or anti-static bags for the more sensitive components. I get the impression once again that Elegoo care about their customers and the quality of their offering. My only criticism I can make is trivial. The breadboard is in 3 sections, with a large self-adhesive pad for attaching to a permanent surface. I'd have preferred if the pad was packed separately, that way I could expand the board horizontally without fuss if needed. As to how long the components will last etc., with care and attention they should last well. The legs of any component will eventually give up the ghost with too much bending, and wiring errors will easily kill off polarity sensitive components such as diodes and capacitors etc. All of that is part of the rough and tumble of circuit development and testing. I wouldn't expect the kit to last forever, but it certainly won't break once you take it out the packaging. I know if as a kid my dad had brought this home I would be ecstatic. If you are looking for a components kit to introduce someone as to how to expand their Arduino or Raspberry Pi, I can't recommend this enough. You will need to purchase a device separately to get any use from it though.

Bought this as the next step for a 10yo grandchild who showed great interest (4 hours non-stop) in an excellent electronics intro kit we bought for Christmas. The range of components and functionality is good and includes plenty of components without too many 'black box' ICs. This is also my first breadboard and I was aware of measurements form my researches, but I was nevertheless surprised how small the board and components are (they are standard), so I'm not sure how easily the child will be able to manipulate the components and how easily he will be able to see things as we discuss/exlore/explain the simple circuits we have in mind. There is a video of 5 fairly simple projects on the Elegoo website (altho takes a bit of finding) which should prove of interest once the principles of the breadboard connections (see YouTbube videos), simple circuits with lights (LEDs) and switches are mastered. I would say all of this needs adult supervision, preferably with someone who already understands the basics of circuits. Many of the Elegoo kits seem to be intended as add-ons for Raspberry Pi or Arduino computer boards, but this one does seem to be intended for standalone fun. If using batteries (so far I have used a 2 x 1.5v AA battery pack) rather than the little power module that is in the kit (3.3 and 5v options from the module), some small variation to the components being used in a specific project may be needed.

Great little kit

Well I am a techie and have played about with the Arduino for a while. I was not at my normal location, so needed a breadboard and bits to build up a circuit for use with a Genuino UNO and ordered this kit has it contained the main stuff I needed at a good price. It arrived promptly and I had no trouble building my circuit with some other components I already had. Although I use the Arduino to power the circuit normally, the breadboard power supply module is very useful for testing. Alasdair McCormick mentions "They even have a great tutorial website to teach you if like me you don’t know what your doing". Well I am not sure about that, as I could not find that type of tutorial on the Elegoo website (perhaps they did have that sort of thing posted originally, but took it down for some reason?). They do have a zip file available for the kit (along with others) in the directory "tutorial" (added with a slash after website name). You can either bring up that URL and use "Save Link As.." to save the zip, or from the website Download page (click Download menu item to get there); scroll down and then click the picture for the "Elegoo Upgraded Electronics Fun Kit - E3" and you should get a pop-up dialog box with the "Save File" option. The zip file contains 17 PDF files which give you datasheets covering each type of item in the kit. The information may be too complex for some people, but at least you can check the spec and requirements of each component (e.g. from the "White LED Datasheets.pdf, you can confirm that Super-Green LEDs are Part Number: RL5-G8020 and are maximum 4.0V forward voltage and maximum 20 mA Continuous Forward Current). I was slightly amused with the component pictures and descriptions inside the lid of the box. They include a picture of what is described as a "104pF Ceramic Capacitor 10PCS). Well, someone slipped up there! The 104 marking on a ceramic capacitor should be interpreted as follows: Two significant digits followed by the number of zeros. example: 104 = 100 000 pF = 100 nF = 0.1 uF (where my u should be the micro symbol). so NOT 104pF, lol. The datasheets are good, just someone messed up when doing the inside lid information! I will not knock of 1 star for that though! In conclusion, this is a great value kit and well worth the money. The technical information is available for it at the time of writing anyway. I may well buy another one as I can never have enough breadboards, LEDs, links etc. I will also consider other kits made by them.

Good for value. One big problem. It DOES NOT say the forward voltage and amp rating for ANY of the products!

A quick delivery of a meticulously thought package, which is in line with an electronics-head, who wants some confidence (including house mates). (Another purchase, ELEGOO car robot worked well in the same day of assembling, btw). I am personally impressed with a variety of components, thus to experiment. Can experiment more, because of the price, and develop my stash of components. Guys, you are just brilliant, live long.

Decent kit if you're just looking to get started working with electronics. It has most of what you need to get off the ground at reasonable value. A few of the positives: - The breadboard is very nice, much better build quality than others I've purchased in the past. - The majority of the components work well. - The box and individual packaging of the components is useful and relatively well made. - The power supply module is attached to some foam so the pins won't bend in shipping. Then, the negatives: - The buzzers worked, but not very well. - The power supply module seems pretty cheap, and I doubt it will last long. It also doesn't come with an appropriate cable, so you'll have to supply your own to make use of it. I expected this last part because I read about its absence in other reviews, but I didn't anticipate it being such an odd cable required. - A few of the LEDs didn't work correctly (although the majority did). Overall, not a bad purchase, but if you already have some of the parts already, perhaps look for cheaper options, or something more reliable. Edit: ELEGOO contacted me after I wrote this review and sent me replacement parts without any hastle. I upgraded my rating since their customer service was so good.