Hey everyone! I'm on the hunt for some DIY soldering kits that come with everything I need. I'm looking for kits that would make great gifts or useful projects around the house. I found a desk lamp on Amazon, but I'm having a hard time finding other items that aren't just low-quality LED kits or beginner practice projects. I'm particularly interested in things like USB flash drives, USB power banks, USB charge blocks, and USB cable kits. I don't have a 3D printer, so any kits must include housings or cases. I'm open to suggestions, whether they're beginner or advanced kits, though I'd prefer to avoid programming unless it's something I could realistically manage with a Raspberry Pi or Arduino setup (assuming I can get the necessary software). Thanks for your help!
3 Answers
You might want to check out Velleman. I remember their kits being pretty solid back in the day! They're still around, but just a heads-up, they don’t provide enclosures with their kits anymore. That said, they probably offer 3D printers if you end up needing something like that.
Yeah, making your own USB stuff could get pretty bulky for hand soldering — that’s probably why you’re not seeing many kits out there. On another note, if you're looking for something more challenging, soldering simple kits like Christmas trees can be really fun! If you’re up for it, consider using protoboard PCBs. I’ve built homemade clocks with Arduinos that display time in various ways, but it does involve a little programming. Luckily, with tools like ESPHome, the coding is pretty simplified nowadays!
AliExpress has a ton of DIY kits available! Some of them might not be well documented, but I've found a lot of cool and cheap options there, like amps, signal generators, and even Tesla coil kits. Definitely worth checking out!
This! I've lost count of how many kits I've built just for the joy of it!