“The instructions on this kit is very valuable. Lots of information. My AC/DC 101 class ordered about 18 of these kits. The first thing we did as a class is inventory everything. The reason I gave it less than 5 stars is bc some of the parts were missing, some glass diodes shattered, etc..in nearly every kit except 2.But luckily I had more components at my disposal to quickly replace them with. Hope the quality control has improved. It’s a perfect kit if everything is there.”
“It's an interesting kit and rather fun. Certainly not for a beginner, but not overly difficult. Instructions were certainly good, even excellent. I had the education version which covered not only construction but also extensive testing and alignment information and a bit of radio theory. Unfortunately it was missing several transistors. Fortunately they are a very common type and I had some on the shelf. The lead-free solder the kit came with was useless and after a few frustrating attempts to work with it, it went in the trash and I used normal 0.032 rosin core lead/tin solder.Resistors and capacitors are attached to convenient cards and clearly labeled making finding the right parts easy. Unfortunately that isn't true of the transistors, which are simply dumped into small bags with other misc. parts. The coils are about as cheap as they they come. Use caution when turning the slugs to adjust them, they're easy to mess upFull testing and alignment really require an oscilloscope and audio/RF generator to get the most out of the kit. If you lack one or both of those, you can get away with just a VOM for preliminary testing and troubleshooting. Maybe? Alignment for proper receiving is going to be interesting if you're trying to play it by ear without the right test gear I'd think, but could probably be done.”
“I have made about eight of these over twenty five years. Ideally one should have an RF generator, a multimeter, an oscilloscope, and a audio/function generator to properly tune the radio. However you can get these working with just a soldering iron and a multimeter (even a cheap meter).Parts are typical quality using common grade and tolerance components and not super high quality like metal film resistors and aluminum air variable capacitors. Instead it is just inexpensive parts. But it does function well. For the price what more can you expect?There are two options for the audio amplifier and that is a nice bonus. Theory of operation is explained well in the fairly thick instruction manual and is easy to follow. The parts listing and parts marking are extremely thorough.As far as technical specifications, idle current draw is only ~5ma. IF is at the typical 455khz. Speaker is an inexpensive ~8Ω (7.2Ω measured) 0.25W paper cone. Headphone jack is mono only and unfortunately is the small size not the common 3.5mm plug type. It does disconnect the speaker while in use and rehooks up the speaker on unplugging.Radio comes with an inexpensive plastic cradle to set the radio upright. AM antenna is a ferrite rod style and the FM antenna is a typical extendable one. Schematic is printed on component side of board and board appears to be of good quality.Tuning capacitor doesn’t have much distance oftravel limiting the fine tuning ability a bit but is acceptable. Test points along circuit paths are a nice plus but the stamped metal pins are way too undersized in thickness making them easily bendable and fragile. Luckily these are not required to test or operate the radio.Electrolytic capacitors are one the cheap side but acceptable. The 9V battery holder holds the battery very tightly with no possibility of letting go of it. It is almost too tight but is acceptable. Volume knob is of good quality and so is the I/O switch/volume knob. This is one of the better made ones out on the market and one of the key components IMHO.All on all it is a fun project for classroom use, to teach or train soldering skills, and to learn the theory of operation on a superheterodyne radio. Beginners may fine the IC socket a bit hard tosolder but that is a good thing as it teaches you how to not bridge your solder pads. Ideally you should also have a desoldering pump if new to soldering.TIPS:#1 - Make sure to follow along and not just hook everything up all at once. There is a process you NEED to follow and tuning you MUST do along the way.#2 - Make sure to have a multimeter (anything works) and a soldering iron (again anything works). 25W is more than enough for anything on this kit. A desoldering pump is highly recommended.#3 - Be careful soldering the AM antenna wires, the IC socket, the strip boards on the discrete component audio amplifier that hook into the IC socket on the main board, the speaker to board wires especially at the speaker’s tabs, and the capacitor mounted across the pins on the solder pad side used for preventing oscillations.#4 - Use Hot Melt glue to help hold larger parts like larger capacitors, tuning capacitor, battery holder, AM antenna supports, and selector switch. This prevents noise in circuit due to movement and makes the kit much more rugged. It is not needed but does help a bit.#5 - Locktite down the screws once working and even put a bit of solder on the backside of threads where the nuts hold screws. This prevents them from backing out. Especially useful on the FM antenna and battery holder.#6 - Use wood sliver or better yet plastic screwdrivers to tune the RF inductors. By plastic I mean the whole driver not just the handle!#7 - Be careful of AM antenna wires and test point pins as the are fragile.#8 - Don’t use too much heat on parts, especially the header pins.Lastly, IDEALLY you should have the following tools:A - RF Generator (Any)B - Oscilloscope (>10 MHz)C - Audio or Function Generator (>10hz-100khz)D - Multimeter of Good Quality (Preferably with Volt, Amp, Ohm, Capacitance, Frequency, Inductance, hfe/Transistor Gain, and Diode Forward Voltage modes - but only first three are really needed)E - TV/Radio IF Coil Tuning Coil Screwdrivers (plastic not metal)F - Extra Solder (lead or lead free)G - Optical Magnifier (To see the IC solder pads easier (Optivisor is my favorite)H - Circuit Board Holder (Panavise makes a good one)I - Well Light WorkbenchJ - Soldering Third HandK - Set of small jewelers style screwdrivers in both Philips and slottedL - Hot glue gunM - Free Time with No DistractionsN - Red & Black 18-22 AWG WireO - Small Alligator ClipsP - Thread-lock (Loctite Blue or Red)Q - A Better Grade 8-pin IC socket (Machined)R - Small Green or Red LED & Appropriate Series Resistor (1.75-2V 5-10ma LED & ~1kΩ-2.2kΩ 1/8-1/4w Resistor)S - Epoxy GlueCONS: Not enough solder supplied!I hope this review helps! Have a good one!- Paul -”
“This is a good kit which is built up in sections in a logical way an every section is tested prior to building the next one. I have found that the bandwidth measurements in some stages are not meeting the expected value and there is no guide for why that could be. I suspect the quality of the IF transformers to be the cause. Elenco were very helpful end supplied the specification for these when requested. The Q stated is around 40-50 so maybe that is the reason. I learned a lot which was the goal. There was one problem with this kit and that was the poor solderability of the board. Stored for too long? Overall a very good experience and learning.”
“At first this was very overwhelming for my 14 year old son. Once actually started in he is enjoying it. He has been unable to finish it though, because the solder they sent with it didn’t even make it half way through! They should warn of this or send more. He has not wasted it. Very tidy soldering. That’s a big negative for it. Now he has to wait to finish it til more comes.”
“Got this for my dad for Christmas. It was a big hit. My brother was fascinated with it too. Dad got busy putting it together right away. I thought it should come with a box to make it look like a radio, but Dad likes to see the board with all of the inner workings . It works, and he listens to it in his workshop. So glad I found this for him, he really enjoyed putting it together”
