“Cheap board - the through hole isn't even plated. Battery holder is way too tight to hold a 9v, and whatever chip is at U2 burned up the first time I turned it on.Yes, the orientation of everything was right.Total waste of time.”
“Bought this for my son. After putting it together, all we can hear is static, as several other reviews stated. Is this kit designed to teach how to find defective components? We're returning it.”
“This is a really nice little kit. I have built two of these so far. This is a super fun, quick build and it sounds great. A couple of quirks, though...The first one I built came with a bad LM386 IC, but the voltage tests in the manual helped me to realize what the problem was, and a new LM386 chip did the trick. I appreciated the troubleshooting experience. And yes the battery holder is just a little too short.As for the finished project, I find myself listening to this little radio all the time. I have it propped up against a wooden box with a couple handkerchiefs in it to give it the little speaker a bit more presence and the sound quality is surprisingly nice.”
“Being nearby while my 11 yo grandson put this together, I checked the work every few pieces. Instructions were pretty clear with just a few items to be cleared up by this long experienced electronics builder.Mirabile dictu, it worked first try and is a fairly good little radio. Fine learning experience.”
“Zero stars. We purchased two of these for assembly by college engineering students. Both kits came with defective diodes (infinite resistance in both directions). The traces on the board are very poor quality. If you have to de-solder a defective component for replacement, the pad comes up, and you are forced to use jumpers.No reception at all. Not a surprise with the defective diodes. However, the LED does light!I have been building electronic projects for 60 years, so I know junk when I see it.”
“I bought this kit to teach myself how to solder. I was able to build it from start to finish easily. I've never soldered in my life so I was surprised how easy it was and that it even worked. It picks up a ton of radio signals!”
