ElencoFM Radio Kit

This auto-scan FM kit from Elenco is fantastic. The instructions are well written and illustrated. Included is a good explanation of how the radio works and its different sections. All the components are organized for you in advance on a bit of cardboard. The main FM chip is surface-mount, but has been pre-soldered for you. The build process is straightforward, and all the parts are of reasonable quality for a kit like this. There is no case, but one could be 3D-printed if needed (though I think it is fine without a case, as the battery holder acts as a stand). The radio itself, once built, performs quite well after alignment (if you have bad performance, don't skip that step). The audio amp section is very loud. Tuning can be a little odd, as you can only "tune-up." You then reset the radio to start at the bottom of the band. Unfortunately you can't hold a specific frequency when listening to a marginal station. It will eventually lose lock and tune up. It works best with stronger stations.This is a great kit for beginners to advanced beginners. Intermediate builders will find it a relaxing build.

The Elenco FM Radio Kit is a great way to learn about electronics and how to build a radio. It comes with everything you need to build a working FM radio, a printed circuit board, electronic components, and a step-by-step instruction manual. The kit is designed for beginners, so no prior experience with electronics is necessary. The instruction manual is clear and easy to follow, and it provides step-by-step instructions for each step of the build process.

I'm 28 with a fair amount of radio and electronics experience, though I hadn't soldered much in a while. I tried this kit for fun and to reacquaint myself with soldering before working on a more delicate project I have in mind. I found this kit to be very well-designed and easy to assemble. For the price, it is excellent. I had to detract one star because my kit included the incorrect screw for attaching the battery holder (not a big deal, but still annoying) and because I think there are other Elenco radio kits I'd recommend above this one.This kit would be great for a teenager's introduction to soldering (easy to follow assembly instructions, clearly labeled components and PCB, large soldering pads, a fun end-goal of producing your own radio), but probably just "okay" as an educational tool in teaching radio design to a young engineer. I understood the circuit descriptions and educational aspects found in the instruction manual, but I'm already familiar with those concepts. I think it'd be difficult to understand a lot of the provided circuit description and radio theory if I wasn't already familiar with the information. Another thing limiting this kit as an educational tool in radio fundamentals is the inclusion of an integrated circuit in the core of the receiver design. This makes everything more abstract from an educational perspective.I just checked around on Amazon, and there are several other Elenco radio kits available. Some of those are specifically "transistor" versions which involve no integrated circuits. That may mean twice as many components for you to solder, but it'd probably make for a better educational tool in teaching radio fundamentals.Two final tips:The kit features large soldering pads and lead-free solder. I support both of these choices for a beginner's kit (lots of space for your soldering iron, and no lead around children), but that combination can actually make soldering tricky because large pads sink more heat, and lead-free solder doesn't melt until higher temperatures. You'll probably want to use a chisel-tip on your soldering iron, and wet the tip with a bit of solder to help with heat transfer.If you have access to an oscilloscope, this is a fun little kit to probe around! The carrier frequency (~100 MHz) may be outside your scope's bandwidth, but most of the receiver circuitry operates at an intermediate frequency of 70 kHz, and the audio portion will be around ~1 kHz, both of which you can easily measure. So you can observe the ~1mV frequency-modulated 70 kHz IF signal on one channel, and on a second channel bring up the ~0.1V audio signal going to the speaker. Or probe anywhere along the chain rather easily. Fun stuff.

I bought this little radio in order to refresh my kit building skills, however it would also be a great kit for a beginner. The kit comes in a plastic bag which is a little off putting at first, but most small parts are nicely laid out and labelled on strip of cardboard. Other parts come in smaller sealed plastic bags which helps to keep things from getting lost.The instructions are very clear and easy to follow. They include some explanation of component markings and theory behind the working of the radio. There is also a small quiz at the end.Testing instructions are included for each section, which are very helpful and very reassuring when they come out right (and useful in finding an error before moving on to the next section).Be aware that you will need a 9 volt battery. Also no case is included with the kit. My kit differed slightly from the picture in that instead of a blue reset button mine was yellow. Be aware too, that this is a very basic radio, it is mono, not stereo, there is no frequency display either. Tuning is accomplished by a reset button (which set the frequency back to 88 MHz) and a scan button which scans for stations.This could be a one day project, but it might be best to split it into two or more sessions, depending on your skill level and fatigue.All in all, buy this and build it. You'll learn a little, get a sense of accomplishment, and have some fun.

I have build many radio kits, including elenco projects and got them all to work. Except for this one - either varactor or ic is faulty.

Tout est fait pour ne pas se tromper.Tout est bien prévu, sauf qu'il faut d'abord traduire les textes en Français pour éviter les petites erreurs de montage.Il faut un petit fer à souder à bout très fin. Il fournissent l'étain, mais j'ai utilisé le mien (il contientun peu de Pb) car il fond plus rapidement. Il faut bien aérer avec un ventilo.Le plus difficile, c'est de régler les spires pour une meilleure réception. Il fonctionne fort et clair si les soudures sont réussies : bien inspecter chaque soudure en cas de bruit bizarre et si besoin titiller chaquecomposant.

It’s a robust and good project kit to keep my 8 year old from the tablets and phones.

Some people might be disappointed without a frequency display for tuning, but it is a great soldering project, and you end up with a functional FM radio. Various people have designed cases that can be 3D printed, which is a nice finish to the project.

Le kit est facile à monter, même si l'étaim fourni il faut bien chauffer pour que ça accroche, avec de l'étaim de qualité en revanche aucun soucis, la notice en anglais est superbe illustrée et détaillée, y'a pas à se tromper, je conseille de souder les deux composants optionnels pour un bon son.