2

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We
would
have liked
to have seen a
little more coverage
of the programming side of
things in the guide. The code for all
the projects is downloadable and, while the
electronics side of things is well explained, the
guide goes into less detail about how to program.
It does explain the key concepts, and important
bits of code, but a little more detail on how to
create programs would – in our view – help readers
with no background in coding. Perhaps we’re being
a little pedantic here because it is a beginner’s kit,
and as such it can’t cover everything. What it does
cover, it covers well and interested users could,
no doubt, find more information about Arduino
programming that they can use alongside their
Inventor’s Kit.
While all the components are straightforward to
use, there’s nothing specifically ‘beginner’ about
them. They’re the same components that are used
by experienced makers, and assembled in the same
way that most people prototype their projects (on
a breadboard).
Because there’s no proprietary gubbins or secret
sauce in this kit, there’s not really a point where
you outgrow it. You’ll probably find that you want
to add more bits to it, but there’s a wide range of
breadboard-compatible components available from
just about every hobbyist electronics store on the
planet that will work seamlessly with the bits in this
kit (the only caveat is that they need to be 5 V-tolerant
to work with the RedBoard (or an Uno) – parts

Above

The selection of parts

is well thought out to

give you experience

with a range of

different components

FIELD TEST

designed for a 3.3 V board like a Raspberry Pi may not

work successfully.

If you decide that you want to try out a different

controller to the RedBoard, you can work with anything

else that will connect to the breadboard (which is most

things). In this way, the SIK isn’t so much a beginner’s

kit, as the start of your collection of electronics bits and

pieces. We feel it’s only fair to warn anyone reading,

and looking to get started in electronics, that these

collections have a habit of growing at a faster rate than

the available space. It starts with a nice neat collection

in a tidy plastic box and soon you’ll be wondering if you

need to build a new shed.

SparkFun claims that the SIK is suitable for anyone

aged ten or older. Obviously everyone’s different, but

broadly this seems about right to us. It’s a bit fiddly

and doesn’t obfuscate the details, so many children

younger than this may struggle. However, there’s

nothing particularly childish about it and it could equally

be interesting for people well beyond this age looking

to get started with electronics.

There isn’t a killer feature of the SparkFun Inventor’s

Kit, but it is well thought out, comes with a great

guide, and is easily expandable as your experience and

knowledge grows.

A well-thought-

out kit for

anyone getting

started with

electronics.

9 / 10

VERDICT