Vero VQ board IIRC - with lots of short sections of 5 holes in a track and then a narrow gap - the idea being you bridged the gap with solder if you wanted more than 5 holes common. Quite handy for laying out DIL packages since you did not need to cut all the tracks between the legs.
Strictly speaking a PCB or board isnt essential for simple circuits, one can simply start with the biggest component and solder the rest onto it. Just dont stand on the resulting ball or it all shorts out, and do get the circuit right first, solder ball construction is hopless to troubleshoot.
NT
I'm surprised there isn't something more primitive on the market for younger kids (5 years) where you can just plug components into sockets and see the results (albeit just leds flashing etc). Looks like it might have to be Hot Wheels gear this time round. Judging by the adults fooling around with it on UTube, he may never grow out of it :-)
In message , Frank Erskine writes
I think it depends.
If you want to explore and learn, then yes to the discrete components. But the kids (and I think some adults) certainly like a kit that makes up into a definite end product.
It's a bit like arts and craft stuff. We have loads of different arts and craft materials, and it gets used loads. But the kids still love arts/crafts kits.
Which removes the innovative aspect. Just look at modern Meccano 'kits' which are designed to produce one 'end product' - the builder just has to follow the instructions without thinking for him/her self...
:-)
In message , Frank Erskine writes
Indeed, but it's not an either or situation. You can enjoy both. I loved Airfix kits as a kid, and I loved building stuff out of Meccano as well.
My girls have had various construction type kits of one sort or another, mostly given as presents, and they really enjoy them - at least the decent ones, which actually go together properly. They like having instructions to follow, and having a defined end product that they are aiming for.
But they also like to get out the Lego or the K-nex and build stuff out of that.
Well there is. If you want the pukka thing then a breadboard:
The board mentioned above was like ordinary veroboard (aka strip board) but with strips matching those of the breadboard. Hence a working prototype could be made "permanent" without any need to layout the circuit again.
Or for younger kids there are the various snap together systems previously mentioned.
Nothing suitable for a 5 year old though
In message , stuart noble writes
Not sure what you are looking for exactly but the Cambridge Brainbox stuff that I linked to (which looks like the Snap circuits stuff someone else mentioned) has been used by both my kids 5yo or less in the case of the youngest. The bits are large enough to be easily handled, and tough enough to be resistant to the kids. None of ours have got broken
I forget when we bought it by we have photos of my eldest at 5y3m using it, but I thought we had it a while before that. She was soon able to follow the circuit diagrams in the instructions to build circuits herself. The instructions have printed circuits that match exactly the component parts, so are easy to follow. Though they need assistance for when variations are described if they can't read. (you can download them from the website) Youngest must have been using it to build her own circuits at least a year ago when she was 4.
We bought the Primary plus kit, it has been fine. My only complaint about it really is they only included 1 bulb holder (presumably cos series/parallel circuits don't come in KS2 of the NC or something)
The secondary one, which we now have as well might have been a better purchase. Though at least we have plenty of bits for both kids to do it at the same time.
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