Learn Coding and Build Smart Electronics with Monthly STEM Kits

So, you want to learn how to build your own electronic projects? Maybe you have ambitions of building your own projects in the future. But there is one problem: You have no idea where to start.

How do I start building electronics?

If you would like to build your own cool gadgets, but lack the skills, then now is the best time to dip your feet into the wonderful world of electronics.

While self-driven learning is usually the best way to pick up any subject, if you are unable to discover where to target your learning time, you may quickly become overwhelmed and simply give up.

But don’t worry, we will guide you through it step by step, and you should definitely stick around for our recommendations which will tell you how you can learn it piecemeal through a monthly structured course.

1. Get the materials you need

The first thing to do is to get yourself some basic circuit materials. Batteries, wires, simple light bulbs, resistors, and other basic components are a must in order to put anything you learn in theory into practice.

2. Build a simple circuit

The most important thing you should do first is to build a simple closed circuit. This will teach you more than you know about the basics of electrical circuits and is a great starting point to start making more complex circuits.

3. Learn the basics of electrical circuits

Next, you should familiarize yourself with the terms voltage, current, and resistance. Remember that current flows, resistance resists, and voltage pushes!

These are foundational principles, and understanding them will help you greatly when building your own circuits.

4. Build some real circuits

With all that under your belt, the next stage is to learn how to build real circuits from circuit diagrams. Start simple, and then practice, practice, practice!

You'll soon get a handle of it and may even begin to design your own circuits on paper before wasting time, and perhaps components, on a flawed electrical circuit design. 

5. Tackle basic components

Next, though in practice this will occur concurrently with the previous step, get to grips with some basic components. Some of the most important ones are resistors, LEDs, capacitors, and transistors. 

These electrical components are of infinite importance in many electrical circuits, and you'll likely be using them a lot.

6. Become competent in transistors and switches

Next, you should attempt to gain experience using transistors as switches. These components are some of the most important in modern electronics, and mastering how to use them as switches is a vital skill. It will pay dividends in the long run.

7. Learn how to solder

The next stage is to learn how to solder effectively and efficiently. While you will likely build out prototype circuits using breadboards initially, they don't look that great and aren't very practical for real-world applications. 

For this reason, you really need to master the art of soldering. It is fun, and it is easy once you know how.

8. Gain knowledge of diodes and capacitors

The next most important step is to learn how diodes and capacitors behave in an electrical circuit. These components are common to more advanced circuits and understanding how they work will help you greatly understand what happens to voltages and currents around a circuit.

9. Master integrated circuits

Next, you can upgrade your learning to integrated circuits. By mastering this step you will suddenly open up an entirely new world of possibilities for your electrical projects.

10. Try designing and building your own circuits

The next step, once all other steps are mastered, is to finally try designing your very own circuit board. This will draw together all of your knowledge and experience, and take your project to the next level.

11. Understand that microcontrollers are your best friend

With all that under your belt, another very important step is to learn how to use microcontrollers. These wonderful little components will further refine your projects.

Throughout the course of your learning experience, you will learn many other things, but this is a great learning arc for you to at least aim for.

While you can spend time and money trying to learn and troubleshoot on your own with these steps, you can also make it super easy by using a service like Creation Crate.

What is Creation Crate?

Creation Crate is an innovative tech subscription service that delivers hands-on electronic projects and an online curriculum right to your doorstep.

You can pick between several subscription models and will be sent all the bits you need and instructions required for assembling different electronics models every month. Projects become progressively challenging as you complete the curriculum and unlock new skills in electronics and coding.

You can choose between monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annual subscriptions, and will be sent new projects accordingly. These projects include a mood lamp, distance detector, audio visualizer, lockbox security system, FM tuner, and more.

Each kit contains all the needed components and access to an online classroom with step by step instructions, video tutorials, troubleshooting support, and many more. You can learn how to use a UNO R3 (Arduino compatible) microcontroller and lots of remarkable components used to make the world around us.

Not only that, but you will get very real coding experience, too. All projects from the electronics curriculum use C++, which is not that difficult to pick up — especially with a real-world application in mind.

Throughout the entirety of your learning experience, you will not be alone. Creation Crate has an excellent support network and you can get help any time via phone, email, and video chat.

Creation Crate also has a well-established electronics curriculum that promises to take you from a complete novice to tech whizkid in no time at all. They are aimed at customers aged 12+, but the products are ideal for any beginner of any age who has a passion for learning electronics.

The Creation Crate curriculum gradually increases complexity and difficulty over time, and once you have a few under your belt, you might be up for tackling "Challenger Electronic Projects."

These are single electronic projects that are designed to test your abilities and give you functional projects that can be used at home. Examples include a rover bot, a Bluetooth speaker, a weather station, and an alarm clock.

To date, the company has shipped well over 60K boxes worldwide and is continuing to grow day by day. You can check out their website here.

Creation Crate also has a few industry awards under their belt including Newsweek's best in STEM 2021 award and the STEM.org authentication.

So, if you fancy diving into the world of electronics, but have no idea where to start, why not check out Creation Crate today? You’ll be upping your game with one box at a time!