Product Overview
The Make: Electronics Third Edition Kit 1 Deluxe is a thoughtfully curated component pack developed in close collaboration with Charles Platt, the author of Make: Electronics, Third Edition (2023). Designed specifically to support every experiment outlined in the book, this deluxe version offers nearly 200 high-quality electronic components that enable hands-on learning across beginner, intermediate, and advanced skill levels—ideal for teens through adults. Whether you’re building your first circuit or exploring more complex logic gates and analog systems, this kit provides the precise parts needed to follow along with Platt’s proven educational approach. Unlike generic starter kits, this offering aligns directly with the experiments in the third edition, ensuring accuracy, relevance, and real learning outcomes.
Key Features
- Author-Approved Design: Created with direct input from Charles Platt, guaranteeing full compatibility with the experiments and pedagogical structure of his updated 2023 edition. This means each resistor, IC chip, or transistor included serves a specific role in the learning journey as intended by the book’s creator.
- Solderless Breadboard Included: Features a reusable breadboard essential for safe, fast prototyping. No soldering required—perfect for beginners experimenting without fear of mistakes, while still providing a solid foundation for professional-style circuit development.
- Nearly 200 Components: Carefully selected mix of resistors, capacitors, diodes, transistors (including BJTs and MOSFETs), LEDs, switches, potentiometers, connectors, and integrated circuits like 555 timers and 74-series logic chips. These support everything from basic LED blinkers to oscillator circuits and digital logic builds.
- Educational Alignment: Every component corresponds to a specific chapter or experiment in Make: Electronics, Third Edition, making it easy for learners to progress systematically through concepts such as voltage, current, resistance, amplification, timing, and feedback.
- Deluxe Packaging Advantage: More extensive than the economy version—includes extras like multiple ICs, dual potentiometers, extra jumper wires, and assorted passive elements not found in standard kits, allowing users to revisit experiments or expand into new projects.
Technical Specifications
- Component Count: Approximately 200 pieces
- Breadboard Type: Solderless, reusable breadboard (standard size; ideal for classroom or home use)
- Compatible With: Make: Electronics, Third Edition (2023) by Charles Platt
- Target Audience: Teens through adult learners—suitable for students, educators, hobbyists, and self-taught makers
- Skill Level Support: Beginner to Advanced (structured progression via book experiments)
- Included Components: Resistors (various values), capacitors (ceramic & electrolytic), diodes (standard and Zener), transistors (NPN/PNP), LEDs (multiple colors), switches (pushbutton & toggle), potentiometers, jumper wires, alligator clips, IC sockets, breadboard power rails, and commonly used ICs like the 555 timer and 74LS08 AND gate
- Not Included: The paperback copy of Make: Electronics, Third Edition; only available in the Ultimate Deluxe Kit
Benefits & Use Cases
This deluxe kit shines in environments where structured, experiment-based learning is valued—whether in formal STEM classrooms, homeschool settings, or independent study. Teachers appreciate how the components map directly to lesson plans derived from the book, reducing prep time and increasing student engagement through immediate tactile results. Students benefit from the confidence that comes with having the right part for each step, avoiding frustration over missing or incorrect components. Hobbyists and DIY enthusiasts find value in the breadth of included ICs and passive parts, enabling them to move beyond introductory projects into more sophisticated designs like oscillators, amplifiers, and digital counters.
The inclusion of a solderless breadboard removes the intimidation factor often associated with electronics. Learners can assemble, test, modify, and troubleshoot circuits safely and repeatedly—critical for understanding cause-and-effect relationships in electronics. This trial-and-error approach mirrors real-world engineering practices and fosters deeper conceptual mastery than theoretical study alone.
While the kit doesn’t include tools like multimeters or wire strippers, these are widely available and inexpensive to acquire separately. Many schools and makerspaces already have such tools on hand, making this kit immediately usable in existing setups.
Important Notes
To fully leverage this kit, ownership of the Make: Electronics, Third Edition (2023) paperback is required. The kit itself contains only components—it does not include the book, which is sold separately or bundled exclusively in the Ultimate Deluxe version. This ensures you get precisely what you need without paying for content you may already own.
Though designed primarily around Platt’s experiments, many components in this deluxe set are versatile enough to support open-ended exploration beyond the textbook. However, for optimal alignment and educational impact, we recommend following the book’s sequence: it scaffolds knowledge progressively, building from Ohm’s Law to microcontroller-ready circuits.
ProTechTrader
ProTechTrader is a small family business dedicated to our mission in electronics: to teach and provide.
ProTechTrader started with just one employee and kept it in the family for ten years. We are committed to supporting DIY, makers, and hobbyists in electronics. We take pride in providing components that can be tricky to find, especially those critical to educational kits aligned with respected authors like Charles Platt. Our premiere offering—the complete ProTechTrader Make: Electronics kits—has been developed in direct partnership with the author himself. What sets us apart is our unwavering commitment to personal, direct customer support: when you have questions, we answer them with intent to teach, not just sell.
