Best Electronics Starter Kits for Adults - OneSDR

Looking for a fun, productive way of spending your time? Just getting started on your journey learning about electronics? Start with an electronic starter kit! Learn how to create and design projects involving electronics. Learn how to make a bulb light up or how to code. The electronics industry is thriving seeing as we’re moving towards a future of technology. Why not go with the flow? To help you out, here’s a few electronics starter kits for adults that may catch your eye.

After some detailed research, we have found that our top pick and the best electronic starter kit for adults in the market is the ELEGOO Mega 2560. But, it’s not the only option. Check out the list that we think would be best suited for you. Let’s begin with a quick summary of our top picks followed up the detailed review and buyer’s guide.

Table of Contents

Quick Summary

The Detailed Review

TOP PICK: ELEGOO Mega 2560 Project the Most Complete Ultimate Starter Kit

The ELEGOO comes with more than 200 components of premium quality and is 100% compatible with Arduino Integrated Development Environment (IDE). The Arduino is an open-source electronics platform for a range of different applications. Really cool, right?

The ELEGOO includes 1 Mega 2560 Controller Board, a USB cable, photo resistors, LEDs, an active buzzer and the like. Some components have even been soldered so you don’t need to solder them yourself! You can create lots and lots of projects using the components that come with this kit as well as the great tutorials and pdf files that are able in their website as well as through the CD that will be provided along with this kit. Finished with the projects? Start getting creative! The kit has been labeled “Amazon’s Choice” and of the nearly 4000 people who’ve bought and rated it globally, 79% have given a 5-star rating while 13% have rated it with 4 stars. This results in a whopping 4.7 out of 5-star rating.

Amazon reviewers feel the ELEGOO is one of the most comprehensive kits out there with lots of components you can play with.

ELEGOO’s Most Complete Starter Kit is, based on all the reviews, a comprehensive kit priced at a good value that is great for beginners who might want to start learning all about technology. For some extra information, here are some pros and cons we’d love for you to consider.

PROS

Easy to assemble and user-friendly
Designed with beginners in mind and easy to use
You’re given free instructions and tutorials you can use to create your projects
Finished every project? Get creative and devise your own!
This kit includes over 200 components
100% compatible with Arduino IDE.
Some components such as the LCD1602 module, have been soldered for you! No need to solder by yourself

CONS

The instructions could be improved
This kit is not the cheapest out electronic starter kit out there.
The tutorials might not help a beginner so much seeing as some lessons present information from a data sheet that might confuse the audience

RUNNER UP: Arduino Starter Kit

This kit comes with an amazing 170-page project guide and includes over 100 components such as a breadboard, USB cables, sensors, jumper wires and the like. The best thing about it? You don’t need to have any prior experience. This kit introduces coding and electronics and you’ll be able to build 15 different projects using the components given.

The Arduino Starter Kit is easy to use, has great packaging and quality and is very beginner-friendly. Around 2,000 bought and rated this product from Arduino itself through Amazon and the overall rating is 4.6 stars out of 5.

Amazon reviewers have said that the Arduino Starter Kit comes with really great and high-quality components and teaches you coding and electronics in an efficient way. The Arduino is made for beginners to understand basic robotics and true enough, the instruction book is simple to follow. The kit is modular and each part may be used and combined with other parts to create your own project. Those who have bought and used the Arduino Starter Kit believe that despite the price, this kit is a great way to learn the basics of robotics and coding.

PROS

Comes with a great and understandable project guide
Includes over 100 components of high quality
You can build 15 different projects using the given components
It’s very beginner friendly

CONS

It does not come with a plastic case where you could keep all the components and make sure that small parts are properly kept
Price

ANOTHER GREAT STARTER KIT: GAR Monster Starter Kit for Arduino UNO Mega Nano

This is one of the most advanced and biggest starter kits for Arduino out there. With 65 and more components and FOUR main boards, namely the 100% Arduino-compatible Uno R3, Mega 2560 and the Nano V3 and ESP32 2.4 GHz WiFi + Bluetooth Development Board, the GAR kit claims a spot in the list of 5 great electronic starter kits for adults.

This kit has a rating of on Amazon is 4.8 out of 5 stars. It’s great for beginners and easy to use. Because of the Nano V3 Development Board, you can build wireless projects. It might be a bit pricey but, based on the reviews, it’s really worth the price.

“If I was given this when I was a kid, I wouldn’t have wasted my 20s” – Reviewer

The GAR is a massive kit with loads of components and pieces that you can use to create different projects. Other than that, it’s a learning experience that comes with great guides and tutorials.

PROS

Earth’s 2^nd Biggest Starter Kit for Arduino (not kidding)
You can build wireless projects!
It’s an all-in-one bundle with extra accessories
Gives you 16GB worth of USB storage with free access to PDF guides and links to tutorials and videos.
Comes in a 16” x 12” durable organizer

CONS

It might not be very well suited for beginners. If you’re a complete beginner, you might not be aware of the things that would destroy your Arduino such as applying a voltage exceeding what’s required and the like.

BEST SELLER IN SINGLE BOARD COMPUTERS: ELEGOO UNO Project Super Starter Kit

This kit is an Amazon Best Seller when it comes to single board computers. So, you might be wondering what single board computers are. Single board computers, such as the Raspberry Pi, are small computing devices that among other applications, can be used to learn how to program, for robotics, electronics and the like.

The Elegoo UNO comes with an Arduino UNO R3 which is very similar to a single board computer seeing as they function the same but single board computers are more powerful. It is a best seller because this kit is cheaper and of better value seeing as it comes with, not only the Arduino UNO R3, but with other components as well. The Raspberry Pi is 40 times faster than an Arduino but, Arduinos are better when it comes to hardware projects.

Over 7000 people have bought and rated the Elegoo UNO and it has a 4.7 out of 5-star rating. That should tell you something. It includes various different components and a free PDF tutorial with more than 22 lessons. It’s an upgraded kit, too! So, it includes a power supply module, a 9V battery with DC and the like. It’s 100% compatible with Arduino. A review made on the website Electronics Hub states that “this is one of the most economical Arduino Starter Kits available today.”. An Amazon reviewer says that it’s well worth the money. Another says that it’s a comprehensive kit with in-depth lessons.

Once again, the pros and cons, ladies and gentlemen.

PROS

Not as expensive as the other kits
It’s an upgraded kit and now includes a power supply module and a 9V battery
Includes tutorials
100% compatible with Arduino
Really good ratings.

CONS

Some reviewers have complained about faulty or defective parts
You won’t be supporting the original makers of Arduino
Includes slightly advanced components like the Joy Stick or IR Receiver and Remote so it might be a bit complex for beginners.

BEST VALUE: REXQualis Electronics Component Fun Kit

Here’s another good kit that comes at a better and cheaper price than most starter kits. This kit comes at a much cheaper price than the other kits. It comes with more than 400 sensors and components you can use for simple and fun electronic projects. Tutorials are also made available.

The REXQualis kit rates a high 4.6 out of 5 and reviewers keep talking about its great value. According to them, this kit is well-organized and impressively packaged. The value and price of this kit was a really big factor for lots of buyers of this product. This affordable kit is labeled “Amazon’s Choice” and reviews say that it’s cheaper than most kits. A reviewer says that it’s a starter kit that’s perfect for anybody who wants to start using Arduino or Raspberry Pi. One reviewer says that he or she highly recommend this. “It speaks of care and long-term use expectancy”, he or she adds. This is a good electronics kit that does not focus on microcontrollers or programming. It truly is for getting started with hobby electronics.

PROS

Includes USB power cable and 400 or more components
Amazon Rating of 4.6 out of 5
It comes with great and free tutorials
Great value!

CONS

Doesn’t include a controller board
There are reviews that say that the components are cheap. For instance, resistors might have extremely thin wires. The components are not of the best quality.

How we picked the best products

Popularity

Well, the first part of the criteria would be the popularity. How popular was this product? How popular was it compared to other products? We scoured YouTube for reviews and we checked Amazon for it’s rating and reviews. We tried to choose products with a rating of 4 stars or more.

Features or Specifications

Another part of the criteria would be its features and specifications. What was the quality of the components? How many components did it come with and how good was the controller board? The specified number of components and what is included in the kit is found in the detailed review of each kit. We checked out other articles to see if the features were good and could help you achieve the main goal of having fun and learning electronics and the concepts of it.

Price

I’m going to tell you that electronic starter kits are not cheap. It’s affordable but not cheap. There are some kits on this list that are very pricey and expensive but we want to make sure that the kits have good quality components that help you achieve your goals. We tried to choose the starter kits that are both affordable and of really good quality. Yes, some of these are expensive but, based on reviews, they’re worth it.

Usability

We chose based on usability also. We wanted to make sure that these starter kits had good quality components, had a good controller board and such. We searched for kits that could easily be used and kits that have components that really fit into the projects you want to create. How would these kits help you create a project that you could have fun making and learning from? Those are the kinds of questions we asked as we chose the kits to place on the list.

Reviews

The last part of the criteria would be the reviews. We read loads of reviews not only form Amazon but from YouTube as well. We wanted to be sure of the quality, of the usability, of the features and how good the electronic starter kits would be so you could choose the right fit for you. Reviews took up one of the biggest parts of choosing which starter kit to place in our list. We’ve given summaries in our detailed review of each starter kit to help you but, you can always check the reviews for yourself.

Frequently asked questions

What is Arduino IDE?

Arduino IDE is short for Arduino Integrated Development Environment and it is an open-source electronics platform that allows you to code and program things to turn on, to light a sensor, etc. It contains a text editor for writing code, a message area and the like. The Arduino IDE is written in Java.

Is Electronics hard to learn?

Electronics is not hard to learn. There are many resources available today – from instruction videos to the kits presented in this article. As well there are plenty of user forums with people willing to help you on your journey learning about electronics. One of the best books to get if you’re serious about leaning electronics is The Art of Electronics.

What are Electronic Starter Kits?

Electronic Starter Kits are kits that contain things like wires, a breadboard, all things you need to create robots or projects that are powered by electricity. Through these kits, you’re able to learn all about electronics and the concept of it. The world is changing and the future is filled with technology and innovations. These kits are a great starting point for learning technology. It’s a great and productive way to spend your free time!

Where can I find these kits?

All these kits are available on Amazon and we have provided links in the summary below.

Why start using electronic starter kits?

As I’ve stated, the future will be filled and controlled by technology and by new innovations. We can’t stop that so we go with the flow. These kits will help you learn and innovate and live a life working towards the future. Create new projects! Be the new Thomas Edison and get creative!

Where else can I find tutorials and lessons on electronics and coding aside from the given guide books?

Well, you can find tutorials online and in the Internet. There are lots. You can check out YouTube or look up tutorials from Google. You can check out workshops online or talk to someone who knows electronics in your area. You can also look at Coursera or Udemy for some online courses. There are lots of ways for you to learn how to code or learn all about electronics.

Summary

Technology is our future. Electronic starter kits are great ways to learn technology and to be innovative and creative. Use the loads of components available in these kits as you code and innovate your way to the future. Ladies and gentlemen, here are the five kits we suggest you start with.