Step 1: What Are Electronics?

Even if you’re not aware, electronics are all around us. In fact, thanks to electronics, most innovations of the previous century such as computers, television, video games and smartphones came to be.

So, let’s start with a basic definition. Electronics is the science and technology concerned with the design of circuits using transistors and microchips, and with the behaviour and movement of electrons.

Sounds complicated? To put it simply, electronics lets you move electrons around. Still sounds complicated? Don’t worry, keep reading and by the end of this article you should get a basic understanding that will allow you to tackle simple electronics projects.

Step 2: Learn To Read Schematics and Symbols

Electronic schematics can look confusing at first but they are actually pretty easy to understand and read. The ability to read them will help you when working on electronic projects and, if you move on to more serious projects, you will need to know how to draw a schematic in order to move on to circuit board design.

The easiest way to go about this is to take a look at a schematics guide that will show you what each line and symbol on the schematic means. Once you get acquainted with the basics, you’ll be able to read more complex schematic drawings.

Step 3: Get The Basic Materials and Tools

Having the right tools for the job will help you complete any DIY electronic projects with ease. However, finding the right tools can be a tough task. There are so many different tools from different suppliers to choose from and you might get lost and not know where to start, especially if you’re a beginner.

Our recommendation is that a beginner’s tools pack should include:

1. Soldering iron
2. Solder sucker
3. Phillips Screwdriver
4. Needle nose pliers
5. Diagonal cutter pliers
6. Metal soldering iron stand
7. Solder
8. Sponge

Step 4: Get a Basic Understanding of the Components

There are a lot of different components that appear in electronics projects but there are a few components that appear in almost all projects. They are:

1. LEDs
2. Capacitors
3. Resistors
4. Transistor

We suggest checking out any guide to the basics of electronics to get acquainted with these components because you’ll be coming in contact with them often.

If you’re one of those people who learn better through a hands-on approach, there are a lot of great kits out there that will help you understand how these components work together to create a functioning device. A simple Google search should suffice to find these DIY electronic projects for beginners.

Step 5: Learn How to Solder

Once you gather all the tools and understand how the components interact with each other, you can move on to the next step - learning how to solder. Most electronics projects require soldering the parts together so, it’s important to learn how to solder and anyone can learn how to do it.

If you have no experience with electronics or soldering, our recommendation is to get beginner-friendly soldering practice kits. Most of these kits already come with all the components and the circuit board which will help you shift focus on only learning how to solder rather than worrying about gathering all the supplies first.

In case you’ve never soldered before, it might be a good idea to look at a few how-to-solder guides. You can check out any of these:

• Adafruit’s video tutorial featuring Collin Cunningham – a tutorial featuring Collin Cunningham, a super charismatic electronics guru.
• Adafruit’s standard soldering tutorial – A great and thorough video tutorial. An absolute must-read, even if you know how to solder. Make sure to check the “common soldering mistakes” section at the end.
• Sparkfun’s video soldering tutorial – Another well made how-to-solder video tutorial.
• Sparkfun’s standard soldering tutorial – Well written tutorial made by Sparkfun

1. Never inhale the dust and the fumes that can be produced by the soldering iron! These can be hazardous so please don't inhale them.
2. Never touch the tip of the soldering iron! Even if the soldering iron is turned off or completely disconnected from the power source, there is still a possibility that it’s very hot and therefore can cause very uncomfortable pain if touched.
3. Clean the soldering iron! The sponge is your best friend while soldering. Make sure to use it often to clean your soldering iron if you wish to have an easy and simple soldering experience!
4. Check your solder joints twice (at least)! Most of the malfunctions in the world of electronics are due to bad solder joints, so regardless if this is your first or 100th soldering project, always make sure to inspect your joints multiple times before proceeding to the next step.
5. Know how much solder is needed! Make sure to put just enough solder, not too much, and not too little, since both can cause the device to malfunction.
6. Don’t leave any residual solder on the board! The solder should only be on the parts of the console where the pins connect to the board and everything else should be clean. Little pieces of solder all over the board are a big no-no.

Since soldering irons deal with high temperatures it’s very important to adhere to these safety rules. If you need to, read through these rules a couple of more times to make sure you don’t forget them.

Once they are engraved in your memory, your soldering experience will be like a stroll in the park - nice and easy!

Step 6: Discover Integrated Circuits

Up until now, we’ve covered using simple components that will help you build simple circuits. Although simple is fun, it’s likely that you’ll like to move on to more complex projects soon after mastering the basics.

Adding different functionalities to your project such as sound, memory, intelligence, etc. requires using Integrated Circuits. As with everything in electronics, Integrated Circuits can look very complicated in the beginning but once you learn how to use them, you’ll have access to endless possibilities.

A great way to discover Integrated Circuits is to complete a few simple electronics projects that already have Integrated Circuits. One tip here is to find a project that has detailed guides on all the components and boards included in the project to help you understand how everything works together.

Step 7: Design Your Own Circuit Board

After completing the previous steps you should have all the basic knowledge required to design your own circuit board. Once again, this is easier than you’d think. Especially because you can find numerous guides online that cover the basics of getting started with Circuit Board design.

Step 8: Discover Microcontrollers

Understanding Integrated Circuits and being able to design your own Circuit Board is already pretty advanced knowledge. However, there’s still a big area you can explore to use in your electronic projects - Microcontrollers.

As with all the steps before, it’s best to find a guide that will teach you about the basics of Microcontrollers. Then, once you learn how to use a Microcontroller, you’ll be able to create advanced functionalities for your project by simply writing a few lines of code instead of figuring out how to create a circuit of components that would perform the same function.

Conclusion

It’s important to understand that not all these steps can be learned in a day. Even though we said getting started in electronics is simple, if you try to understand all these steps at the same time, it’s easy to get overwhelmed.

So, give yourself enough time to master each step before moving on to the next one and you’ll be a pro in no time. You can do it!

That being said, recognizing a good science kit is actually not that hard. Ultimately, the best STEM kits are the ones that meet the following three requirements.

1. Science kit should contain the best quality equipment

 Imagine getting an educational science kit for your kid, only to realize that some of the included components are easily breakable, non-durable, and of poor quality. 

Unfortunately, some manufacturers think they don’t need to ensure the best quality of the components because the product is intended for STEM beginners or kids. 

What you should always do before purchasing a kit is pay attention to the quality of the equipment. You can do this by checking the product reviews or contacting the producer. 

Simply try to make sure that the components contained in the kit are genuine and not low-quality versions of the elements that are used for actual scientific purposes.

2. Science kit should contain relevant learning materials

While the main point of a science kit is its hands-on experience, it is also essential to understand the theoretical concepts and facts regarding the activity you’re performing.

E.g., if you’re building an AI-powered DIY robot car, it would be beneficial to get some offline or online learning materials that will help you understand how this technology works.

Ensure that the kit you’re about to purchase provides you with more than just a cool experience without any scientific context. 

 3. Science kit should contain fun & simple instructions

It is crucial for any child or adult facing their first STEM project to have very engaging and easy-to-follow instructions. A poor build guide that lacks images or doesn’t explain all the steps adequately could ultimately discourage any beginner. It may even demotivate them from continuing their journey through the world of DIY.

One of the most important things you should check when choosing your kit is if it contains straightforward instructions. Make sure that those guidelines include lots of pictures, information about every component contained in the kit, and clear explanations of all the functions you need to perform throughout your build. 

If you’re getting this kit for your kid, you might also check whether the design, colors, and the form of the instructions are something that would keep them engaged and interested.  

Requirements for a fun activity

So to recap, a proper science kit that will provide you with the best learning experience is one that has quality components, suitable learning materials, and easy-to-follow build instructions. 

All things considered, if the science kit you’re checking out ticks all the mentioned boxes, we guarantee you that both you and your kid are in for a great learning experience.

due to very popular demand and fantastic support from you folks, I've decided to start a series of behind-the-scenes vlogs that will show you a bit more about CircuitMess Batmobile, our creative process, and our crew 🎥🎬

Please tell me what you think and what you'd like to see next.

Oh, and stay tuned, we're going to have some kind of a special deal tomorrow (pssst, it's a secret 😉).

Thank you, and keep making

- Albert

Did you know that all of our sets are designed, developed, and manufactured right here in our office in Zagreb? 

We have a lot of cool machines here, and I've made a short video to show you around and tell a bit more about how our whole process works.

You'll see where we handle everything from research and development, finance, administration, sales, marketing to processing and packing orders. Everything is done right here in our HQ. 

We've actually moved to this office in Zagreb, Croatia, from Karlovac, Croatia, in 2020. So, in one of my next updates, I'll tell you a little bit more about our old office and how the company started in 2017 after our first Kickstarter campaign. 

If you think this office is a mess, wait till I tell you about our old office in Karlovac.  :) 

What's your favorite part of our office? 

-Albert

There is still a number of backers whose credit cards were not successfully charged by Kickstarter. 

If your payment didn't go through, please fix it by the end of the day.

If you don't fix your payment method on time, Kickstarter will automatically cancel your pledge and you, unfortunately, won't be able to get your STEM Box :(

please follow this tutorial:

https://help.kickstarter.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005133293-A-project-I-m-backing-just-succeeded-and-my-pledge-was-declined-What-do-I-do-

If you don't manage to fix your payment this way, please reach out to Kickstarter's support here:

https://help.kickstarter.com/hc/en-us/categories/115000499033-Backer-questions

If you need any further help in fixing your payment, don't be shy and reach out to me directly!

Thanks and stay tuned!

- Albert

Our Kickstarter campaign wrapped up with 2001 backers and $84,000 more than our previous one which is beyond our wildest dreams.

Our story doesn’t end here, though.

Thanks to your support, now the real work begins!

We are already working hard on finishing Spencer’s design and getting him into production, and into your homes and schools in November.

I will frequently  update you guys about our progress so expect more Kickstarter updates along the way.
I also really value your opinions and suggestions, so please keep them coming!

This project was made possible thanks to you and we will do our best to deliver the coolest STEM kits to you.

Thank you!

Here is a short video of me playing with Jay-D. Fasten your seat-belts for super-awesome STEM kits! :)

PS, if you missed the chance to get your STEM Box in this campaign, you can still get it on Indiegogo InDemand (for a slightly higher price because we wanted to give our first supporters on Kickstarter the best price ever)

Oh, and our 20% cashback through Kickbooster is also active for Indiegogo, so if you wish, you can share it:
https://circuitmess-stem-box.kickbooster.me/boost

I've been asked to show a bit more of Jay-D in action so we've shot this short video of Erik jamming with a prototype of Jay-D. 

- Albert and the crew

I hope everyone is well during these uncertain times!

We’d like to keep our promise of delivering MAKERphones to all of our backers, but a tiny portion of our backers still didn’t receive their phones because they’ve never responded to our surveys or emails and we do not have their shipping addresses.

If you haven’t received your MAKERphone(s), let us know on contact@circuitmess.com.

Stay well,

Albert & the team

We have a couple of exciting news and we need your help to make something happen. :D

Soon we'll be moving into our new office in Zagreb (the capital of Croatia) which would mean a lot more possibilities for cooperation with other young and promising investors, which we hope, will ultimately lead to new exciting products.

Of course, we don't want to forget about our old products either, since we'll still be upgrading the software of MAKERphone and keep making the whole experience as exciting as it can be.

For the decoration of our new office, however, we are going to need your photos! Since MAKERphone has been shipped across SIX CONTINENTS (still waiting on that Antarctica order!), we are very happy with the global success of our campaign. That also means that a lot of you are from some very exciting cities and areas with beautiful landmarks and sceneries. 

What's your mission? Take a photo of yourself holding a MAKERphone (and/or a MAKERbuino if you own it) on an iconic place in your city. Anything can be in the background - a monument, a beautiful view, or maybe something specific in your city that you think would look good on the photo! We're giving extra points for creativity and the amount of 'happy' your face is showing!

What you're getting? Other than being exposed in our new office, we're also giving away FREE MERCH! The best of the best will get a complete package of our super cool merch - T-SHIRTS, STICKERS (YAY!), AN ECO-FRIENDLY BAG and some other very cool stuff!

We're very thankful for this whole campaign and hope to collect as many of your photos as possible so we can really and fully enjoy our new office space.

For everyone who wants to participate, please send your photos to contact@circuitmess.com.

Thanks in advance everyone, you are the best!

Albert & the team

Some of you were also supposed to receive custom casings. Unfortunately, due to some logistical and practical reasons (the casing is just not big enough to customize it!), we could not have made the custom casings as we initially thought.

For you who should’ve gotten those, we’ve added one additional casing in a different color, so you have more than one look to rock on your super-cool new phone!

We hope everyone is happy with the final product and that you will enjoy it as much as we have enjoyed during the whole process of making it happen.

Cheers and catch you again soon,

Albert & the team

Some of you already received your phones or tracking numbers and I want to thank you for assembling your phones immediately and sending us exciting feedback about our device! :)

We plan to ship all of your phones by the end of October and currently, around 40% of the orders were fulfilled.

We're packing your phones as fast as we can, but we can pack and send a maximum of 300 packages per day and there's over 2500 MAKERphones ordered.

If you did not receive your tracking number yet, don't worry! You'll receive it in the following weeks.

We're monitoring all the tracking numbers and will give you a buzz if something goes wrong with your delivery.

Thank you for your patience! 

Stay cool,

Albert & the team

Since we’ve moved the shipment date, we decided to offer everyone one last chance to upgrade to 4G.

We ordered extra 4G network modules so send us a private message if you missed the last deadline.

Why would I need the upgrade?

There are mainly two reasons you might want a MAKERphone 4G:

1) Your carrier might phase out 2G in the near future or your carrier doesn’t support 2G at all. 

2G will remain available in most countries at least by early 2021 (and by 2025 in Europe). 2G was already shut down in Australia, Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore.

2) You want the phone to use advanced cellular data connectivity (so, WiFi is not enough).

Let us know and we’ll make it work!

Thank you,

Albert & the team

MAKERphone 4G just became an option in the rewards section. 

When we sought out to build MAKERphone, we wanted to demystify mobile phones and create an affordable educational device. 

After the great success (thank you all) - one of the most common requests was - will there be a 4G/LTE version of MAKERphone? 

So we put our minds and hands together and as of today - we’re offering MAKERphone 4G for all our packs (like BFF, PartyAnimal, Educational pack etc…) 

Why would you want a 4G version of MAKERphone?

There are mainly two reasons you might want a MAKERphone 4G:

1) Your carrier might phase out 2G in the near future or your carrier doesn’t support 2G at all.

2G will remain available in most countries at least by early 2021 (and by 2025 in Europe). 2G was already shut down in Australia, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore.

2) You want the phone to use advanced cellular data connectivity (so, WiFi is not enough).

If you plan just on assembling the MAKERphone, using it for phone calls, text messages, playing music and connecting it to WiFi - you can probably just stick with the standard MAKERphone.

If not - you can just go ahead and adjust your perk!

How is the MAKERphone 4G different?

MAKERphone 4G is a version of MAKERphone with a 4G chipset (SIM7600) instead of a 2G GSM chipset (SIM800) that’s included on the standard MAKERphone.  

4G chipsets are still much more expensive than regular 2G chipsets.  

The other aspects of MAKERphone will work similarly on both models.

Thanks again for your support. We’re passing our stretch goals with the speed of light so expect a new update with a poll for a unique game of your choice and a new stretch goal announcement soon!

Keep making!  
- Albert and the MAKERphone gang

we owe you all a big apology. We've focused 100% of our time on production for the past two weeks and were having some problems with production, sourcing, factory space and most importantly - we’ve had a hard time estimating the delivery date before even launching our campaign and knowing the amount of rewards we’ll have to send. 

Basically, every problem you can imagine - we’ve had it in the past two months :)  

In the end, our twice prolonged estimated delivery date prolonged once more and our communication with the MAKERbuino community was horrific and we’re sorry.  

This is our first production effort ever, so we’re still learning how to do this.    

About my private life: I've dropped out of college to fully dedicate my time to the company and was going through a hard time because of family issues. This is my passion in life and I want to give it 100% commitment and focus my efforts on making MAKERbuino and CircuitMess the best they can ever be. 

Long story short: - 95% of the rewards were shipped and the rest is being assembled at the moment and will be shipped this Monday. You’ll receive the tracking numbers this Monday or Tuesday. 

- Please monitor your tracking number and report if you don’t receive your kit 12 days after its dispatch date, about 1% of the packages got lost in transit and we will resend those packages. 

- We’ve changed the content of some kit versions:
1) MAKERbuino kit with tools: we’ve dropped the desoldering pump and replaced it with diagonal cutter pliers because we’ve found them more useful in the soldering process than the desoldering pump
2) MAKERbuino inventor’s kit: we didn’t have enough time to test and source a suitable accelerometer/gyroscope module that we promised on the Kickstarter listing so we’ve decided to compensate that with increasing the amount of other components.
3) Educational packs were sent without the workshop organizer cheat sheet and a workshop plan. We will send that material in a digital form by the end of August via email. We’ve tried to compensate for the delay by adding extra handstraps, button caps and small soldering badges we’ve designed to the educational packs.
4) We’ve dropped the colored casings in Party and educational packs because we haven’t managed to organize the production of the casings (and I think they don’t really look as pretty as the crystal clear casings). We’ve tried to compensate for that by increasing the amount of crystal clear casings included in the packs. 

- The GPIO expander board is missing from roughly 100 inventor’s kits due to a manufacturing mistake. Please watch out for that one and report if you haven’t gotten the board. We will send you the missing component straight away. 

- We know our communication with the community was bad and we’re working to improve that. We’ve set up the new support page with a ticketing system and I’ve hired new people that will be dedicated to supporting the community. 

- We are listening to your feedback and are improving the build guide and adding new guides. 

- There is no programming guide or a guide for what to do with the inventor’s pack. I ask for your patience, we need more time to finish those. 

- Anybody who wants a refund and hasn’t gotten one, please ping me 

- We are moving our company to a larger workspace and are working really hard to scale the production and avoid delays like this one. 

We won’t abandon you after we ship all the kits and will continue supporting the MAKERbuino and developing new guides, software & hardware tutorials, and expansions (otherwise we’ll go bankrupt and I will be very very hungry :) ) 

Thank you for your support, understanding, and patience. 

Keep making! Albert Gajšak and the rest of the CircuitMess gang