Elenco FM Radio Kit

This auto-scan FM kit from Elenco is fantastic. The instructions are well written and illustrated. Included is a good explanation of how the radio works and its different sections. All the components are organized for you in advance on a bit of cardboard. The main FM chip is surface-mount, but has been pre-soldered for you. The build process is straightforward, and all the parts are of reasonable quality for a kit like this. There is no case, but one could be 3D-printed if needed (though I think it is fine without a case, as the battery holder acts as a stand). The radio itself, once built, performs quite well after alignment (if you have bad performance, don't skip that step). The audio amp section is very loud. Tuning can be a little odd, as you can only "tune-up." You then reset the radio to start at the bottom of the band. Unfortunately you can't hold a specific frequency when listening to a marginal station. It will eventually lose lock and tune up. It works best with stronger stations. This is a great kit for beginners to advanced beginners. Intermediate builders will find it a relaxing build.

Some people might be disappointed without a frequency display for tuning, but it is a great soldering project, and you end up with a functional FM radio. Various people have designed cases that can be 3D printed, which is a nice finish to the project.

It’s a robust and good project kit to keep my 8 year old from the tablets and phones.

Tout est fait pour ne pas se tromper. Tout est bien prévu, sauf qu'il faut d'abord traduire les textes en Français pour éviter les petites erreurs de montage. Il faut un petit fer à souder à bout très fin. Il fournissent l'étain, mais j'ai utilisé le mien (il contient un peu de Pb) car il fond plus rapidement. Il faut bien aérer avec un ventilo. Le plus difficile, c'est de régler les spires pour une meilleure réception. Il fonctionne fort et clair si les soudures sont réussies : bien inspecter chaque soudure en cas de bruit bizarre et si besoin titiller chaque composant.

Le kit est facile à monter, même si l'étaim fourni il faut bien chauffer pour que ça accroche, avec de l'étaim de qualité en revanche aucun soucis, la notice en anglais est superbe illustrée et détaillée, y'a pas à se tromper, je conseille de souder les deux composants optionnels pour un bon son.