Electronics, like automobile mechanics, has slowly become a lost art form for hobbyists because of the complexity of the systems, and the fact that most products can be purchased fully built and tested for far less that what they can be bought for in kit form. The advent of the grain of salt size surface mount components further complicated the aspiring hobbyist/builder because the specialized equipment necessary is expensive (hot air soldering/rework machine, microscope, solder paste dispenser, etc.). It is nearly impossible to even troubleshoot a modern consumer electronic device these days without access to a lab like the one many of us work (or worked) in.
Fortunately, there are still a still a handful of companies keeping the pastime alive by offering kits or partial kits. The sophistication of the kits does not come close to the color televisions or radio control units that Heathkit produced decades ago, but there are many building block circuit kits that at least take some of the work out of designing, building and testing your own custom creations.
Please let me know if you have a good company to add to this list.
For your convenience, I have built a set of pages with hand-selected companies. My policy is to
only list companies that actually manufacture product or offer services related to the page title
subject. Product distributors and sales representatives are not listed (they have their own page).
This helps guarantee that each listing offers a unique product or service.
ApogeeKits
800-980-7966 | Euless, TX
ApogeeKits Electronic designs and manufactures unique kits of our own, and carries high quality brand name kits from other well known manufacturers. Our website pages have many kits that are available no place else in the United States. We also have test equipment, power supplies, anti-static products and other assembled electronic products for professionals and hobbyists. Whether you're new to electronic kit building or a seasoned professional, we have electronic project kits, tools, lights, magnifiers, soldering equipment, anti-static products and much more for every skill level. Within our kit product pages you'll also find many free electronic kit circuit schematics, free tutorials, plans, and lists to outside resources.
All Spectrum Electronics
877-899-7400 | Van Nuys, CA
DMM, ham radio, holiday specialty, LED, radio, robotic.
Almost All Digital Electronics
253-351-9316 | Auburn, WA
L/C meter, digital frequency displays, vacuum tube radio probe, Filter Design & Analysis software - FREE, precision frequency reference.
Bakatronics
877-629-2730 | CT
Over 500 different electronic kits, electronic models & model railroad items to choose from.
DC Kits
800-467-7736 | Scottsdale, AZ
PLLs, transmitters, controller boards.
Electro-Kits
A comprehensive database of electronic circuits and kits that come complete with circuit designs (schematics), PCB circuit boards and electronic components so that you can solder together your own electronic circuits, with minimal effort.
Electronic Rainbow
317-745-5602 | Danville IN
A large variety of kits for sub-functions like power supplies, IR emitters/detectors, motion sensors, amplifiers, timers, etc.
Electronics 123
888-549-3749 | Columbiana, OH
Audio and sound effects, audio pre/power amplifiers, batteries & battery accessories, controllers, experimentation projects, indicators and testers, inverters and converters, light effects, microcontrollers, power supplies, radio, robots, security, timers | counters | oscillators, TV, video and camera.
Erlich Industrial Development
All of the kits' Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) are made and packaged in North Carolina, USA. You can buy them pre-assembled, bare-bones and/or components only. Huge selection of LED displays, processors, I/O modules, sensors, amplifiers, data converters.
Gibson Sales Systems
Telephone kit, robotic arm trainer kit, solar car (with solar panel), hand-held police siren, two-LED blinker for bicycles, DMM kit, burglar alarm kit, telephone amplifier kit, 15-LED spectrum analyzer, 25W audio amplifier, 8 melody generator kit, universal musical alarm, 4A universal DC power supply kit, super sensor motion detector kit, digital roulette, dual-band AM short wave radio kit, variable strobe light kit, sound operated switch kit, parallel PC interface kit, MicroBug robot, voice changer.
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| Hobby Engineering
650-589-2878 | San Francisco, CA
A supply store for people who want to build robots, electronic gadgets, kinetic art or anything else that moves, beeps or flashes.
HobbyTron.com
818-675-9002 / San Fernando, CA
Electronic project kits & parts. Electronics for kids, test equipment and tools, amateur radio, amplifier, audio equipment, color organs, clock kits, electronic games, light effects, noise effects, power supply, radio kits, sensors and remotes, telephone kits, timers and relays, TV video kits, surveillance.
NightFire Electronic Kits
352-237-4348
A wide selection of low-cost Active and Passive Electronic Components as Design Kits for Engineers, Technicians, Students, and Hobbyists in both Surface Mount Technology & Thru-Hole. Our kits are developed with the Designer in mind. Now you can buy just the right semiconductor with just the right amount of resistors, capacitors, LEDs, and more. As a bonus, most of our Thru-Hole kits come with a blank Perfboard to help in your designs.
Quality Kits
1-888-464-5487 | Kingston, ON Canada
If you are looking for a way to build your inventions and do not have time to research, design, proto type, debug, deglitch, rebuild, and source parts; we are the answer! We add new kits regularly, all using some new and some proven technology, trying to give you a mix of building blocks that can be used together or alone to provide solutions to your demanding applications. Typical proven building blocks would be amplifier kits, valve amplifiers, 1 A, 3 A and 10 A DC power supply modules, as well as benchtop power supply with extremely low drift and stable regulation. More advanced projects include I/O boards for your P.C, ISA, Serial, & Parallel types.
Ramsey Electronics
800-980-7966 | Euless, TX
Providing the neatest electronic products and kits for over 30 years! From AM & FM transmitters, hobby kits, video cameras, time & weather products, amateur radio gear, mini-kits, or just neat stuff, we make working with electronics not only fun, but also a great learning experience. With Ramsey kits you don't just get a bag of parts and some instructions. We delve into circuit theory covering how and why it works, all in a fun and easy to understand format.
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Kirt
