SparkFun Forums

[EliteGamer83]

Hi, I'm pretty new to electronics does anyone have any ideas for a fun summer project? nothing too complex or advanced, and no kit's please. I don't really know of anything. I have good soldering skills though, I can solder SMD components well.

Thanks in advance!

[follower]

You could create a simple reaction tester game with a button, microcontroller, battery clip and some LEDs.

You could create an initial prototype using through-hole parts and then move onto SMD--if you used an Arduino it's a good way to get started.

I've done a similar project before as my first experience with SMD design--I etched my own PCB but you could probably use an SMD protoboard.

The cool thing about making a simple game (of any sort, reaction tester, Simon-style etc) is that you can show it off to other people and say "Hey, I made this" and hand it to them to play it--simple games can be surprisingly fun to play.

It's also an opportunity to work on an enclosure for your project too.

All the best for your project...

--Philip;

[EliteGamer83]

You could create a simple reaction tester game with a button, microcontroller, battery clip and some LEDs.

You could create an initial prototype using through-hole parts and then move onto SMD--if you used an Arduino it's a good way to get started.

I've done a similar project before as my first experience with SMD design--I etched my own PCB but you could probably use an SMD protoboard.

The cool thing about making a simple game (of any sort, reaction tester, Simon-style etc) is that you can show it off to other people and say "Hey, I made this" and hand it to them to play it--simple games can be surprisingly fun to play.

It's also an opportunity to work on an enclosure for your project too.

All the best for your project...

--Philip;

Thanks for the reply and ideas Philip!

I realize this seems very ambitious, but how difficult do you think it would be to create a 3.5mm audio Bluetooth transmitter? I know they sell them but they are quite expensive. Usually $60 and up. For example, a little box with a male 3.5mm protruding that you could plug into your stereo's LINE IN so you could stream music from your iPhone etc.

[follower]

In general it's reasonable to assume that a mass-produced consumer electronics device (particularly wireless) will cost more to build from scratch than it will to buy off the shelf. So, if saving money is your motivation I'd advise against embarking on such a project.

But part of learning from projects is getting an idea for what makes sense to build so you might want to look into how much all the pieces would cost.

--Philip;

[EliteGamer83]

In general it's reasonable to assume that a mass-produced consumer electronics device (particularly wireless) will cost more to build from scratch than it will to buy off the shelf. So, if saving money is your motivation I'd advise against embarking on such a project.

But part of learning from projects is getting an idea for what makes sense to build so you might want to look into how much all the pieces would cost.

--Philip;

I mean, I already have like 2-3 spare Bluetooth dongle's laying around here. If I can gut them I saved about $25-$50 right there.