TronClub is a subscription service that provides a monthly kit of electronics components and a booklet of circuit schematics and breadboard diagrams. The monthly cost is €14 plus €5.99 shipping. Before I get to the review I’ll list the components and the circuit diagrams that are provided.

Quality

The kit arrived in a packet card envelope with the components in a bubble bag. The components are organised into little bags. All of the components are fine but I could not get the jumper cables into the breadboard, to the point where I popped the grip from the jumper wire. I have a load of breadboard so its not a big deal, but if you are a beginner and this was your only breadboard you’d get annoyed fairly quickly. If I insert something with a more tapered point it’ll probably loosen out.

The booklet warns that you will need some of these components in the next kit, I’ll be interested to see where it goes.

Who is the intended audience?

A beginner would be able to put the circuits together like Lego, that’s about it. There is very little explanation as to what is happening in the circuits and no explanation of what Current, Voltage and Resistance actually are, just a brief explanation of Ohms Law. More advanced topics such as transistors and the 555 timer chip are not really explained at all, there’s just some formulas and tables.

This kit is by no means a self-contained beginners kit. If you want to learn about electronics you’ll have to look elsewhere, but at least you’ll have the components provided in this kit. I definitely wouldn’t recommend this kit for children unless you’re going to do a lot of explanation along the way.

If you’re more advanced than a beginner, it’s hard to imagine that you wouldn’t have a lot of these components lying around. You might not have built all of the circuits in the kit but it’s probably not beyond your ability.

Conclusion

Should you buy this kit if you’re an absolute beginner? Not unless you’re dedicated and willing to learn from other sources. Should you buy this kit for kids? Not unless you plan to work through it with them and are already knowledgeable. Should you buy this kit if you want to understand the theory behind the circuits without using other sources? No.

It’s hard to figure out who this kit is intended for, not enough explanation for a beginner, circuits too basic for someone with experience. Having said that, I’m optimistic that future months will provide greater value in terms of components, education and literature. If the intention is to build month after month, I suppose you have to start somewhere. I plan on staying subscribed for the time being but if you’re going to take the plunge, get a good book to go along with it.