Hand-Held Games console Soldering Practise Kit

To help improve some of our practical work and give us experience in working with electronics, we worked on assembling a DIY games console. This was also a test since the assembling would be a potential activity for taster days at the university, further demonstrating our understanding of the need for recruitment in STEM and making it accessible to those from all backgrounds.

The components that needed to be soldered were the LED screen (which came in three parts), the part that contained code for the console, five buttons, the on/off switch, a capacitor and a resistor. The rest was just an extra back piece of plastic that was easily screwed on with a screwdriver.

We faced an issue with one part of the screen since it had to be placed in at an angle, since the first component was blocking the pins on the other side. We concluded this to be a possible manufacturing error but might be fixed by adjusting the first piece. This led us to believe that on taster days if any parts are to be pre-soldered for ease for the aspiring students then the first piece should be it. Additionally, in a few places we had soldered too close to two components, causing them to short circuit. However, this could be easily fixed by melting it and redoing it with a little more care than previously.

Upon evaluation, the kit was easy for soldering beginners in the group to grasp the visual instructions and could be done in under two hours. They are also relatively cheap so would be a good activity for individuals working in a taster class. 

Link to console - Amazon