Maplins Electronics, £19.95 (0702. 554161). Recently introduced by Maplin Elec- tronics, this kit is excellent value for money. Costed individually for similar.
REVIEWS Students Tool Kit Maplins Electronics, £19.95 (0702 554161) Recently introduced by Maplin Electronics, this kit is excellent value for money. Costed individually for similar quality items, I estimated a purchase price of more than £22, not including the case. The case is produced from a plastic material and appears quite adequate for the task. Recesses are provided in the lid and the base for the tools. It is similar to the briefcase style cases supplied with some DIY drills. The side cutters and pliers were rather stiff, but equal measures of oil and elbow grease had the desired effect, and they worked well and are strong enough to survive almost anything. The two cross and two standard screw-
Electronics Workbench 3.0 Robinson Marshall, £199 (0203 233216) How many of us have sat before prototyped projects and muttered, 'it should have worked?' I welcome any assistance for myself or my students that can help determine between faulty design and clumsy bread-boarding. Electronics Workbench is a comprehensive CAD package for the PC that genuinely speeds electronic design, whilst encouraging fault finding methodology. The analogue and digital modules of this application utilise a wimp environment where component or logic symbols can be dragged onto the screen,
Modular Science for GCSE: Electricity in Action The Sciences for GCSE: Number 7; Waves, Energy and Communication, Number 11; Nuclear Power and Electricity Heinemann Education, ISBN 435 57026 9/57831 6/57836 7 Modular Science for GCSE consists of a series of 13 booklets which cover a wide range of material. Each booklet has about 32 pages, with each topic presented as an attractive and easily readable two page spread, packed with information and complemented with 36
drivers are sensibly sized. The solder sucker (desoldering tool if you prefer!) worked as well as any I have ever used. 'Helping Hands' comprises a weighted base, a system of adjustable arms with clips to support small strip or printed circuit boards during assembly. They do eliminate the need to chase the board around the bench with the iron. The scraper and wire wrap tools are not really adequate, better ones are available at a very moderate cost. Last by no means least, the soldering equipment. The mains soldering supplied is quite large and is accompanied by a wire stand and hook. Solder, a pot of flux and a spare bit are also provided. The iron functions adequately, but my reservations are concerned with safety. I consider it quite possible for a hot iron to be returned to the case.
It is essential to have a stand that fully encloses all hot parts. The stand in the kit provides no such protection. The hook should be disposed of. I have always had reservations concerning mains soldering irons. If good quality soldering iron stations cannot be afforded, then soldering should be avoided. I believe there is no place for mains soldering irons in any education environment. In conclusion, the packaging of tool kits in this way is sound and encourages a positive attitude among students. I do feel however that the soldering iron should not form part of a tool kit. It should be purchased and stored separately and safety should be the prime consideration. Peter Ward Cardigan College of Further Education
connected and edited in the same way one would expect to edit using a graphics package. Using the analogue module, a circuit can be simulated at the flick of a graphical switch and a display indicates the state of the circuit and the time passed. Some of the components are a little obscure and symbols are not always to the European standard which might prove confusing to some students. However, the real strength of this module is the facility to connect any number of voltmeters or ammeters to parts of the circuit, which display readings while the circuit is 'running', making this a very useful teaching tool at all levels. For the more advanced there is an oscilloscope, function
generator, bode plotter and multimeter. Digital inputs are provided through a word generator capable of storing a number of states that can be stepped through or cycled. The digital module also contains a logic converter, an instrument with no real world counterpart that translates between logic diagrams, truth tables and boolean expressions, an unusual but useful facility. In my opinion, Electronics Workbench has real design application at all levels, as well as saving time and equipment. Laurence Boulter Head of Microelectronics Millbrook Community School Southampton
excellent diagrams. The approach is suitable for candidates in the middle of the ability spectrum (National Curriculum levels 4-7) and the booklets are also available in three compendium volumes, which contain groups of modules. Also available for the teacher are assessment and resources packs. The Sciencesfor GCSE set of modules consist of a parallel series of 13 booklets with similar titles to the Modular Science series, but aimed at candidates likely to perform at NC levels 7-10. Booklets from both series could be used when teaching classes of mixed ability. The second series is also available in compendium form, and is supported by a separate resources pack. Each two page spread contains a
limited number of questions—the 'physics' questions being mostly nonnumerical in the first series, but in the second series, the questions would appear to be sufficiently challenging for the best of pupils. However, in actual use in a class, both series would need to be supported by a wider range of questions. In these confusing times of change in the teaching of science, such modules would be particularly valuable for those teachers who find themselves having to present material which is outside their specialist discipline, and also an extremely useful summary of the material which needs to be presented at this level. M. A. Crofts Harrow School ELECTRONICS EDUCATION SUMMER 1994
