KiwiCo. has been one of my favorite subscription companies for years now due to their outstanding kid subscriptions such as Kiwi Crate, Doodle Crate, and Tinker Crate, and my kids absolutely love their projects! In addition to their subscriptions, KiwiCo. has several standalone projects available for purchase in their online store. They recently sent me their Electronics Pack, which is a trio of amazing STEM-based electronics projects for children age 14 and up! I do not have any children in that age range, but this gave me an opportunity work hand-in-hand on some fun STEM projects with my twelve-year-old son!
Please note that the full Electronics Pack includes three projects. This review is of only one of those projects, the Geometric Laser Projector.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).
About KiwiCo. Electronics Pack
The Box: KiwiCo. Electronics Pack: Geometric Laser Projector
The Cost: $99.95 for the trio (on sale from $119.85!)
Coupon: Get 40% off + free shipping on your first box of any KiwiCo subscription. No coupon needed—just use this link! (Coupon does not apply to the Electronics Pack)
The Products: Three electronics projects for children age 14 and up
Ships to: Anywhere in the United States
Kiwi Co. Geometric Laser Projector Review
This is our instruction manual that was included in the box.
This is the table of contents. Unlike the publications that come in KiwiCo. subscriptions, this seems to be a fairly straightforward instruction manual. There are no articles or comics, etc.
Here's a peek at some of the instructions. They are illustrated and easy to follow, but they are really pretty intense! This was a lengthier project than we are used to with KiwiCo.'s STEM-based box for 9-16-year-olds, Tinker Crate.
These are the supplies that were included for this project. The only thing we needed to supply from home was a pair of scissors. They even included a tiny screwdriver for us! My son liked that.
Building the laser projector was a lengthy and fairly difficult process with many steps, but essentially, our first step was to mount the battery packs (loaded with batteries), the motors, and the mirrors onto the "stage" piece of the projector.
We then had to connect only the red wires from the battery packs to the motors on the underside of the stage.
We then assembled the "control panel" piece of the projector. Each of the controls seen here adjusts the speed of rotation of one of the mirrors on the staging piece. We screwed together pieces of each control through the molded plastic, and connected a resistor to each control to control the current running through it, thus controlling the speed.
The next step was to join the stage and control panel pieces together.
Next, we connected the wires from the controls to the black wires from the battery packs and motors, completing the circuit. We used zip ties to tidy everything up on the underside of the projector.
Our last step was to add sticky foam to the underside of the projector to act as feet.
This is our completed projector! The last thing we had to do was to insert the laser (on the right in this picture) to the laser mount and turn it on! We could then adjust where it was pointing and the speeds of the controls to create different geometric patterns on the wall.
Here it is in action! So cool! And yes, everyone who has seen it has suggested we play some Pink Floyd to go with it, haha!
The Verdict: We love everything from KiwiCo., and this project was a special treat for us. It was a little more involved and difficult than the typical Tinker Crate project, but that should be expected as the age range for this project starts at 14. It was really fun doing this together, though. I think KiwiCo. has definitely helped engender a curiosity about the sciences in both my sons and that's quite an accomplishment. For a very reasonable price, too! This project was one of three in a $100 gift set. I would say $33 for an hour of learning together and creating something special is definitely a bargain!
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Yes, this box is not part of a subscription. It is an item in the Kiwi Co. store, which can be purchased while supplies last.
Coupon: Get 40% off + free shipping on your first box of any KiwiCo subscription. No coupon needed—just use this link! (Coupon does not apply to the Electronics Pack)
Check out all of our KiwiCo reviews and the Kids Subscription Box Directory!
What do you think of the KiwiCo. Electronics Pack: Geometric Laser Projector box?
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