Expert vs Mikronik: another electronic designer

We review the “pedagogical” designers quite consistently, in connection with which we decided to turn to another domestic manufacturer, which produces the Znatok designers. For those who have never encountered, I will briefly talk about one of the simplest models “First Steps in Electronics” for 5+ children.



"Expert" is one of the types of constructors "modeled after", it can be "metonymic" when some part, function of something is transferred and gives the name to the whole. According to this principle, schemes were created for this set: "Ambulance", "Protection against thieves", etc. There are 15 such schemes in the model that I got:

• The sound of a police car when a wire breaks
• The sound of a fire engine when a wire breaks
• The sound of machine gun firing when a wire breaks
• The sound of an ambulance when a wire breaks
• Flashing LED signal for protection against thieves
• Ambulance with light and sound signal
• Police car with light and sound signal
• Fire engine with light and sound signal
• The sound of a police car
• The sound of machine gun fire
• Slow Blinking LED
• Police car with red light
• Warning red light and machine gun sound
• Conductivity tester
• Fire engine

All schemes are illustrated, so it is almost impossible to make a mistake, and all of them somehow "work" with light and sound. In total, there are 19 elements in the set, each of which is described in the instruction, which makes the assembly a meaningful process, and not just copying the instruction.



Inside:

• Speaker
• Signal integrated circuit
• 100k ohm resistor
• PNP Transistor
• Circuit board
• Red LED
• Battery compartment
• Wires

By wires in this set we mean blue “plates” of different lengths, and all the parts are attached to each other and to the board according to the principle of “button buttons”:



For convenience and stability, all this is located on the “board”, which is a plastic plate and when the model is ready you will see light or sound.



The sound of a fire engine:



Flashing alarm:



So, with the help of a "gap" in the wire it is proposed to make an alarm for the house. For example, if an attacker enters the house, breaking the wire connecting the two contacts, then the diode will blink:



Mikronic vs Expert A

fairly large review of the Mikronic constructor we have already written. In general, just like Mikronik is the “children's version” of Amperka’s products, which you are familiar with with their Matryoshka dolls, and First Steps in Electronics is a simplified version of designers with up to 1000 circuits!

Both designers are sold in well-designed boxes, although the Mikronika box, despite the larger number of parts, is much more compact:



At the same time, the details of the Znatok designer are arranged in cells, while inside the Mikronika you will find dozens of cellophane bags , each of which, however, is signed.



As for the “boards”, in Mikronik it is also much smaller, which on the one hand allows you to assemble a slightly larger number of circuits (in Mikronik there are 20 of them), but it also makes the work more painstaking:



both designers “feed” in the same way: from “finger-type” »Batteries, but with a difference in quantity. For "Mikronik" you need 3 pcs., For this version of "Expert" - 2 pcs.



In both cases, it is proposed to work according to the instructions:



In passing, I want to note that the Expert is stronger and its elements are larger, which will make it more convenient and practical for children of the stated age - 5 years and older. Mikronic is more compact, more serious, and it has a significantly larger number of elements. In a way, this makes it more reliable, because children (Mikronik is offered from 7 years old) can break something, lose something.