Gikfun 4-Digit LED Electronic Alarm Clock DIY Kits with Acrylic Shell Soldering Practice Learning Project EK1985

I purchased this soldering kit specifically as a reference piece for a 3D printing CAD project. My goal was to model a custom enclosure for a functional electronic item, and this kit was perfect for learning the dimensions and internal layout required. I was extremely impressed with how easy the instructions were to follow. The steps were clear and logical, making the assembly process straightforward and without any complicated or frustrating sections. It was a smooth and quick build, even for someone who considers themselves a beginner at soldering. The resulting clock works great and provided the exact insights I needed for my design work. Highly recommend this kit for anyone looking for a simple, fun electronics project, or for those needing a reliable, beginner-friendly functional item to design custom housing for.

This is a great bit of kit for someone getting into electronics with no soldering experience. I was amazed and delighted that it worked first time after I assembled it. If you have no experience, I'd recommend watching a 'how to solder electronics' video on YouTube before starting. Only drawback is the lack of assembly instructions included. However, if you search "CAI201 Digital Clock Installation Tutorial", there's a comprehensive guide with images of every step at a site called 'banggood'. I think it took me just over an hour to complete, and was immensely satisfying. Quite a simple task for the skilled electronic engineer, but a proud achievement for the rank amateur. If you're thinking of getting into electronics and want some soldering practice and a bit of a confidence boost, I'd highly recommend this kit. You'll also need: Soldering iron - a basic one will do (mine's 15W) but it does need a fairly fine pointed tip. Solder - standard stuff with flux, 60% tin to 40% lead (poss. 2% copper) , 0.8-1.0mm diameter Wire cutters - to snip off the component legs once soldered (These worked great for me: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001D7TE2E?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details) Battery - a CR1220 flat battery. NOTE: this does not power the clock, it just keeps the time while the clock is unplugged! The clock needs to be plugged into a USB socket to work (USB cable supplied) A pair of tweezers may also be helpful, but not vital.

i bought this to build as i get bored . it was a lot of fun to build , the instructions are good but in small print and odd english in places . clear diagrams as to where to solder the parts . the only gripe is it uses a very odd sized back up battery . i couldnt find it in the shops so replaced it with another common type . if it has no battery every time you re-connect it it makes a loud alarm noise!. so be warned ;-) . over all nice product and fun to build .

The clock is lovely and the build deceptively easy but the instructions are also deceptive and not to be rushed, don't miss out the fact that there are two values of capacitor because reworking once the PCB and display are soldered together is not for a beginner. Also it should be very clear which way the battery goes in, it's not and you'll burn the thing out if it's the wrong way round. These are 2 fatal errors a beginner can easily make and it's not good that the instructions don't steer you away from them potentially turning a very nice kit into trash.

Assembled radio but when I went to test didn't turn on! . Spent a lot of time back checking my work only to later discover that the USB to radio jack cable was faulty and not suppling power. Made up a cable and clock working fine . Deducted one star for faulty cable

This kit is ideal for the novice or even someone with experience to practice soldering components to a PCB. Once assembled it’s a nice little digital clock which also displays the room temperature. The instructions are easy to follow and understand for both the build and the setup. If you have zero experience with building projects like this then I’d recommend you watch a couple of YouTube tutorials on soldering components to PCB prior to attempting it.

As someone who has only soldered the odd wire or connection to repair something it's a good feeling to do something like this from start to finish and it actually works and has a function at the end. Probably a bit basic for someone with experience. Two points to note: Scan the QR and watch the video before attempting. I managed to solder the IC chip straight to the board because im impatient like that! Luckily it still works. Mine was missing the cell battery, if like me you will probably have loads of Cr2023 kicking about.....however this needs Cr1220 unfortunately

This was a very fun, yet simple build. I had initally purchasedthe kit to get a little more experience with soldering. It was a fairly quick build but what suprised me the most was how good the quality of the item was. I love the size and vibrancy of the display. So much so, that I now use this as my bedside clock.