Science syllabus fun for the junior boffin

200 in one! 150 in one! The not very catchy 65 in one! And 50 in one! The oscillator-obsessed cousin to the generic chemistry set, Electronic Project (a product from the on-its-sleeve-for-nerdiness named Science Fair) was a big box full of circuits, cables and dials that boasted anything from 50 to 200 possible projects for you to build, depending on how much cash mum and dad were willing to shell out.

In the 150 in one kit, there was mucho fun to be had from a 7-segment LED display and an advanced integrated circuit. And when you factor in some of Science Fair’s other products - such as the build your own Solar Power Lab and, better than that, The Lie Detector Kit (sporting a box depicting an under-pressure dad surrounded by his suspicious family) – then surely some wholesome Weird Science-type experimentation was but a crocodile-clip away?

Sadly, no. As the blurb on Salter Science’s Introduction To Electronics lid hinted (“Make a radio, police siren, morse code and more!”), most of the experiments were pretty samey. And sound-wavey. Plus, there wasn’t even a soldering iron in it. How infuriatingly safety-conscious! It takes a special kind of enthusiasm to get excited by transistors, resistors, and capacitors that connect with pre-cut wires and already-assembled spring coils. And we’ll put good money on that those kids’ hobbies later included CB radio and the early home computers. Naturally, what every other child in the land was hoping to build was some kind of infra-red CCTV-style early warning system for their bedroom¹. Not easy to do with raw materials that allowed only for you to make a series of enthralling logic gates.

¹Girls were understandably protective of their privacy as they entered adolescence, what with “the curse” and all that. The boys were usually trying to work out a way to watch that borrowed Electric Blue video without being caught.