Electronic Sensors Lab with your Arduino

Radio Shack Electronic Sensors Lab

Tricking out the Radio Shack Electronic Sensors Lab for use with your Arduino experiments.

The Sensors Lab makes a handy platform for laying out Arduino projects and comes with a nice selection of sensors to experiment with. The built in speaker, buzzer, potentiometers (three), LEDs, and spring connectors reduce some of the wire mess that cannot be resolved using only those solderless breadboards. In addition there is a small solderless breadboard built into the Sensors Lab.

Radio Shack does not list them on line any more, but you may find one in a local store for around $50, a bit expensive. I have seen them go on eBay for as little as $16 in new condition. I bought mine from an individual through Amazon. If you find one of the lab consoles without the manual, Radio Shack offers a free pdf version on their website http://www.radioshack.com/graphics/uc/rsk/Support/ProductManuals/2800278_PM_EN.pdf

I have modified mine a little to make it more useful with the Arduino.

I removed the screws and lifted off the top. Be careful of the nine volt battery connector, it is worked around the bottom of the console so you can change the battery without opening the console and is in turn soldered to the power switch. I typically do not use the battery, but instead attach an AC adapter to my Arduino and feed the regulated 5 volts to the rest of the board. This is so I can quickly remove the top of the console and store wires and components in the bottom part as shown in the figure below. It is handy how it comes complete with all those dividers. I am still considering using the power switch at some point, but so far it has not seemed necessary.
I attached a terminal strip to the back of the top for those times when I needed to connect something with wires larger than the breadboards allow. This is the only permanent change made to the original console (two holes drilled). Otherwise the whole thing can be returned to its original condition if needed.

12-Position European-Style Terminal Strip Model: 274-680 $2.89

I attached a second solderless breadboard (http://www.adafruit.com/ $5), using removable poster putty ($3 for 2 oz.) over the speaker and buzzer holes. This really gives you more “circuit space”. The poster putty holds remarkably well and is available in office supply stores.

Arduino Experimenter Strip
Now for the really useful part. On the left hand side is a deep tray used for holding the sensors. I decided to cover it with a small perf board that holds
1. the Arduino
2. another solderless breadboard
3. useful small parts like speakers, piezo buzzer, and small circuit boards

I attached small rubber or felt feet to the bottom of the perf board so it could be used separately from the Sensor Lab, and at the same time fit snugly into the Sensors Lab tray. When fit on the console, there is still plenty of room to store the Sensor Lab’s sensors. Connect black and red power wires from the Arduino to all the solderless breadboards, and wahlah! You have a fairly useful development console.

Make more than one of these Experimenter strips; perhaps one for LEDs, one for motors, etc. I have tried several ways to attach both the Arduino and breadboard to the perf board, e.g. screws, removable putty, or just rest the Arduino’s rubber feet on the board. Buy one of the large (6” x 8”) RS perfboards, and you can make 2 or 3 from one board.

Radio Shack Pre-Punched IC-Spacing Perfboard 6” x 8” Model: 276-1396 $3.99

Here is the full blown Arduino Sensors Lab complete with a green colored LED light (the LED is white), clipped to the magnetic sensor plugged into the sensor socket.