Simon Game Kit: Photo by SparkFun Electronics

For those of you who are new to the exciting world of electronics (or, if you’re a solder vet looking for some creative fun), SparkFun Electronics has just completed an impressive introductory lesson on how to master surface mount device (SMD) soldering. This is lesson seven (7) in a ten (10) lesson set of tutorials, freely published by SparkFun Electronics, for helping you get a foothold in embedded electronics. Each lesson is a powerful step towards learning how to design, build, and program your own embedded electronics (micocontroller type) projects.

These aren’t some stodgy classroom lectures, either.  Each lesson is richly illustrated, thoroughly documented, and, best of all, fun. There are some obligatory commercial references to SparkFun Electronics products which illustrate these lessons. For example, inside the SMD soldering lesson you will be guided through the building of their entertaining AVR-based Simon game kit. That’s not a bad education model, though; learn while you play a game.