These 10 LED chaser circuits are fairly friendly, easy to solder. Cheap enough to screw up and not cry about. You can swap the cheap LEDs for any you like (just check the current limiting resistor). On the board the light up in a row, but there's no reason you couldn't wire LEDs in a circle or other shape.

I like running fiber from these and making "pseudo-random" light effects.

All electronics 10 LED chaser. (http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/item/AEC/LED-CHASER-KIT/-/1.html)

Check out their other kits (http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/category/305/Kits/1.html) (they have a very scary cell phone device).

These 10 LED chaser circuits are fairly friendly, easy to solder. Cheap enough to screw up and not cry about. You can swap the cheap LEDs for any you like (just check the current limiting resistor). On the board the light up in a row, but there's no reason you couldn't wire LEDs in a circle or other shape.

I like running fiber from these and making "pseudo-random" light effects.

All electronics 10 LED chaser. (http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/item/AEC/LED-CHASER-KIT/-/1.html)

Check out their other kits (http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/category/305/Kits/1.html) (they have a very scary cell phone device).

I've been to All Electronics many times, it's a surplus store with alot of new stuff to. I also have used this very kit and it does a nice job for the price....:thumbsup:

I like the prices, but I have never built any circuit boards. Anybody have any suggestions?

As a kid I was always using my dad's weller soldering gun and making frankentoys out of my Marx and Mattel battery powered stuff.

Best suggestion is to buy some of the cheap kits, a cheap soldering iron (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062758) from Radio Shack and have fun. (if it's not fun, don't do it.)

After you're familiar with it, you'll think of ways to apply the kits, or make your own lighting layouts.

I have done some (hot) soldering in the past. Mostly all I do now is just LEDs to wire. I was wondering which is better to do, hot or cold when it comes to making circuit boards. If cold is better, what kind of solder should I use, and is there anything special I should know? I know with hot you should not touch the iron to anything that can melt.

I'm not aware of any cold solder, just inadequately heated solder. There are conductive glues and epoxies, but outside of an industrial application (i.e. joining a chip to its die) I don't think they are very good.

Most electronic components will withstand the heat of soldering. Those that can't usually come with a socket that you solder and then plug in the component. Or rig a "heat sink" (I sometimes use a pair of tweezers between the solder point and the component).

You want the soldered joint to get hot enough so the solder thoroughly bonds.

Googling "cold solder" I came up with this tool (http://www.amazon.com/Cold-Heat-Soldering-tool-Stock/dp/B00067GK7Y). It doesn't look very good, and it uses heat, just doesn't use a hot "iron". Not sure if that's what you were referring to...

The cold solder you linked to is the one I have seen. I wasn't sure how good it was since I never heard of it.

One other question - LEDs have a positive and negative side, what other componets have positive and negative sides, and does anybody know if these kits are labeled as to which side is which?

The cold solder you linked to is the one I have seen. I wasn't sure how good it was since I never heard of it.

One other question - LEDs have a positive and negative side, what other componets have positive and negative sides, and does anybody know if these kits are labeled as to which side is which?

The kits from all electronics are very friendly: anything that has specific polarity is labeled as such. When you get into integrated circuits (you will, even the simplest flashing light circuit usually has a "555" timer IC, a cute little bugger with 8 prongs) they have diagrams and pictures how to place/solder it in the circuit board.

A great tutorial is one made by a now defunct company called Iguana Labs. Someone was thoughtful enough to save their tutorial on scribd (a free document sharing site). Have a look! (http://www.scribd.com/doc/6576883/Iguana-Labs-Tutorial-All-Kit-Details) Their kits are no longer sold, but it will give you the basic concepts, and if you want you can order the components elsewhere to build what they suggest.

I'd get the kits from all electronics, and read Iguana's tutorial. The kits will start to make sense.

Cool. Thanks. I am sure I am not the only one with these questions, and that will be a lot of help.