Review on WayinTop Raspberry Pi 4 B 3 B+ Ultimate Starter Kit - Complete Learning Kit with Detailed E-Book, Support for C Language Python Java, 300 Components Included, Learn Electronics and Programming by Damian Lousteau

I am new to the world of digital fabrication although I have been building my own PCs for many years. When I saw this review kit I was excited to learn more about the Raspberry Pi and how to create my own electronic projects. I have advanced Java programming skills. So when I saw that this kit was compatible with Java and Python, I thought it would be a great way to expand my programming skills as well. included components and a list of 33 projects that can be completed with what is included in the set. There are many lesson designs that become more difficult as you progress. Everything comes in a plastic case that snaps on so all the components can be safely stored together. It should be noted that this kit is a component kit only, so does NOT include the Raspberry Pi itself or the SD card. I ended up getting a separate kit that had everything I needed to get my Pi working (there are many on Revain) but this kit has everything you need to get things done. The price is very reasonable for all you get. CONS: I was very disappointed with how limited the instructions for the class were. The fact that no book or DVD was included is a major downside and doesn't make it the best option for a child or a beginner. The website listed to download the code and tutorials is not that easy to navigate and I didn't know where to start. Definitely not user friendly. "Tutorials" is just a PDF with poor image quality making it impossible to zoom in to see cable/component layouts as everything becomes blurry. The lessons themselves are incomplete and the grammar is of poor quality. I ended up having to spend a lot of time looking for other sources to explain how to assemble some simple components like a GPIO expansion board and breadboard or how to insert a resistor or an LED. A beginner will not know how to complete these simple tasks! Luckily there are some good videos that are more complete. Something called a "starter kit" really should have step-by-step instructions, assuming many readers are starting with zero prior knowledge. I really didn't like that the Java tutorial doesn't have anything for beginners and actually suggests that you do projects in C or Python first if you have no electronics experience. The code explanations are far from straightforward and obviously assume that the reader has more than coding experience. Code errors are also present - some projects work with Python code but not with C code (e.g. Lesson 2). Because the code is calling macros instead of coding everything in long-form (which is probably better for beginners), it's difficult to spot errors unless you're familiar with the language's syntax. While the code runs without understanding most of the time and good instructions on how to run it are included, the point is to learn! Overall, this is a good set if you have someone who knows what they're doing to help you get started, or if you enjoy doing your own research to find things out. I can't say I would recommend it for absolute beginners as it takes a very long time to work thoroughly without guidance. Two stars deducted for poor instructions. If the DVD or book (like other such kits include) included a full tutorial/instruction set along with a proper explanation of the code, this would be a 5 star product.