Raytheon Lectron (Paperback)

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Lectron was a modular electronic experimentation kit designed to introduce youth to basic electronic circuits and theory. It was jointly developed in Germany by model train manufacturer Egger-Bahn and electronics manufacturer Braun and imported to the United States by the Macalaster Scientific subsidiary of Raytheon starting in 1967. The kit consisted of electronic components installed within individual "building blocks" with a clear plastic base, an opaque white top with the component's schematic symbol and permanent magnets attached to the leads of the enclosed components. Each building block was magnetically attached to a metal plate serving both as a work surface and ground, eliminating the need for soldering, spring terminals or a breadboard. This gave the benefit of safety as well as the ability to rearrange the blocks to determine the effect on the circuit.