hydrOpONIC grOWINg sysTeM

Many of us fell victim to some lockdown cliches in 2020, be it baking banana bread, online pub quizzes or jumping about with Joe Wicks, some people however used this time to invent and create, like Alastair Jessel who wanted to produce a reliable and affordable indoor hydroponic kit. Another common consequence of the lockdown was that a lot of people found a new appreciation for nature, however growing plants at home isn’t always so simple. The West Kent 15 Pod Indoor self-growing kit comes with everything you need to allow you to have your own little greenhouse inside all year round. The West Kent system comes in a white or black finish, it has a stylish, premium look with a full spectrum 35W LED light system that hovers above the plants, these lights simulate the sun’s rays encouraging faster growth and letting you set up your plants even in the darkest corners of your home. It measures up at 43 x 24.5 x 31.5cm and, when lights are fully extended, 95cm, it comes with fifteen sponges, baskets, and domes, A & B nutrients and eight cover plates rods and plant labels. The system has a 5.5L water tank that allows the West Kent to water the plants for you, the water level post lets you know when it’s time to refill the tank. The 15 Pod System, as you might imagine, has space for fifteen different pods, and there are four different seed packet sets to choose from including vegetables, tomatoes, fruit or herbs. The automatic timer gives your plants the downtime they need, and a pump supplies the nutrient-rich water to encourage rapid plant growth, the adjustable light ensures the plants have enough room to grow taller and is in fact the world’s tallest light of a system of this kind. The A and B nutrient solution helps the plants get all the goodness they need but you will need to remember to add this every time you refill the tank. It is suggested that 2ml of each nutrient is added to 1 litre of water, so a 1 litre bottle will last about 8-10 months. There is a customisable app with settings that allow you to adjust your plants environment from downtime by hour or day and flexibility of the pump along with temperature controls. These settings are also adjustable via the control panel and the display panel lets you know your set up, this hands-on precise control might intimidate those who are new to house plants where so often doing less is more effective. The West Kent 15 Pod is probably best for someone who has a little bit of experience with house plants already, but beginners won’t be completely out of their depth if they follow the instructions and do a little research.

"gINObOT" WITh 10 bONus MOdels

OK, first things first – you do NOT get the pieces to make 10 individual models. You get instructions to make the kit in 10 different ways. Thought it best to clear that up before I start waxing lyrical about this! Anyone that has read any of my reviews has probably figured out by now, that I’m a big fan of building small things and miniature kits. This kit is just as much fun to build as anything else with almost 250 pieces and over 700 connectors, although you wouldn’t think so looking at the finished product. But that’s where Engino have done a good job of providing a kit with both style and function, not to mention the ease of construction itself.

Once the building part is done (which is usually where my interest wanes and things become akin to ornaments in my home in all honesty!), then comes the thing that makes sure this kit can keep on giving. It’s a robot. A programmable robot. And not just one with pre-set instructions, this thing can help you to learn coding language too! It has the ability to allow 3rd party hardware attachments (such as Raspberry Pi’s or Arduino) and so opens up endless possibilities for those that want to explore and see the physical outcome of their attempts. The software that comes with it (KEIRO) is simple and intuitive and is suitable for any age from about 7 upwards, making this an excellent creative learning tool with endless building possibilities.

As usual with any kind of modular system, you can get the best out of this by including something like the Engino Mechatronics pack which gives you many more options but then that’s half the fun of modular kits – collecting all the bits and pieces!

p rOs easy TO CONsT ruCT p hysICal INsT ruCTIONs

FOr T hOse 10 MOdels – yOu dON ’ T N eed TO g O g OOd T eaCh INg TOOl, espeCI ally FOr sChOOl age

ONl IN e FOr T heM.

Ch IldreN

COM paTI ble WIT h OT her eNg INO k ITs CONs

Full pOT eNTI al reaChed by buy INg MOre k ITs – a

T he NaT ure OF T hese k IN ds OF T h INgs . a l ITTle MIs -leadINg

WIT h ITs ’10 bON us MOdels’ Cla IM.

I’ve already reviewed the Ginobot from Engino which is a great platform to start your coding journey with. If you want to start getting a little more advanced the ERP Mini ups the ante and is basically a more advanced type of construction kit. Not in the construction itself (that’s fairly universal across the Engino range) but in the hardware department. Where the Ginobot mainly relies on using an app to programme and control your vehicle, this one has its own pad that fits on the kit and allows you to programme it directly with no app when using the Manual mode. There are three other types programming available as well as the Manual method: Simulator, Flow Diagram and Text, allowing you to choose whichever is most suitable for you or any children you may be trying to teach.

As well as this, the Circuit Board in the controller has 4 separate ports allowing you to attach up to 4 peripherals. The main form of connection when not using the manual input is via Bluetooth or Wifi so these ports are free to add all sorts of funky things to your robot from the Engino range or beyond. It also comes with 2 proximity sensors and a high torque DC motor with 2 speed options. All of this is pretty pointless without any kind of instructions of course and, thankfully, this kit comes with instructions to build 2 different kinds of models as well as exercises you can undertake with them to help get your programming in to gear. The instructions are clear and nicely laid out, making it easy for even an old-timer like me to feel pretty chuffed with telling a lump of plastic to do a certain task and watching it happen!

Golf is an expensive one. Thousands of pounds for decent clubs, membership fees and of course, however much money you choose to spend at the 19th hole! So, from that point of view, this watch is pretty good value. Especially if you’re just starting out in golf. It comes pre-programmed with pretty much any course you can think of (there are almost 40,000 courses around the world in 170 countries!) and has several functions you can use to help improve your game.

To begin with, it can provide shot ranges, using GPS so that it knows exactly which hole you are playing on. The screen is full colour and shows the hole you are on in its entirety and there is also a zoom feature so that you can focus on one part of the hole for shorter range shots. Speaking of range, this is shown by a concentric band, p rOs giving you a good idea of where you can get to with your shot and it tells you the distance to the back, front and sides of the Green from wherever you are taking your shot. Not only does it have all the above, the Aim W11 also highlights the hazards for you – really useful if you’re new to a course as it saves you having to do a recce of each hole before playing, giving you more time to actually focus on your game!

The battery is good for about 13 hours (You should fit around 3 rounds of golf in that time) before it needs recharging via a USB port and the watch itself is comfortable and lightweight at just 50 grams so it shouldn’t affect your swing. Also included is a digital scorecard so you can easily keep track of your round all on your wrist.

£199.99