Arduino Starter Kit?

Hi, guys. I'm new here. I want to learn something about electronics and Arduino seems to be a nice subject for me. Now I have to purchase the whole kit and wonder which model I should have. It seems that for a starter like me, it's better to use the starter kit. but if i can used the more developed model, like Mega 2560, then I don't have to buy one more in the future when I'm more familiar with it.

What do you guys think?

Thanks

Manny

Top Replies

mcb1 over 12 years ago in reply to Former Member +2

Manny, I have some 23 Arduino's in various formats, and none of them are a Mega. In most cases you only use a few inputs and outputs, so the rest are idle. The basic Arduino has numerous shields that will…
billabott over 12 years ago in reply to Former Member +1

Don't forget about adafruit.com. They are very deserving of our support.
mcb1 over 12 years ago in reply to billabott +1

Manny You don't need to purchase a pre-made kit. I ran an introduction course for 8-10yr olds, and I purchased the controller from a local supplier, and the other parts from other sources. The kits were…

mcb1 over 12 years ago in reply to phoenixcomm

Nico

A non-stocked, 53 day delivery, with no details, and a $135 price tag....
Not the best way to sell products, given the competitive environment.

Mark
Cancel
Vote Up +1 Vote Down

Sign in to reply

Cancel
ntewinkel over 12 years ago in reply to mcb1

@Mark, Totally agree, and Adafruit sells the same kit for $85.
Had to give them a mention though
Cancel
Vote Up 0 Vote Down

Sign in to reply

Cancel
mcb1 over 12 years ago in reply to ntewinkel

@Nico
Well done.
(i've sent you an email via your website, but you may need to check the spam folder as my address ends in .net)

E14 you might need to get a sharper pencil out if you expect to come close to competing.
We would like torecommend your products, but if the price is miles off, how can we.

Mark
Cancel
Vote Up 0 Vote Down

Sign in to reply

Cancel
Former Member over 12 years ago

I think I'm just gonna buy all the parts I need, according to your guys' suggestion, instead of buying a pre-made kit.
Cancel
Vote Up 0 Vote Down

Sign in to reply

Cancel
Former Member over 12 years ago

It seems that many people here don't think it's necessary to buy a starter kit. I've just bought a starter kit from SainSmart. Oh....I hope that I'm not wasting money.
Cancel
Vote Up 0 Vote Down

Sign in to reply

Cancel
ntewinkel over 12 years ago in reply to Former Member

@Derek, buying a kit is not necessary but it can sure make things easier vs finding and buying all the pieces separately
Cancel
Vote Up 0 Vote Down

Sign in to reply

Cancel
Former Member over 12 years ago in reply to Former Member

@Derek... buying a kit can "kickstart" your Arduino journey.

Most kits come with high *quality*, well *tested* instructions; and all the *correct* components to complete the projects. With some kits, you can even email their support for focused help when you get stuck.

This can save valuable time spent sourcing/buying the correct parts (most parts can have many variants). It also saves hours or perhaps days of scouring through hundreds of posts when an on-line project doesn't work as advertised.

By the time you finished and understood all the projects in the kit, and finally hit the Internet for more challenges, you will be ready and experienced.

Have fun prototyping!
Cancel
Vote Up 0 Vote Down

Sign in to reply

Cancel
Former Member over 12 years ago in reply to Former Member

You won't waste your money. Sainsmart starter kits are not only in good price, but also with basic project teaching.
With these document, you may use arduino well and study them with a lot of fun.
They post the downloard address on their forum http://www.sainsmart.com/vanilla/discussion/168/starter-kit-tutorials-download-address-open .
Cancel
Vote Up 0 Vote Down

Sign in to reply

Cancel