I got a ThinkGeek gift certificate and finally found one thing that I really wanted on the site, the Sparkfun Inventor's Kit (KIT-10173). I've wanted to dabble in Arduino or any physical computing/microcontroller ever since I first started following Hack-A-Day.
Currently I'm working through the Sparkfun Inventor's Kit Guide. The kit I have includes pretty much everything you could want in an absolute beginners kit for Arduino.
This is somewhat appropriate, as I am an absolute beginner when it comes to physical computing and or microcontrollers. That being said, I am hardly new to programming and scripting.
The pro's:
- Its a great kit for Arduino beginners
- Lots of toys and gadgets are included
- Very easy to follow full color guide included
- Nice little mount for both the included Arduino Uno and breadboard
The Con's:
- The code that comes with the guide is all pre-written. There's nothing left for you to do but compile and upload to the Arduino.
Other Thought's:
The circuits in each example do run the full gambit from LED's to Servo's to Shift Registers, but they don't build on each previous circuit. This could be viewed as a positive thing, as the beginner will have to get used to wiring and rewiring individual circuits, but IMHO it would be cool to build up to a "final project" of sorts. They could even have multiple "final projects", so that you can see different components and how they can be combined. As a sysadmin, the comments in the supplied code are a bit lengthy, which is great for a beginner, but could also just be included in the guide, that way the code wouldn't seem like this ridiculous run-on sentence.
Conclusion:
I don't have another kit like this to compare to, but I'd still have to say this was a great buy. Anyone who has even the slightest interest in Arduino and a spare $100, should look into the kit. I'm thoroughly enjoying it. I can see this being a great parent and child learning project, just as much as a personal fun project. The newest Arduino Inventor's Kit has an LCD included and even has a "Simon Says" circuit as the 16th part of the guide.
Please feel free to post your experience with starter kits for Arduino. I'd also like to see if there's a kit like this, that's a bit more sophisticated
~Happy Coding!