Best products from r/arduino

> code things into real life seems like a blast

It is! :-) And it's so easy compared to starting with a bare microcontroller.

> 0 experience whe nit comes to working with hardware

Kits usually explain a bit about resistors and such, but I'd strongly recommend to also pick up a beginner electronics book. These are simple and fun to read! :-)

• Getting started in electronics
  
  
• Notebook doodle style, super simple. Not only for kids despite the electron smileys showing you how electricity works. Electronics in an intuitive fashion, from winding a coil around a nail to build an electro magnet to simple circuits (and beyond).
  
  
• Practical electronics for inventors
  
  
• Still an easy read, but more background info :-)
  
   
  
  > sensors and motors and stuff
  
  > laserpointer
  
  Laser modules cost $0.15 or so at Aliexpress, Servos $1... Everything is so inexpensive it's great to build all sorts of crazy machines ;-)
  
  
   
  
  > What arduino
  
  Most guides and books will probably talk about the UNO. You can get a compatible board for around $3, but a Nano also works in the same fashion and sits nicely on a breadboard.
  
  For the UNO, you have all sorts of modules/shields, but there's nothing you can't hook up to one of the smaller boards.
  
  Also order an ESP8266 based board, like the $3 Nodemcu or D1 Mini. The ESP8266 has wifi built in and can run stand-alone, as it's a microcontroller with more memory as the UNO/Nano :-) But it's 3.3v, has only one analog input, and it's a bit more work when starting out.
  
   
  
  > What
  
  You could get a kit if you would like all sorts of sensors and modules.
  
  The Chinese starter kits are super cheap ($22 with UNO compatible, $26 with MEGA). As Aliexpress links often trigger the spam filter, search for 1207150873 or 32543887265.
  
  The differences are subtle, some kits lack the ultrasonic sensor (<=$1), etc.
  
  What's also a LOT of fun is a 2wd robot car kit, you can get them for $15 or so. Two geared motors, dual H-Bridge, put an Arduino + Ultrasonic sensor on it, and with ten lines of code, it will be an obstacle avoiding car or line follower ;-)
  
   
  
  These kits usually don't have great instructions. If that's what you want, get the official Arduino starter kit, or something from Sparkfun, Adafruit etc.
  
  The Arduino site, instructables, and all kind of blogs have examples for almost every module/sensor/device you can find :-) Find a good guide, such as t
  h
  [e](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYutciIGBqC34bfijBdYch49oyU-B_ttH
  )
  s
  e, and see if that would work for you.
  
   
  
  The only down-side when going with the compatible Arduino boards: You will have to install a different driver manually (oh noes).
  
   
  
  If you don't have one already: A soldering iron.
  
  I know, when starting, soldering sucks. You want to do everything on a breadboard, reservable. But I found out way too late how great and time saving soldering is once you use a decent soldering iron ;-) Most will recommend something like FX888D or better, but a $15-$20 adjustable soldering station can work as well for the occasional soldering job. And there's a soldering comic :-)
  
   
  
  A multimeter is a must-have as well. $3 ones work for simple resistance and voltage readings. For high voltage / high current tasks, they might burst into flames and double as fire-starter, ideal in the cold winter time.
  
  Part testers for $15 can be neat, they identify parts (is this a NPN or PNP transistor... or something else?).
  
  Cheap regulated $20 power supplies can be nice as well.
  
   
  
  Edit: Bunch of capacitors, resistors, transistors (Bags of 100-500 for $1-$2 via ebay), and whatever sensors you need ;-)
  
   
  
  
  Sorry for the long post :-) It's always difficult to tell how much experience and equipment someone already has.

Here's my advice, as a recent grad who was first exposed to arduino in school two years ago.

Get a starter kit that has a nice amount of sensors, jumpers, resistors. Nothing worse than seeing a project online and realizing you'd have to make a trip to radio shack just for some 30 cent resistor.

Amazon - $125

Sparkfun - $60

Jameco - $99

These are all a little pricey, but if you have a decent amount of confidence that you'll stick with things, I think this is a good way to get started. You could get one of the cheaper starter kits, but pushing a button to light an LED is only impressive for like a second. After that you're going to want to start moving and sensing things and it's nice to already have that at your fingertips.

Word of advice on tutorials. If you're anything like me, the internet can be your best friend and worst enemy. There are so many tutorials for stuff like arduino with varying levels of quality. It can be super distracting to look through a long tutorial and then see 100 other things you might want to do. At this point, that's bad because you're just chasing after a cool project, not actually learning. I'd encourage you to commit to buying a book, plugging away through every single tutorial in it, and then looking online. You'll start to see quicker which projects you actually want to dive into when you know a bit more about the process.

That first kit from Amazon comes with a book that I'm sure is great. Here's the one we went through at school: Programming Arduino - $12

That said, I'd very strongly encourage you to do it. Save up some money, get one of those kits, and start learning! It's incredible rewarding, and after even a few months you'll have projects lying around that will impress pretty much anyone who doesn't know what arduino is. I really wish I had started at your age. Good luck!

Get him the stuff to build a obstacle avoiding robot.

You'll need:

• Ultrasonic sensor. I just use a plain old SainSmart HC-SR04 based one. $5 at Amazon
  
  
• Magician Chassis (best price vs performance imo, $15 at SparkFun). Alternatively, you can go DIY with a chassis, but that's more work and I'm not sure a 10 year old could do it on their won.
  
  
• DRV8835 Dual Motor Driver Carrier assuming you go with the above Magician chassis.
  
  
• (Optional) Servo to turn the sensor.
  
  
• I also recommend getting quality AA NiMH rechargeables. I highly recommend Sanyo/Panasonic Eneloops.
  
  See this: http://letsmakerobots.com/start for some info. Also check out the LMR site in general, lots of info.
  
  ---------
  
  edit:
  
  
  Another good project for him would be a weather station + clock. All of the sensors + RTC for this project can be bought very cheaply and it's a fun and practical project. You'll need a DHT11, a LCD (make sure you get one with a good library and uses I2C/SPI), and a some common RTC.
  
  I recommend checking out adafruit for the sensors since they have all the parts as well as tutorials for the parts.
  
  edit2:
  
  I assume you'll help him with certain things like soldering and such. Or at least teach him to solder. I learned soldering around his age.
  
  edit3:
  
  Totally forgot to add, keep an eye out for the 3Pi robot from Poluolu go on sale during Black Friday/Cyber Monday. Last year they had it for like $50. One of the best robot kits imo.

Look up elegoo parts on Amazon. I know they sell a set with a (very good, EACTLY the same knockoff) Uno and a TON of parts. It's called the "Elegoo super starter kit". You end up with two unos, but that's not a bad thing in case you fry one. I think it's around $40 with shipping.

I'm sure they sell other parts too. Check them out on Amazon. IMO it is the best bang for your buck.

EDIT: it also contains a PDF with instructions on how to build projects with them. How to do the wiring and they explain the coding too. They do it in a way that they build off of what you learn.

https://www.amazon.com/Elegoo-EL-KIT-003-Project-Starter-Tutorial/dp/B01D8KOZF4

It's listed as the #1 seller for electronic kits. Its $35 and it has a 4.5 out of 5 stars.


Here is a kit with just boards.

https://www.amazon.com/Arduino-Raspberry-kuman-Projects-Tutorials/dp/B016D5L5KE/ref=sr_1_5_sspa?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1518807393&sr=1-5-spons&keywords=Elegoo+parts&psc=1

Elegoo also has these kits.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_gnr_aps?rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3AElegoo+kits&keywords=Elegoo+kits&ie=UTF8&qid=1518807370

There are a lot of them, so go through each and see which parts you like.

Buying with Elegoo is way way cheaper than through Arduino.

------------------------------------------

I also found this really cool car that you can make

Elegoo EL-KIT-012 UNO Project Smart Robot Car Kit V 3.0 with UNO R3, Line Tracking Module, Ultrasonic Sensor, Bluetooth Module https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0746DVP1J/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_goZHAb3MFJF93


.I would build the car first and have fun with it. Then I would take off the ultrasonic sensors and replace them with IR sensors. Then try to program it to solve a maze.

If you're interested I have a website that takes you through every step on how to make a maze solving robot car with Arduino.

It's really a good tutorial. He teaches you everything and explains everything. You build the basics of the car first and get it running then he tells you how to tweak and add things to the code to make it better at solving mazes.

Yep, Arduino is a great starter robot platform. It's got all the low-level I/O to make it work. A Raspberry Pi is not out of the question, but it's better at small form-factor general purpose computing.

If you can solder and have enough budget for it, the Zumo Platform is one of my favorites.

If you want to home-brew, you can get various shields and sensors and whatnot to make something on your own.

I advocate getting a genuine Arduino to start with for a variety of reasons. The biggest one is that the Arduino folks make a very high quality product, and you don't want to be chasing board issues on your first product. There are a whole slew of clones available that would probably be fine, but are much better for your 2nd or 3rd project once you're more comfortable with your programming and connection skills.

There's also more specialized boards like Pololu's A-Star line and the Ruggeduino that are great if you know why you want something like that. But for now, the stock Arduino Uno is probably a pretty safe bet.

People generally frown upon kits here but I think they were key to my development. Here is a VERY unofficial starter kit that has some typos and may have a defective part or two, but it is filled with parts and is very cheap. Here is a companion set full of sensors that may inspire you to start a project you are passionate about. Lastly, here is a cheap LCD screen that will be cheap enough to play around and get good with at least until you are ready for something bigger. You will definitely not make use of every part in these kits but they will each give you a different idea of how basic circuit components can come together to make cool projects. They come with sample code that needs a little debugging here and there (actually, this may be a good thing so you learn how to troubleshoot your projects!). I would also recommend buying another arduino uno at some point to learn about interfacing. Others may disagree and encourage you to start with a project or something, but everyone learns differently, and I have done well with these kits and found them to definitely be worth the money.

EDIT: Also, all of these products are available on Prime and will ship in 2 days, unlike most eBay products that take upwards of a month.

Hey, I was a complete noob in electronics and a beginner just a few months ago, so I think I can help:

Firstly, who was unable to recommend a starter kit? I was lost when I wanted to start, and there was really no way for me to go about it except to buy the starter kit. Many people say that starter kits are not cool because "you can just buy all the components separate and according to your project, and will come out to be much cheaper." My problem with this advice was: I have no idea what a resistor or Ohm is. I have no idea what a capicitor, and I have never even touched electrical wire before; how am I supposed to find all the components by myself? there is ton of different components online! SO: I bought a starter kit from amazon

(EDIT: as pointed below, it is not hard to google all that stuff, and learn what you need, but I was simply lazy :end Edit)

I don't know if you already have an arduino board, but if you do not, I highly recommend this kit, with the LCD display. It also comes with a booklet and the tutorials are A-M-Azing (I learned a lot from them).

Arduino's are capable of MANY different things: and I am still discovering new things that it can do to this day. I see projects on this subreddit and learn from them, and previously never had known that That project could have been done. Some pretty unique stuff.

Personally: I did the tutorials from the booklet, and then I started to build on the tutorials, and started to combine multiple tutorial objectives together. For example: A tutorial on a push button turning on and off a light. Another tutorial on using the Speaker and making music. I took those two and programmed: whenever the push button was pressed, a light would turn on, and music will start playing. another push, and music off. This is just one example, and you can combine many different tutorials and make something unique and really cool (Be Aware: you WILL impress your friends and they will be jealous :))

In addition, I am very interested in Bitcoin prices: so I decided to make a bitcoin price display that updates the price automatically from an API. This requires a wifi-breakout board or shield, but basically, I am trying to learn how to do Requests and try to get the bitcoin price.

Projects like these are really cool and interesting to me. Will I keep this bitcoin display on my table for ever? probably not, but it is really cool to accomplish it and have it made. If I really do want it on my desk, I could make a nice display for it, and waalaa! My very own personal Bitcoin price display!

This is my two cents. I am still a noob, but I have learned a lot this summer. Maybe more expert people can give their opinions on the topic, but I felt that I could relate because I felt the same exact way just three months ago

To follow up on Zouden's comment, I started with the official starter kit, partly because I do normally like having a nice-looking, physical book to refer to.

However, I quickly realized that all of the code for the Starter Kit Projects is already included the Arduino IDE, and that the Arduino founders created video tutorials for each project as well -- for example, the spaceship project. You can even find a couple of the chapters of the book on the Arduino site -- again, like the spaceship project.

The Arduino site even has detailed tutorials for all of the IDE's built-in example code. Look at the button tutorial -- that's about as good as any of the projects that are in the book, just stripped down and without the conceptual/imaginative layer ("spaceship interface," "love-o-meter")

Again, typically I prefer a physical book -- but I paid around $75 for the starter kit. Looking back, I probably would've gotten the plain-plastic-box $25 kit that the store had and used the Arduino website and videos to learn everything-- I bought the $25 kit later just to have another Arduino and extra parts, and it seemed like it had all of the components the Starter Kit did, just without the book or fancy packaging.

Not sure that that $25 kit is a typical thing - it was an official Arduino project kit, but I don't think I've seen any others but the one I bought. But you can get kits like this Elegoo one and have many of the same parts you'd get in the official Starter Kit - plus some cool other parts like the ultrasonic sensor.

If your friend loves physical books and nice-looking packaging, and has the money, they should go for the official Starter Kit. But if they'd like to save some money and read equally good tutorials online, they should buy a less expensive kit and use the Arduino website for learning.

[Edited some typos]

I appreciate the kind words! I got started by getting the Elegoo UNO Super Starter Kit from Amazon.

I'm a Computer Science major but I've always had an interest in hardware and electronics so I just bought this and now I'm having all sorts of fun, especially since I get to combine both my interests: software and hardware. Like you said, you get a great feeling when putting things together, so I would highly recommend you pick up a kit if you have the slightest interest!

Learning electronics is a lot like music. There is an insane amount of information, but if you get an economic working knowledge under your belt, you can really do some amazing things. In order for you not to get lost in the rabbit hole, I will provide you these methods of learning practical hobby electronics.

First, is simply just a suggestion. There are two "domains" of electronic thinking and analysis: digital and analogue. Fuck analog right in its dumb face. The math used in analog is fucking super duper hard, and analog circuits are prone to interference problems. Digital is where you want to be. It's vastly simpler to use programmable digital parts, and analyze digital circuits. Don't get lost in AC equations of capacitor, or the god damned transistor equation (seriously, fuck that. )

Okay here is how I learned hobby digital electronics:
First buy this, and go through all the examples in the workbooks. When you learn electronics you 100% HAVE TO DO HANDS ON LEARNING! DONT LEARN IT FROM A BOOK! MAKE CIRCUITS!
https://www.amazon.com/Radio-Shack-Electronics-Learning-20-055/dp/B00GYYEL8I

At the same time, read this (which is a good topical explanation, and free):
http://jacquesricher.com/NEETS/

And buy and read this (which is an EXCELLENT formal introduction into the physics):
https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Electronics-Inventors-Third-Scherz/dp/0071771336

Also you are going to learn how to program, which is an entirely different topic. Programming and hobby electronics make you a master of the universe, so it's worth it. I learned programming in the electronics domain and it was awesome. I made a microcontroller FM synthesizer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TvuzTK3Dzk

So basically, the way I learned programming in general was self-teaching with books. Again, you have to do it hands-on. Actually complete the examples in the books, and you'll be fine.
First, learn procedural c programming using C primer plus. Buy an older version so it'll be super cheap:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0672326965/ref=sr_1_3_twi_pap_1_olp?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1465827790&sr=1-3&keywords=c+primer+plus

Next, learn Object oriented programming using head first java. They do a great job of tackling OOP, which can be a difficult thing to learn.
https://www.amazon.com/Head-First-Java-Kathy-Sierra/dp/0596009208/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1465827860&sr=1-1&keywords=head+first+java


You're overwhelmed because they're deep topics. But, seriously, its the most fun shit ever. You'll love learning how to do it.

I just got into this myself! :D Opened up my Uno just today. What I decided to do was.... Well, I have a goal to manipulate the LED strip that is part of a gift I received. Instead of getting a kit with a bunch of different stuff, I focused on getting what I would need to work toward that project.

I went with this small kit on sale on Amazon (I didn't want to wait weeks). Today, I've been playing with the little LED lights while I wait for the other parts I've ordered separately to come. The breadboard in the kit is about the size of the Uno, but that's OK.

Between what I've tried to learn by looking around here and elsewhere online, talking with others to better understand how to approach my particular goal, and the tinkering I've done today, I'm pretty confident in trying out that strip once everything comes.

So a big kit is good if you want to dabble in different things, but if there's something in particular you want to do, it may be good to try to make a plan for it and focus your purchases in that area.

And heck! If you don't have an Arduino just yet, you can try one out virtually first! I like 123D Circuits by AutoDesk; however, there are many other simulators with Arduinos built in. Google them! :-)

Like it but don't like the $$$? You can make your own! There are many tutorials online for making a bare bones Arduino with cheap* electronics components.

I really like @schorhr book suggestions. To add on, the following books are great for Arduino beginners: Programming Arduino: Getting Started with Sketches & Make: Getting Started with Arduino. Also, great tutorials can be found here: tronixstuff Arduino Tutorials & Ladyada's Arduino Tutorials.

Good luck!

>I think the big question when it comes to component organization is portable or not? If portable there are some good (and cheap!) options like card binders and tackle boxes, which other people have suggested.

Portable is a big factor when considering how you will store stuff. I wouldn't dismiss it as an issue but I tend to see storage density as a bigger factor. It might not look that way when you are first starting out but as you collect more stuff space usage has to be managed.

>I'm currently getting my bench set up where I'll be doing most of my electronics and I'm finding it a bit trickier to do without spending a bunch. I'll probably get drawer organizers with as many drawers as possible for components like resistors, caps, and inductors.

Actually for resistors, diodes and LEDs I'd argue against that type of storage. The problem is this if you want to keep them organized you need individual bins per size or part number. If you don't things get mixed up and degrade from there. Even if you only stock the most common sizes of resistors you will end up with dozens of parts to organize. That leads to buying many drawer assemblies and using up a lot of space for a few parts. That doesn't mean you won't need the storage for other things though. Capacitors and inductors, especially in their more bulky variants would go well in such storage.

>I think first-order retrievability is a worthy consideration when it comes to tools, including dev boards.

if you don't need portability having tools directly accessible on the work bench can be a huge advantage. There is good reason woodworkers from the 1800's had huge walls of tools with the common tools right near their work benches.

The only thing that is different here is that makers often leave their benches for maker spaces or field work on their projects. That is when a portable tool box becomes so handy. These days though it doesn't even need to be a tool "box", it can just as well be a bag or even a tool backpack.

>At work I have plastic bins in all kinds of sizes and those work well. They offer good compartmentalization and organization but because they're open and have the shorter front they're easy to look into and access, or move to a bench, etc.

They are expensive though even at Wall Mart in the plastic variants. Plus you need a wall rack or shelving unit to store them. Stacking the plastic variants up one on top of the other is a pure trouble, believe me I've tried this with smaller units and it can lead to swearing and vulgarity when you want to take the bottom bin to the bench while avoiding spilling the rest. If you go with the cardboard ones or even the plastic ones you really need to build a shelving unit optimized for the size of the bins you buy. They are a good idea though, we have used the cardboard variants for stuff not used frequently at work.

Seems like a decent deal for a bunch of sensors. Does it come with any documentation?

Also, looks like Amazon has it 10 bucks cheaper.

http://www.amazon.com/ARDUINO-Compatible-37-Sensor-Module/dp/B009OVGKTQ

Also, shipping is horrendous. And the reviews say the sensors are undocumented and unlabeled.

No matter what, looks like it's $80 bucks to get to the U.S. at least.

Bombs Away. (meaning, no, this is not a good deal and I don't like it)

edit: I don't know why this grabbed me but it looks like you can get the same kit on Ebay with 'free shipping' for about 55 bucks... which is more reasonable.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ultimate-37-in-1-Sensor-Modules-Kit-for-Arduino-MCU-Education-User-/111132462537?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19e002cdc9

and here's apparently the product page:

http://www.sintron-hk.com/Ultimate-37-in-1-Sensor-Modules-Kit-for-Arduino-MCU-Education-User-P3112448.aspx

They also say free shipping and promise to send you documentation if you buy via PDF.

Ok.. I think I'm done kicking this horse. Would love to see an actual review of this kit to see if it's worth the 55 bucks.

Parts

Note: This is if you don't want to buy kits.

For beginners the Arduino Uno is recommended. It comes with most starter kits.

Along with the Uno a breadboard (this one comes with jumpers) is also needed for almost all projects.

You can buy separate components, such as sensors and acutators (motors, servos, etc.) to your liking.

**

Kits

The top two kits I would recommend are:

Official Arduino Starter Kit ($110)

SparkFun Inventors Kit ($95)


I personally have the Official Arduino Starter Kit and I love it, I picked this over the SparkFun Inventors Kit becasuse of the projects book, I have friends who have the SparkFun Inventors Kit and they love it too.

Other Kits:

SainSmart Starter Kit ($55)


Vilros Starter Kit


If want to buy your Arduino separately you can buy a kit without the Arduino board, the Arduino Sidekick Basic Kit looks fantastic.
**

Resources

Arduino Site

For more information on products go to the link above.

Don't even bother. I know this is an "arduino" sub but the [ESP8266] (https://www.amazon.com/HiLetgo-Internet-Development-Wireless-Micropython/dp/B010O1G1ES) (which has a smaller form factor dev board as well) and the ESP32 are cheaper, have more capability, more memory, more GPIO pins, more of everything... Best of all they use the same dev tools, language and libraries that arduino uses. Virtually every single device you can run on an arduino will also run against one of these other microcontrollers.

The ESP32 is the newest microcontroller from the makers of the ESP8266. Way more memory & flash memory, faster dua core CPU, lower power, way more GPIO pins, much better PWM support than the ESP8266, etc. However, because it is newer the library & module support is still not quite as mature as it is for the ESP8266 (at least a year ago when I last used it).

Seriously, if I was in your shoes, I wouldn't even bother with the ardunio if I was going to include wifi. ESP8266 and ESP32 both have them built in.

Again, I know this is an arduino sub but I'm pretty sure it is more of an "cool shit using microcontrollers" sub than strictly an "arduino hardware only" sub. And ESP8266's / ESP32's outclass arduinos in almost every regard.

PS: Most of those wifi shields for arduino actually have an ESP8266 on them in order to get wifi :-)

PPS: The ESP stuff is strictly 3.3v and all the GPIO pins are 3.3v. Arduino is all 5v. If your components all expect 5v and won't work with 3.3v, you'll need to run them all through a logic level converter to step the 3.3v up to 5v and back...

I think you are switching up between the Micro and the Mini. The Micro does indeed have a USB port, but you are correct I would have to use it in a breadboard.
I initially wanted to go with the Leonardo because it has the 32u4 microprocessor (the micro does too, the UNO not and the Nano also not), with which you can talk to your pc or OTG device as if it was a mouse or a keyboard. I don't think I can replicate that behavior with a Nano/UNO, can I?
Those kits are nice, but like I already said, they don't offer the 32u4. I guess I settled for this combination:https://www.conrad.de/de/arduino-micro-platine-65192-323485.html
and
http://www.amazon.de/SunFounder-Project-Starter-Arduino-Mega2560/dp/B00D9M4BQU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1452268693&sr=8-3&keywords=arduino+starter+kit
More than 60 Euro but whatever... At least I supported Arduino and got some parts to get me working.
If I ever need more I can still get them...
Thanks for your support man! Really appreciate it.

Short answers for now: yes, an Arduino could easily run all these LEDs.

What I would suggest is using "addressable" LEDs. These are a type of LED that is connected in (one or more) a long strings (like a Christmas tree string of lights) and they can still be individually controlled--you can set any one of them to a desired brightness or color, while not changing any of the others. You need a micro controller to do that, and an Arduino Uno or clone can do that. You can buy a Chinese clone Arduino and use that; they are a lot cheaper than the official ones and they work just the same.

There is basically two kinds of addressable LEDs, designated by how many wires they need. The more-common group is 3-wire (there is only 3 wires connecting all of them) and the less-common group is 4-wire. The 4-wire is more stable in noisy environments, but I would guess that the 3-wire LEDs would work fine for this. A common type of 3-wire addressable LED is named 'WS2812B'.

Most of these kinds of LEDs come already soldered onto a little PCB or strip, and are too big to fit into your hoods.

The first addressable LED I would think of for this is the 5mm types that Adafruit sells-- https://www.adafruit.com/product/1938 --but they don't make those LEDs, so you may be able to find them cheaper elsewhere. Adafruit is kinda expensive.

You could also get the actual SMD addressable LEDs yourself, and work with them that way. Here is one source on Amazon(US) -- https://www.amazon.com/Led-World-WS2812B-Individually-Addressable/dp/B00YC7ZXRM ---these things are pretty small, they are only 5mm square, but they can be hand-soldered.

You need some libraries to get the Arduino to operate these LEDs, but the libraries are free to download and use.

Addressable LEDs usually run off of 5v DC, so you would want a power supply for that. I would suggest one that can put out at least 5 amps or so. This would be enough current to run all the LEDs, as well as the Arduino board itself. You can get power bricks that size (like the chargers that laptops use) or you can get metal-enclosure CNC-style power supplies also. Either would work here.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D8KOZF4?aaxitk=dfLkaId6ZuFZo4yNDC4DTA&pd_rd_i=B01D8KOZF4&pf_rd_p=3ff6092e-8451-438b-8278-7e94064b4d42&hsa_cr_id=1247439260401&sb-ci-n=price&sb-ci-v=28.00&sb-ci-m=%24

This is what I started with. If you're not short on money you could get the arduino mega kit, the extra input pins is going to be really useful.

As for videos, jeremy blum has a great playlist to get started.

https://youtu.be/fCxzA9_kg6s

Pretty sure there's a free pdf textbook somewhere. Everything else just look in forums and guides.

Good luck!

I've been doing this a long time! You'll get to the point where choosing data types and using loops are very simple for you, just takes practice and thinking about why things work.

In terms of a book, my favorite is K&R's C book. It's an oldie but goodie, and starts with the basics which sets you up for success when you want to get into the more complicated stuff.

C++ books will in general not be focused on robotics or embedded programming, but Arduino/robotics books will often be more focused specific solutions than on programming theory, so it is difficult for me to make a recommendation there. Don't be afraid to google questions or topics as well. For general programming topics, somebody has probably asked your exact question at StackExchange.

No need on the gold, friend. Just helping out people with topics that I'm passionate about.

Edit: The bot that replied me to made me realize that book is kind of pricey. If that's too much, there's nothing in it that you can't learn online!

The design of arduino is open source so other companies have fabricated compatible boards or systems.<br />
.<br />
There are MANY arduino beginner kits out there. Some can be great and others not so great.<br />
The components available in kits varies greatly.<br />
Will she have the parts for EVERY project, NOPE. But she can learn about the system and the language.<br />
Companies like Adafruit, Sparkfun and SeeedStudio provide parts (or rather sub-assemblies) for more projects.<br />

I googled for a beginner kit and saw this one, I have no experience with it specifically.
The components I see are quite a wide variety,
$36 ELEGOO UNO Project Super Starter Kit with Tutorial and UNO R3 Compatible with Arduino IDE
https://www.amazon.com/ELEGOO-Project-Tutorial-Controller-Projects/dp/B01D8KOZF4
The only thing I don't like is that they use a 9V battery and connector to power the arduino.
To me, to make the board portable, that is just silly; a better way is to use a USB power bank
For example
https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-2100mAh-Universal-Battery-Pack/dp/B01AUT8CRI/
also a USB cable
https://www.amazon.com/C2G-28101-USB-Cable-Printers/dp/B000FW60E8/

Just for grins, I went to their download page, searched for "super" and downloaded their ZIP
https://www.elegoo.com/download/
Elegoo 2.8 Inch Touch Screen User Manual V1.00.2018.09.19.zip
In "English" folder is a PDF, that explains installation and gives projects. I'd suggest reviewing that file.


I found these links, maybe reading them will give you some more insight.

Elegoo vs Arduino: Which Will Your Kids Love Most?
https://www.allhomerobotics.com/elegoo-vs-arduino/

Elegoo vs Arduino – Which should you choose?
https://techttech.com/2017/11/17/elegoo-vs-arduino-choose/

"These boards don’t support the non-profit Arduino project."
This means that the original makers who invented and open-sourced the design, don't get part of your $$

Elegoo UNO R3 Project Complete Starter Kit Review
https://techttech.com/2018/06/02/elegoo-most-complete-kit-review/

I bought the elegoo super starter kit off Amazon and I've been SUPER happy with it. For less than the price of an official arduino you get a knockoff board and a ton of electronics to play with. Also arduino is open source so it's completely legal to make knock offs.

Elegoo EL-KIT-003 UNO Project Super Starter Kit with Tutorial for Arduino https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D8KOZF4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_CvMWAbFQQHAP4

Do you have any experience with the C programming language? That's where you start. I think the differences between C and Arduino's version of C++ are irrelevant for the beginning programmer.

I was lucky; I learned C back in the 80's from the K&R Bible. It's more reference than tutorial, but a great book to get started with.

Once you have the basics down, then the best way to learn is to take apart some interesting code. Want to know how arrays work? There's dozens of code segments using them, for driving LED matrices, storing sensor inputs, etc.

amazon has kits at pretty much every price point, just search arduino kit. make sure it's got an arduino uno clone, a breadboard, breadboard wires, basic stuff like leds, buttons, resistors, potentiometers, a couple transistors, stuff like that. plus some cool things like sensors and lcd displays.

something like this, although it might not be the best one at that price point https://www.amazon.com/ELEGOO-Project-Tutorial-Controller-Projects/dp/B01D8KOZF4/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=arduino+kit&qid=1574021245&sr=8-3

this one has a lot of good stuff too https://www.amazon.com/EL-KIT-001-Project-Complete-Starter-Tutorial/dp/B01CZTLHGE/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=arduino+kit&qid=1574021245&sr=8-7

i'm sure somebody can link one with a slightly better spread of parts, but in general if he doesn't have specific projects in mind any kit will do well enough to get started

how much are you looking to spend specifically? 30ish is a good price point, but there's options below and above that. i'd say stick to amazon kits instead of buying more expensive kits or individual parts if you don't know what you're looking for.

I started with a Sainsmart Uno compatible kit which cost about £30 from Amazon. It has some good bits and some parts I will probably never get to use, but certainly it was more than enough to get started.

At a minimum, I would suggest a few LEDs and some resistors around 100R, some pressbutton switches, a breadboard and maybe an LED panel. All of this can be bought cheaply, but once you add that up, then you might as well buy a cheap kit!

Don't waste money on books - there is more than enough info online, and since most of the starter kits contain the same basic components, there is no shortage of tutorials you can use.

I just found this kit which has some nice parts that were not in my kit, and leaves out some of the less useful things. It doesn't contain an arduino itself, but those can be bought cheaply enough, so for well under £30 you could have a few great starter projects!

you're gonna be "missing" parts depending on the projects you're working on. the most basic things you can get, though, are what you mentioned: a breadboard, wires, leds, resistors, etc. what i've done so far is looked for the parts i need on amazon... there are all kinds of sensors you can get separately and very cheap in general.

I recently got an arduino and, like you did, I thought the starter kit was pretty expensive. So I actually got a Leonardo by itself and got this on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DGNZ9G8
This kit also comes with a few buttons you can use to practice and then you can buy more later or something.

that kit was definitely cheaper than getting the official arduino one and it comes with almost everything i've needed so far. There are other kits on amazon that have different things that you might be more interested in, like this one: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D9M4BQU I've also seen light sensors for $7-$9 on amazon.

other parts I've gotten separately are diodes, more leds, a bigger breadboard, shift registers, etc... but, like i mentioned, those i've purchased because of the nature of the projects i've been working on. I came to know of the parts i've purchased through other people's projects, google, blogs, youtube, etc.

also, in terms of programming, i'd suggest learning some c or c++. but you might not need to spend too much time on that since you're good with sketches, it's just in case you want to get into more advanced projects, i guess.

Inspired by /u/commanderkull's post here, I turned an LED-matrix into a performance monitoring tool for my Linux PC. In the gif I am stopping+restarting a Windows VM to show what it looks like when the load changes (of course Windows blue screens, right?)
I wrote a small server to grab the current CPU, memory, and swap usage of my system when the ESP8266 requests it. The ESP8266 then parses the the string and lights the LEDs as necessary.
I have CPU usage displayed in blue LEDs, memory in green, and swap in red. The three colors are added together when displayed (i.e., all the LEDs turn right if each of the above are at 100%)
The code can be found on my GitHub. It's quick and likely dirty, but it gets the job done. The server doesn't cleanly handle the client disconnected+reconnecting right now, but I might add that in the future. As I hinted above, the server only works on Linux right now. Feel free to fork my repo to add Windows support if you like.
This is my first project that I'd consider more or less complete, but it could stand to look a bit nicer. If anyone has any suggestions for that, I'm all ears.

Compnents used:
NodeMCU ESP8266
LED Matrix
Misc. jumper wires

I can't vouch for anything, but I just ordered this kit. Not sure if it's available to you, but has pretty good reviews, seems like a really good deal. Excited to get started on whatever the fuck this stuff is. Looks like it's having a lightning special offer right now too. Damn.

Yes I know, sorry the video is vertical. And I know there's a lot cooler ones out there but I sunk a lot of time into this so I thought I'd share. If anyone is interested I've got a fritzing diagram of the wiring for everything. I used an Arduino Mega, and pretty much everything else used came in this kit. The color sensor I used was here. Pretty much everything else to actually build the mechanical portion was found in one of my groupmate's garage.

A quick Amazon search: Sunfounder Project Super Starter Kit; looks like SunFounder has a few kits like this. I haven't bought from SunFounder, so can't vouch for them, but this looks like it might fit your needs.

That said, I would recommend not buying a kit, but rather picking up a few component selections (resistors, capacitors, etc), and then ordering a bunch of stuff from Tayda or similar. You will typically end up with a better selection for cheaper, and you can pick and choose based on what you want to do.

Basically, the stuff you need is not a big list; the stuff that you might want for a specific project is darn hard to predict.

edit: also, SainSmart has a couple kits on Amazon that look reasonable and don't include an Arduino.

Check out Simon Monk's book: Programming Arduino, Getting Started with Sketches . I found it a great starter book, and was easy to understand and follow.

As for your keyboard interface.. it sounds like you will need the serial monitor running and waiting for a key-press. Arduino: SerialAvailable

Hope that gets you moving in the right direction! GL!

I was pretty happy with "Programming Arduino - Getting Started With Sketchs" by Simon Monk. It provide a good overview of C and the various steps needed to get to working code. I've already a lot of coding experience by knew nothing about Arduino when I started so it brought me up to speed quickly but I think it would useful for beginners, as well.

It's available on Amazon for sub-$9: -> and he has a site which has a fair amount of errata, etc.: ->

> I bought a gameduino shield

> I am weak in coding

You sure have bitten off quite a bit for a beginner. /u/Thereminz's advice is pretty sound. Seek all the demo code you can find, and spend lots of time reading and understanding it. Tweek, play, and learn.

Also, you should be reading programming books to better understand the language. I recommend the K&R C programming. It is the bible of C, and every other C book in existence was born from it. It's a bit dry, but it's also very concise. I always keep it handy. Also, "Writing Great Code" is a fantastic read, and a must have for optimizing for performance in microcontrollers.

I have also always wanted to make a robot! And in the past I have actually tried out a few kits but was disappointed with them for exactly what you said ('put it together by following the instructions and its done'). There are many kits out there that are "put tab a in slot b" and it drove me CA-RAY-ZEE because they never explained WHY and what tab a was doing and why slot b was necessary and in the end I knew exactly as much as I did before. That's why a book or set of tutorials with lots of small projects that explain what they are doing is better. The book with the starter kit I linked above was really good at that. I've also heard good things about Arduino Cookbook but I haven't used it myself. After reading all your replies I'd say go for it. Have a project adventure. The worst that can happen is you've spent some $$ and have learned some stuff. And the best that can happen is that you've spent some $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ and have made some really cool things.

Along the same lines as nudemonkey's suggestion, you could get a cheaper one such as:

https://www.amazon.com/Elegoo-Project-Tutorial-Prototype-Expansion/dp/B01D8KOZF4/

Or even https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DGD2GAO

Then buy whatever sensor kit you're most interested in https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Dcomputers&field-keywords=Sensor+module+kit

I wouldn't expect much tech support from the discount vendors on Amazon or eBay though so if you think you might vendor help then Sparkfun may be a better choice.

In any case the main suggestion I'd have is get yourself enough stuff to keep yourself occupied and then start ordering individual stuff from China using aliexpress with free (slow) shipping. That way you'll get a little "present" from China every few days.

Don't expect any help from the seller with anything ordered that way though.... You're pretty much stuck with just searching part numbers and reading data sheets, but someone has probably posted code for just about everything on a blog somewhere at this point.

Getting a resistor, capacitor, transistor, diode, led assortment pack is highly recommended. They can be extremely inexpensive if ordered from China. I also recommend ordering some extra breadboards and jumper wires.

The HiLetgo on Amazon seems to be well reviewed and is pretty cheap. How easy would something like this be to use? https://www.amazon.com/HiLetgo-Internet-Development-Wireless-Micropython/dp/B010O1G1ES

Also, to turn on the computer, I have to close a circuit. I could send a signal through one pin, but I'm scared that sending the wrong current could fry my motherboard, so I want to just physically close the circuit. Is there a module that when a pulse is sent to it it will connect two other lines? Like a digital switch? Thanks so much for all your help!

EDIT: just found out the second thing I'm looking for is called a relay :)

I use a Weller WES51 Analog Soldering Station for pretty much everything I do, including surface mount rework. I use different tips depending on what I'm doing, small for SMD, medium for everything else. a good vise and plenty of light will help a lot. SparkFun and Adafruit tutorials are good. LadyAda of Adafruit has a soldering tutorial.

EDIT: I see others have already posted some of the links I gave. Just consider mine a second endorsement.

I got mine as a Chrstmas gift. I'm not seeing the exact one that I have on the Arduino website, but here it is on Amazon US. It's a kit with an Arduino, a bunch of parts and components and a book walking you through a bunch of different beginner projects to teach you how everything works. I haven't really dug into it much yet aside from reading through the first project. The packaging and presentation is beautiful though. I was really impressed with the quality of the kit.

I bought the official kit a few months ago and I finished all the projects.

• The kit contains a lot more components than you need to complete the projects. Lots of resistors, capacitors, temperature sensors and LEDs.
  
  
• The book doesn't explain much of the science. If you want to know more about the science I recommend this book.
  
  Its an good kit. It got me started but I really wanted more in depth explanations.
  
  Another great resource is Sparkfun. They sell kits which are very well documented and provide lots of other information

Good to know, thank you. The board will almost solely be controlling lights, maybe looking for a few button presses, so I can probably hit 30 Hz update rate.

I think I'm going to go with one of these ESP8266 NodeMCU boards (e.g. https://www.amazon.com/HiLetgo-Internet-Development-Wireless-Micropython/dp/B010O1G1ES/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8&th=1) as the specs look great and it's got built in wifi too. I'm just wondering why it's so much cheaper than something like the UNO or MEGA. I haven't kept up with recent developments much, are these boards getting outdated and replaced these days? Are there some disadvantages to the ESP8266 I should know of? I'm potentially going to turn this project into a product I can sell so I want something robust.

Make has some great intro stuff for arduino. Good places to start would be to get either the getting started with arduino kit or if you want more advanced stuff immediately the Make ultimate arduino pack.

If you don't want to spend on hardware without understanding, there is a lot on youtube about arduino programming. Arduino Cookbook has most of the basics and a good framework for moving forward.

Get something like this or this, it should arrive pretty fast and give you a good idea of what you can do with arduino. Once you have the basics down you can order more specific parts and go from there. This is better than buying components in that it all comes together as one and you won't be missing any parts right off the start in order to get led's blinking etc..

I think the big question when it comes to component organization is portable or not? If portable there are some good (and cheap!) options like card binders and tackle boxes, which other people have suggested.

I'm currently getting my bench set up where I'll be doing most of my electronics and I'm finding it a bit trickier to do without spending a bunch. I'll probably get drawer organizers with as many drawers as possible for components like resistors, caps, and inductors.

I think first-order retrievability is a worthy consideration when it comes to tools, including dev boards. At work I have plastic bins in all kinds of sizes and those work well. They offer good compartmentalization and organization but because they're open and have the shorter front they're easy to look into and access, or move to a bench, etc.

> I don't even know which OS to use, I've never used Linux before.

Don't worry, the Arduino IDE works just fine on Windows. There are plenty of resources for Arduino projects that will help you learn, and most tutorials are aimed at those who have zero programming or electrical engineering knowledge.

Something like this might be a good idea, as it includes everything to get started with basic projects (including the Arduino itself), as well as an instruction booklet. You could also further augment it with this kit.

I was planning on 3d printing a set of small component drawers, but I just saw these and they seem pretty reasonably priced:

https://www.amazon.com/Akro-Mils-10164-Plastic-Storage-Hardware/dp/B000LDH3JC/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=component+tool+box&qid=1573643955&sr=8-8

I think those look perfect for me. I've also seen other ones with different sets of drawer sizes in the one unit.

If you want a station, there really are two which are the standard:

1. Weller WES51
   http://www.amazon.com/Weller-WES51-Analog-Soldering-Station/dp/B000BRC2XU
   
   
2. Hakko FX 888
   https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11704
   
   If you want just an Iron I would get a Weller Wp25, 30, or 35 depending on how hot you desire.
   http://www.amazon.com/Weller-WP25-Professional-25Watts-Soldering/dp/B000B63BTU
   
   
   
   The radioshack Pro Line actually looks quite nice at $30(on sale for $20 this week)
   http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=15772146
   
   Very good deal and nice quality, downside being they only sell one type of tip and it doesnt come in different wattages.
   

which starter kit did you get? I am currently deciding which one i am going to buy.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HI0RYJK/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza

There is this one, but I am unsure if I should pick the LCD / Ethernet option. Would the LCD screen / Ethernet shield even be useful for a beginner like me?

Or should I just get the Official kit by Adruino:

http://www.amazon.com/Arduino-Starter-Official-170-page-Projects/dp/B009UKZV0A/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

They honestly both seem about the same other than the 20$ price different between the official one and the vilros one.

I think you may want to look at a sensor kit like this: https://www.amazon.com/d/Computer-Motherboards/ELEGOO-Upgraded-Modules-Tutorial-Arduino/B01MG49ZQ5/

It sounds like he has an interest in sensors and this kit, or one like it, gives a good crash course with them.

Good advice. I was planning on using Google a lot to guide me, and pick up some simple starter projects to get my feet wet.

I decided to get the board and kit separately, since I couldn't really find a complete kit that mixed everything I wanted. Went with this board and this kit. Is that good value, altogether?

Would've liked to have gotten one of the more expensive kits with the more interesting sounding projects, but money's tight right now and I'm sure I can find plenty to do with what I got.

Just buy a starter kit from Amazon that has components in it that you want to experiment with and go through the examples. It's the best way to trip and fall into the rabbit hole of microcontrollers!

I usually tell people to get a kit with a MEGA2560 in it, since it gives you more options as your skill set increases. This one would be a good start:

https://www.amazon.com/EL-KIT-008-Project-Complete-Ultimate-TUTORIAL/dp/B01EWNUUUA

• Sparkfun Inventors Kit - Favorite
  
• Official Arduino Starter Kit - Solid!
  
• Random Kit - Also great! also has a few options.

I thought Programming Arduino Getting Started with Sketches by Simon Monk was very good. It starts from the very basics of what a micro controller is and the concepts of how it works. Then steps you through the example sketches in the Arduino IDE explaining how and why they work. It's written in a way that's very easy to understand even for the absolute beginner.

Once you've gone through those you'll have a good understanding of what is and isn't possible and how to make your own projects around it. After that Google.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01D8KOZF4/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1511756164&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=arduino

I just bought this 2 days ago and tbh you don't need anything more than what is included. Even though its not an official arduino it works very well and is soldered and made very neat. It is like an advanced beginners pack.

I have two elegoo arduino unos, I got kits on amazon that came with all sorts of peripherals and it was a great deal, less than 20 bucks for the cheaper one. Have used these boards for all kinds of fun projects for about a year now.
I got this one:
https://www.amazon.com/Elegoo-EL-KIT-004-Project-Starter-Tutorial/dp/B01DGD2GAO
and then this one a little later:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D8KOZF4/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B01D8KOZF4&pd_rd_wg=nqNDZ&pd_rd_r=KJJDMWS7ZPRQ9FMJFJKZ&pd_rd_w=dl0ip
Elegoo, if you see this pls send advertiser money.

I like this the super starter kit by SunFounder there videos are very good and they give you the code for all there projects.
Also, they are fairly inexpensive.
Here's a link

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00D9M4BQU/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1504912825&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=sunfounder+arduino&dpPl=1&dpID=61kZ9XQzgxL&ref=plSrch

My friend got this one and I was pretty jealous

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01D8KOZF4/ref=mp_s_a_1_2

I have had good results with this book.

Practical Electronics for Inventors

If youre asking a question about a resistor and an LED, I bet you will have more complex questions about EE topics as you go forward. The book is good for engineering minds that havent studied EE in my experience. Plus the book is pretty cheap for the amount of knowledge inside.

It's easier than you think. Grab this book http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0071771336/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 you'll learn a lot.

Anyway, even if you learned some theory you will need to practice and practice, the more you practice the better you become.

There's a lot of tutorials online, you can learn a lot and fast.

I my self am a CS student, I design my own custom board using Cadsoft Eagle, etch it, solder it and so on...

Nothing is hard, you just need to practice. Just search a bit online and start with the easy and small tutorials.

Edit: Grab your self an Arduino Kit or buy a bunch of each component (Jameco, Digikey, Mouser, DX.com, Aliexpress.com, Sparkfun....) and the required tools (soldering iron, plier, breadboards.....)
Also, you can buy some unsoldered boards with their components and read the manual to learn more about circuits and soldering.

Works just as well as the official ones. This was my first kit https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01D8KOZF4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Best damn $30 I've spent on open source hardware. This should get you started for a great deal of the beginner projects.

I personally have really enjoyed/continue to enjoy this kit. For the price it’s unbeatable!

ELEGOO UNO Project Super Starter... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D8KOZF4?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

I went from almost zero knowledge (blinking light tutorials, etc) to this in about a month. I'm nowhere near an expert now, but I designed and built something with my own brain and two hands and learned quite a bit in the process.

For me it helps to have something "real" to do. Something I actually need (or want,) then I can just plow through the bullshit and make that thing work. I still really have no clue what I'm doing (as evidenced by this) but now I have a shed with light and sound effects.

As for components, you can get stuff from mouser, jameco or lots of places, but I think the best bang for your buck when you're getting started is to just order assortments of stuff. I got assortments of caps and resistors from amazon and I'm sure similar assortments are available for other components (as I'm typing this I searched for "electronic component assortment" on amazon and there are several kits that have lots of stuff, plus diodes, voltage regulators, some ICs, transistors, LEDs, knobs, buttons, etc.)

The way I see it is if you're looking at a parts list for a beginner project they're probably going to use common components. A tiny leap of logic leads to the assumption that you're going to need those parts in the future. If the project calls for a 2n3906 transistor you can either buy one for $5.00 or 50 for $7.

Another piece of advice if you go this route: buy some of these. (May want to think about one of these too.)

coolcool thanks for the details! So as far as the hardware goes I would need to order: arduino uno/clone, addressable LEDs, and a power supply. How about the cables/wiring? Do those come with the LEDs? Im going to order this pack: https://www.amazon.com/Led-World-WS2812B-Individually-Addressable/dp/B00YC7ZXRM that you recommended. Any other hardware that I would need?

Again sorry, but I know nothing about LEDs and arduino. Where do I solder the LEDs to? Are there easy to follow along beginners youtube video that I can follow or learn from? And how about the libraries how do those work? And what is the required software? Do the clones and offical arduino use the same software?

Thank you all for your answers. I'll buy then. I just want to know, which to buy, if Arduino's at all, because I see many comments about how "expensive" it is. Can you direct me which kit to buy?(I know, that's expensive, but I want to get an easy start. The rest of the parts, sensors etc I'll get from eBay/Aliexpress)

https://www.amazon.com/Elegoo-Complete-Ultimate-TUTORIAL-Mega2560/dp/B01EWNUUUA/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1504512661&sr=1-2-spons&keywords=arduino&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Arduino-Starter-Kit-English-Official/dp/B009UKZV0A/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1504512661&sr=1-6&keywords=arduino

https://www.amazon.com/Elegoo-Project-Complete-Starter-Tutorial/dp/B01CZTLHGE/ref=sr_1_14?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1504512661&sr=1-14&keywords=arduino


Or if you have something else to show, I'll be happy..

Get the one that has the maximum number of sensors at the price you're still willing to pay. The one you've linked on Amazon has almost nothing, just a bunch of LED's and resistors (arranged so it looks like you're getting a lot when you're really not getting anything).

Or you could get that an a sensors pack like this.

I don't know where you live, but if you'll google around for kits, I'm sure you can find them cheaper than on Amazon. And of course there's always AliExpress if you're willing to wait a little.

This is a kit my wife just got me for Valentines day.

https://www.amazon.com/Elegoo-Complete-Ultimate-TUTORIAL-controller/dp/B01EWNUUUA/

I've been pretty happy with it so far. It's had everything I've needed to get started.

The bible of C/C++ books, ANSI C by K&R.

https://www.amazon.com/Programming-Language-Brian-W-Kernighan/dp/0131103628

This is the book most programming courses use in Computer Science as it was written by the Bell Labs developers of the 'C' language, Brain Kernaghan and Dennis Ritchie.

Read each chapter like a fine wine then complete all of the exercises at the end of each chapter. My bet is you can find a forum somewhere to post your homework for others to evaluate, troubleshoot, or offer suggestions like the stack overflow site.

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/26645484/kr-the-c-programming-language-exercise-2-2-check-my-work

If you want something that will last you and is of very good quality, I recommend Weller. They're basically an industry standard. I just purchased this one: http://www.amazon.com/Weller-WES51-Analog-Soldering-Station/dp/B000BRC2XU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343171327&sr=8-1&keywords=Weller+analog

If you want to get really fancy you can get the digital model, it's about 130$.

My recommendation would be to pick up a kit like this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CZTLHGE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and start running through the projects. (There is a CD with a bunch of beginner projects on it) Once you have the kit you can also just google "Arduino beginner projects" and pick some of those, the kit will likely have everything you need for most beginner projects.

​

Edit: I have that exact same kit and am very impressed with it.

Edit2: If you want to see what is included in terms of projects see here: https://www.elegoo.com/download/ and download the package for the kit you are looking at getting.

Thanks for the suggestions. I know nothing about electronics or programming and just ordered the Arduino Starter Kit from Amazon with a gift card I got this morning.

Arduino with an ESP chip is probably the best way to go. I found this tutorial that grabs data from a website and you can use this chip.

--

You can also program these using Python with MicroPython. There's this example of someone using this to put Data to a server. You can start with that and modify the code, in his other examples he also has how to use an LED and how to read data from a webpage. It's also worth checking out his other examples and other code online! Just a quick note, you configure the Wifi settings in boot.py then have your main script in main.py.

Start with this book. That'll help you spend your money smartly as well as get fundamentals down.

Make: Electronics is a fantastic book for the hardware side of things. It does not use the Arduino (it only briefly touches on microcontrollers at the end), but it will give you a solid foundation to whicht you can easily apply the Arduino.

With a programming background you will take to working with the code and libraries fairly easily but working with the electronic principles a little more challenging (at least that was my case). This book wasn't specific to Arduino but made working with the Arduino much easier for me as I got the basics down as far as working with capacitors, resistors, LED's, pull downs, switches, etc.
http://www.amazon.com/Make-Electronics-Discovery-Charles-Platt/dp/0596153740

I got this one: http://amzn.com/B00D9M4BQU

It's half the price of the one you linked and seems to have a lot more of the basic stuff you should learn in the beginning. The book that comes with it is good in the sense that it has great starting projects. You start with really simple ones like turning an LED on and off with code, then moves on to using a knob to set the brightness of the LED, and so on and so forth.

As far as explaining how and why it works it does a decent job but I always found myself YouTubing things just to understand them more. I always took things apart my whole life and I've seen the components countless times. One by one you finally learn what each thing is called and what it does and things start making a lot more sense.

The sensor box I got was this one: http://amzn.com/B009OVGKTQ and it's $25. I know a lot of the reviews say that things are not labeled properly but hey fixed that. This comes with a CD that I think only has the C++ classes for each module. It doesn't have an instruction manual on how to use each one BUT it tells you what each module is and its name and you can google it and find detail info on it and videos explaining them.

With the money you were going to spend on the kit you linked, these two kits end up being the same price together and I think you'd get a lot more for your buck buying these two as a starting point.

Wemos and NodeMCU are popular breakout boards for the esp8266. Basically they take the esp8266 and make it easier to work with. You can program them in a variety of ways including the arduino IDE. The downside is there is only 1 analog pin. Since you are intending on using photoresistors you'll have to decide on a workaround since you will need multiple pins. This should be easier to do (and cheaper) than getting wifi up and running on an arduino. In my opinion using an arduino for a wifi project is not worth doing.


I've used the following NodeMCU: https://www.amazon.com/HiLetgo-Version-NodeMCU-Internet-Development/dp/B010O1G1ES/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1486494246&sr=1-2&keywords=nodemcu


Took me about 10 minutes to get an mqtt connection up and running with the arduino IDE.


I would stay away from starter kits since you have a specific project in mind and just buy a variety pack of resistors, some capacitors, leds, and then whatever you would need for your project. You'll just spend more money on a starter kit and you'll likely need to buy additional parts down the line.

This is a pretty good guide to the electronics part. Find kits on AliExpress for the components.

Thank you! I think I might buy Make: Electronics or Practical Electronics for Inventors just to have on hand as a quick reference manual.

I have had very good luck with the HiLetgo boards from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010O1G1ES

Even though a few have released their magic smoke and no longer work.... let's just say that I was conducting "endurance" testing on them... ya, endurance testing... that was it.

I've never dabbled with Arduinos before, so got this pack from Amazon, which has a great selection of stuff to fiddle with, then got an extra load of the piezo sensors from Ebay for about £2 (I'm British). Making one again would likely be far cheaper, just getting the individual electronics.

Oh also this little kit is pretty nice for beginners, I have one. It's also genuine:

https://www.amazon.com/Arduino-Starter-Kit-English-Official/dp/B009UKZV0A

Try an Elegoo starter kit to get a jump on Arduino-related projects to play with. Amazon offers several kits of different components and boards. I like this one for beginners: https://www.amazon.com/ELEGOO-Project-Starter-Tutorial-Arduino/dp/B01D8KOZF4

I would start with your basic UNO as part of a starter kit. If you've never done it before, working through the samples is the absolute best way to get going. In addition, get the Arduino Cookbook. With those two things, you should be able to work up to doing what you need to do.

If you want to do it all on your own and have 0 experience you are going to have to learn a lot about programming and electronics.

You can start here for programming:
http://www.amazon.com/C-Programming-Modern-Approach-2nd/dp/0393979504/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426519326&sr=8-1&keywords=c+programming+a+modern+approach

For electronics start here:

http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Started-Electronics-Forrest-Mims/dp/0945053282/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426519459&sr=8-1&keywords=getting+started+in+electronics

Then here
http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Electronics-Inventors-Paul-Scherz/dp/0071771336/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426519443&sr=8-1&keywords=circuit+design

Once you've done that then I suggest you start buying Arduino kits etc. I'm not saying you need a lot of experience to start with Arduino, but if you are looking to make a commercialized project and have a budget I think it's better to know what to buy before you start throwing money away in things (e.g. kits) you won't even use.

Elegoo makes a starter kit with a lot of fun stuff in it.

$27.99 on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/ELEGOO-Project-Starter-Tutorial-Arduino/dp/B01D8KOZF4?ref_=bl_dp_s_web_14833109011

​

The document is not worth much. It's just a copy/paste of the list of the components found on the Amazon page for the Elegoo super starter kit (https://www.amazon.com/Elegoo-EL-KIT-003-Project-Starter-Tutorial/dp/B01D8KOZF4) with the prices I found for each component sold separately.

I recently purchased a Weller WES51 analog soldering station on amazon for $97, well worth the price! I use it primarily for soldering wires to small PCBs so it should work for your uses!

Here in the UK the official starter kit is £73 from amazon. That's CAD 130.

So the actual price of your kit was normal, but you got screwed over by shipping costs and customs duty... I didn't realise you have to pay customs duty when importing from the US. Don't you guys have a free trade agreement?

Engineering teacher here - I have three kits and the Official Arduino Kit (Amazon Link) gives you the most for your money and has the best documentation, by far.

The arduino uno is a great kit to start with. you can get one here.

I've really keep my self busy buying this sensor kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MG49ZQ5?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf
Along with this basic starter set https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N6BFGWA?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf
But it didn't include an arduino so I also bought one separately. However, you can easily buy a kit that includes one as they are a plenty, just make sure to get a very diverse one with resistors, wires, breadboard etc. That'll keep you busy for the next couple months going through all the different sensor functions.

i just got this kit last week and i'm extremely happy with it: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D9M4BQU/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Note that your going to have to buy an Arduino separately.

I just got the standard kit from Arduino itself, figuring it'd be the most likely to work.

I think this is it:

https://www.amazon.com/Arduino-Starter-Kit-English-Official/dp/B009UKZV0A/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1525399900&sr=8-7&keywords=arduino

have fun!

I've had a lot of fun with this Elegoo kit. (There are more with more stuff on amazon, including one with a mega)

https://www.amazon.com/Elegoo-Project-Starter-Tutorial-Arduino/dp/B01D8KOZF4/

The elegoo clones are basic but seem to be very well made. (Everything labled well. No funky off-brand serial chips at least on the Uno)

Learned a lot in a hurry from the included tutorials. Now e-packets full of other boards, breakouts, sensors, parts are arriving in my mailbox every week.

I'm an older gentleman too and I just found this book, http://www.amazon.com/Programming-Arduino-Getting-Started-Sketches/dp/0071784225/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412535749&sr=8-1&keywords=Programming+arduino. So far it's been very helpful answering questions about code that the "getting started with arduino" book didn't cover. I would recommend it for sure.

If you only get one book get Make: Electronics. I was in your position not that long ago, and after getting this book I am now able to build any circuit I need. This book is great and I'll leave it at that.

I got mine off amazon. Pretty cheap.

HiLetgo New Version NodeMCU LUA WiFi Internet ESP8266 Development https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010O1G1ES/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_8EMlybP0DHNDQ

This one to be exact.

Elegoo UNO Project Super Starter Kit with Tutorial for Arduino https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D8KOZF4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_SpsGzbZG58A27

Hey don't feel bad if you did. Breaking things is a fine way to learn. (I mean, I'm kind of curious about what the insides of a servo look like in person. Haha.) I was going to link to a book I saw that teaches you electronics by breaking stuff (like the first lesson was to completely burn up an LED haha). But I can't find it.

Oh wait, it was this book after all: http://www.amazon.com/Make-Electronics-Discovery-Charles-Platt/dp/0596153740

Nothing special, but I got my very first Arduino (uno)!

Also pictured:

• breadboard
  
  
• RGB LED Strip
  
  
• Motion sensor
  
  
• photoresistor
  
  
• wire
  
  
• battery and snap
  
  
• USB cord.
  
  Not pictured: Programming Arduino. Im really excited to get started on my first electronics projects!

MakerShed has a practice kit for $9.95. I would recommend getting a good soldering iron. The Weller WES51 is really nice. For years I just thought I sucked at soldering. It turns out it was the crappy Radio Shack iron I was using. You can get very small tips for the Weller that make soldering easy. If possible, attend a Maker Faire. They have several tents/booths where they teach you to solder. Mitch Altman is often in attendance and teaches soldering on the Learn to Solder Skill Badge. He has a comic book on soldering.

I personally like the Uno. The Mega is cool and all because of all the pins but you don't need them. Something I sort of fear with newbies is that by getting the Mega you might not think about things like pin efficiency when your projects start to get large, the mega often acts as a crutch instead of making proper design choices. But that's just my cynical opinion, you'll have a blast with whatever you get and that kit will be great.

ps: This is the kit I got a few summers ago that's kept me quite busy

I don't know what /u/grizzly_wintergreen had in mind, but I have something more like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Akro-Mils-10164-Plastic-Storage-Hardware/dp/B000LDH3JC

I would not go for anything open, as it can get dusty. As those are transparent drawers, you can see inside them without opening.

Easiest way by far is getting a arduino starter kit from amazon. They come with all the parts you need and a booklet that guides you through increasingly complex projects step by step, while explaining how all the different electronic parts as well the programming works along the way

Heres the link to the official one i started out with, but they are lots and lots of them available, at different price points and number of components included

I have the Elegoo Super Starter Kit. This one: https://www.amazon.ca/Elegoo-Project-Tutorial-Prototype-Expansion/dp/B01D8KOZF4

I have found a few definite typos and errors in it so far so I thought I would ask.

I really enjoyed these books.
https://www.amazon.com/Make-Electronics-Discovery-Charles-Platt/dp/0596153740

I used the Arduino Starter Kit comes with a project book that teaches you the basics of circuitry all the way to complex ways to program an arduino. Very fun and everything you need is included.

https://www.amazon.com/ELEGOO-Project-Starter-Tutorial-Arduino/dp/B01D8KOZF4/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1XKZW5D924YS1&keywords=arduino+starter+kit&qid=1562014512&s=gateway&sprefix=arduino+starter%2Caps%2C239&sr=8-4

This one seems to be very good.

I bought a couple kits on Amazon that come with PDF manuals on CD. Things like this. I got this book which really helped me understand sketches instead of just modifying other people's code.

I got into arduino because I had these two kits:

https://www.amazon.com/Make-Electronics-Components-Pack-1/dp/B00T0UCLIK/ref=sr_1_2

https://www.amazon.com/Make-Electronics-Components-Pack-2/dp/B00T0UCLF8/ref=sr_1_3

Which are meant to go with this book (although I think they might be meant for the first edition of the book). It's awesome, this guy explains how most basic components work as he guides you through several projects.

Finally, go to your local Radio Shacks today and get some components on the cheap. Look for resistor packs, LEDs, capacitors, toggles (switches, buttons, etc.), battery holders, hookup wire, heat shrink tubing, logic chips, timer chips, transistor packs, DIP sockets, PCB, project boxes, any arduino boards, motors, servos, solder, tools (like precision screwdrivers, soldering irons and accessories, IC extractors, wire cutters/strippers). If you get into this hobby, you might regret missing this clearance sale.

You could probably get it shipped to Europe through Amazon. And here's a cheaper version -- 4 pins instead of 3, but probably works just as well!

Ultrasonic Module HC-SR04 Distance Sensor For Arduino

Is that better than the official kit to get my son started?

Would you say this is a good alternative/choice?

Here's the kit I got. It is on the expensive side, but it comes with a book that teaches you how to use the arduino by building projects. Everything you need for the projects is included in the kit. I opted for this because I thought it would get me of the ground quickly, and I like if.


http://www.amazon.com/Arduino-Starter-Official-170-page-Projects/dp/B009UKZV0A

I got an Arduino Kit and it came in the kit with a bunch of other stuff. You can get them pretty cheap(the joysticks)... I think...

I ended up getting this kit (~$50), which is just this board (~$15) with a bunch of extra toys. Both have good reviews so I'm looking forward to it!

K&R's C Book is also very good.

here is a really good starter pack for 50 dollars
https://www.amazon.com/Elegoo-Project-Complete-Starter-Tutorial/dp/B01CZTLHGE

https://www.amazon.ca/Elegoo-Project-Starter-Tutorial-Arduino/dp/B01D8KOZF4

I bought the upgraded kit a few weeks ago (this one) - it comes with a pdf which includes a lot of tutorials running through the sensors/peripherals that come with it. I was pleasantly suprised by what I received and if you overlook the occasion 'Engrish' it should suit your needs.

Others may disagree, but I've found this book
http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Electronics-Inventors-Third-Edition/dp/0071771336
To be extremely informative both for the layman such as myself, and I imagine it's useful for the more experienced of us as It goes into rather extensive detail - including all the mathematics and electrical theory.

Depending on your needs, you could get an FTDI adapter instead. I personally like the ESP12e and esp8266 huzzah feather.

Here you go :)

I recommend Getting Started With Arduino, it is by one of the creators on the original Arduino. It aims at someone with no programming/electronics experience and breaks down the sketches of simple programs one line at a time.

Although it only covers the basics, it is very short and can be read very quickly. I would read that as a quick introduction and then go onto using the arduino cookbook, which can be used for reference for specific projects.

This might be a good start, Practical Electronics for Inventors:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0071771336/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'd select a kit that has more variety of input and output devices.

Perhaps like this, or if you can afford teh extra few dollars, this.

The more different things you can experiment with, the more possibilities to learn.

Will this one be ok??

I don't really wanna post the code for ethical reasons (I started with some basic Adafruit code for bluetooth and turned it into a full OS). But here's a feature list:

1. Bluetooth, where time, battery percentage, and location are automagically updated by a companion app (a modified version of this app by Nordic Semiconductor.)
   
   
2. A stopwatch, accessed by pressing the left button.
   
   
3. A flashlight, turned on by one of the switches
   
   
4. A "dumb mode" in which only the time is displayed, accessed by flipping the bottom switch
   
   
5. In the future, notifications.
   
   I used u8g2's u8x8 mode for the screen drawing, as it requires no ram.
   
   ​
   
   Here are my parts:
   
   Voltage regulator (takes 8.4v down to 5v)
   
   22pF capacitors
   
   16MHz Oscillator (required for standalone board)
   
   DIYMall blue OLED
   
   Knockoff Arduino Uno
   
   Adafruit UART-Capable bluetooth module (makes sending data easier)
   
   Spare ATMega 328 processors
   
   Li-Ion" 9V" (8.4v) batteries (rechargeable)
   
   Switches
   
   9V battery clip
   
   Soldering Kit
   
   Elegoo prototyping PCBs
   
   Jumper wires (makes life easier & tidier)
   
   Elegoo Starter Kit (Comes with LEDs, resistors, and buttons)

That seems like a decent kit, though it doesn't include a lot of intermediate level stuff. So you would probably get bored after a month or so. Also, several people in the comments complained about broken boards. I've heard a lot of people speak really well about this kit, it might be a better value!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D8KOZF4?psc=1

You could preload a program onto the Arduino and focus on the electrical hookup aspect of it. For instance if you picked up something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Elegoo-EL-KIT-003-Project-Starter-Tutorial/dp/B01D8KOZF4

It comes with a PDF file detailing a bunch of projects - simple motor control, hooking up an LCD, LEDs, speakers, ect. So maybe you could have a class on a particular project and already have the arduinos loaded with the code. You could then do a presentation on how the code is written and what its doing and even develop the code in class - just load it offsite and use it in a later class. A lot can be learned by working through those projects.

I would get a simple starter kit like so: http://www.amazon.com/Elego-Project-Tutorial-Prototype-Expansion/dp/B01D8KOZF4/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1459103307&sr=1-3-spons&keywords=arduino+starter+kit&psc=1

And then some extra motors etc

My wife bought me this 2 years ago, I'm still finding cool new things to do with it.

Elegoo EL-KIT-008 Mega 2560 Project The Most Complete Ultimate Starter Kit w/TUTORIAL for Arduino UNO Nano https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01EWNUUUA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_Zii.BbGM9Q76Y

Learning C is probably better. Arduino is just a framework built on top of C++, so if you learn arduino you get a strangely limited understanding because you don't know the underlying language.

And while under the hood arduino uses C++, from a user perspective it's just C with classes.


This is the most recommended C book. The only hard part of C is pointers and you don't even need those for arduino most of the time.

They are: HiLetgo 2pcs ESP8266 NodeMCU LUA CP2102 ESP-12E

This is the amazon link. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010N1SPRK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1