Okay, I have experience as a programmer but not much in regards to UNDERSTANDING electronics. I have built/hand wired a couple of tube amps in the past(AX84), can use multimeter/solder etc., but I don't really understand WHY a great deal works. Needless to say, I will be studying Ohms law a great deal, when I first saw Arduino a couple weeks ago I realized that this could be a great opportunity to really learn and have fun. What I ask of you is this.
I got about $150.00 to use to get started. My goals are extensive use of Arduino with LEDs and lighting and maybe a simple, self opening box with motors/servos etc.. With electronic components it appears you can order in bulk much cheaper. Rather than a starter kit I would prefer to use my cash to get a wide range of heavily reused components in order to cut down on shipping and use economy of scale if you will.
What do I want?
Projects I would like to do...
Led Ambient Lighting.
Led Cube.(Looks deceptively hard)
Leds that react to sound (hopefully will display an EQ when more advanced)
Box that opens when button is touched.
What I THINK I need. (Which could be completely wrong)
2, maybe 3 arduinos for variety.
LEDs. in bulk. Preferably Tricolor. Would like to do a cube, running lights, ambient lights etc..What size/power/brightness etc. should I get, sources?
Resistors, in bulk. I don't know the values I need for these simple projects, but I will probably use a bunch of resistors.
Mic. Would like to have previous mentioned LEDs display an EQ, etc.
WIRE. What gauge, etc. Preferably a spool.
Pots.
Protoboard...duh.
Touch sensor/buttons. May be stretching for this, would like to build a simple box that opens when sensor/button is touched.
Servo/motors. Just a couple to open before mentioned box and experiment with.
Analog pressure sensitive sensor, for led project, etc.
Well, this post is probably uselessly long now but hopefully you all can help. I need sources for these parts as well. Also, what is the best place to really learn Ohms law in a practical matter? I have a great deal more questions so please elaborate on your answers as everyone knows more than I do.