Creating DIY Ardino's

Hello

yes those are fakes. The fact that you're asking here if these would work like the original shows that there is not other way to know than buying them. If they don't work you're stuck with them. If you buy from a decent source at least you can return them.

There are many cheap compatible boards (seedstudio is a good example and a good citizen of the open source hardware community) that there is no need to buy from these people who add nothing to the community.

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I would never buy a fake board, if I knew it was fake, while they were claiming it was original.

However, I am mainly buying cheaper clones, where they clearly state it is a clone.

The hardware might be the same in the end, but I refuse to buy things from someone that tries to take advantage of someone else for their own good.

Can you afford not using any shields? I suggest BBB or RBBB from modern device. You can save up to 50% if you buy and RBBB. It has no TTL-USB converter and sits on breadboard like a little caterpillar. Easy to assemble and easy to power, program, and connect.

Recently I've taken to using the ardweeny. This little 10 dollar machine is great for projects that don't actually need a shield. You prototype them on a plug board and then move the entire thing to a proto board that will hold all the pieces. Sure, you can get even cheaper, but I have found the fact that all the parts are supplied to me in a kit nice. I've set these up with a wall wart power supply and ran them for weeks without a problem. You can even put them on a socket so you can unplug, reprogram, test and then reinstall them.

Take a look, they may not be right for your project, but it certainly won't hurt to look.

Another don't-need-a-shield option: a real Teensy 2.0 for $16.

Well, you talk about this as if I'm rich... or an adult...

In reality, I'm 13 and have no real way to make money. Between allowance and side jobs, I make $80 a week.

A MEGA is $65. The mega board needs an onboard usb converter, so it pretty much has to be a MEGA, not a "MEGA pro" from sparkfun.

As for the other boards, they just need to have the chip, and the accessories that make it happy. A seeduino could work, but they're still $20 each.

I could build my own, but I can't build a mega. As for making uno's, the reason I shy away from that is because when I put the parts in a shopping cart, they were more than an original board... Maybe I'm doing it wrong?

Age doesn't matter much to saving money. Sure, us big folk can waste more on prototyping expenses, but when it gets down to building it, money is always a factor. That's why I use ardweenys a lot. I even build my own XBee interfaces and try desperately to keep the cost down on various projects.

I have an arduino for prototyping and then convert it to something else once it's working. Gotta keep that arduino free for the next project. Keep at it, consider possibilities that aren't obvious. One can even solder all the parts directly on the chip to save the expense of a circuit board.

Unos aren't all THAT cool. The older models had a lot going for them.

Could always fake your way into a Mega:
Schmartboard $10
ATmega2560 $12.86

(shop around)
xtal, 22 pf caps, 100nF caps, 10K resistor - <$1, dip micro.com
header pins - depends on your needs.
Learning experience: priceless.

Wire it up like a bare-minimum arrduino.

It might help to know what you need them for. You might get away with 7 ATmega chips on a breadboard with a Teensy++ 2.0 and a handful of cheap parts, and you might not.

It's a permanent project, not a temporary thing. It's gotta be solderable, or header-able... As in an arduino clone with perf board on top so I can disconnect it.

As for that DIY mega thing, my soldering iron sucks. I would probably break many of those chips. For the MEGA, I might just get a legit board, considering it has all the parts needed to make it work, and on board usb conversion.

If someone can tell me the best place to buy parts to make an arduino, I will probably do it myself. I'm bad at picking parts, so it was more expensive than it should have been when I tried. So if someone can make me a list of parts, that would be great.

My suggestion is to get the RBBB PCB only from Modern Devices:

http://shop.moderndevice.com/products/rbbb-pcb
For 10 pieces, the PCB is $1.95.

Then source the parts from Digikey, Mouser, .....
ATMega328P-PU from Mouser is $3.31 per piece at 10 pieces.
The rest of the parts are pretty cheap and probably add another $1 per board for that.
Also check out Dipmicro for cheaper supporting parts & components.

So this RBBB thing... Do you recommend that I get the PCB's, and buy the parts elsewhere, or buy the whole kit for $110 ($11 each)?

$11 each is not bad!
Price up getting all the bits yourself from DIPmicro,
xtal,
22 pc caps,
100nF caps,
sockets,
power jacks,
LED,
resistors (LED and reset),
reset switch,
regulators,
10 uF caps,
headers.

PCBs from nkcelectronics,
http://store.nkcelectronics.com/arduino-runtime-board-rev-b.html

FTDI Breakout board
http://store.nkcelectronics.com/breakout-board-for-ft232rl-usb-to-ser232.html
that you can use to download bootloaders and then sketches

and blank '328s's from mouser/newark/digikey,
3.49/10 @ newark
3.12/25 @ digikey (1 for 4.98)
3.31/10 @ mouser

and shipping from 3 places.

Price it up, see how it works out. Maybe DIY is the way to go.

I did this a while ago and the prices are probably different now but you can see that shopping at dipmicro.com is pretty good deal. To save shipping, you can order everything from dipmicro. They now have atmega328p and 16MHz crystal. I'm gonna update that list when I have time.

Their '328 price is high tho. $5.38 for 10, vs $3.31, $3.25 for 10.
I would (and have before) get the rest there.

Is there any kit-building/parts advantage to owning an FTDI cable or FTDI Friend as opposed to an UNO?

Just curious... Does that kit come with the 168 or the 328? Cause the PCB shows 168.

GoForSmoke:
Is there any kit-building/parts advantage to owning an FTDI cable or FTDI Friend as opposed to an UNO?

Sure, it moves the USB-to-serial functionality off the board, where it normally just sits there unless it's being programmed. So fewer parts on the MCU board to consume space, power, and money. Don't get me wrong, I love the Uno, it's got a lot going for it, I still use them, but as I've gained experience, I find I have all I need. Most of what I do now is either with less-expensive clones, breadboards, or custom PC boards, all programmed with an FTDI Friend or an ICSP programmer (AFI's USBtinyISP works great for me).

Side note: The USB-to-serial functionality on the Uno is actually provided by a second Atmel microcontroller, an ATmega8U2. Earlier versions, e.g. the Duemilanove, used the same FTDI chip.

RBBB:
"Specifications
•2.1mm power jack
•Arduino Diecimila bootloader
•ATmega328 Chip"

I have a couple of FTDI Basic's, I use them all them to download sketches into standalone boards. No messing around with string a bunch of wires to an Arduino - just plug it onto 6 pins & go.

CrossRoads:
RBBB:
"Specifications
•2.1mm power jack
•Arduino Diecimila bootloader
•ATmega328 Chip"

I have a couple of FTDI Basic's, I use them all them to download sketches into standalone boards. No messing around with string a bunch of wires to an Arduino - just plug it onto 6 pins & go.

I could just update the bootloader, correct?