$10 Arduino

so i was at The Next Hope Conference last weekend and picked up a $10 Arduino from The Makerspace and it is pretty cool. They call it the Picodiuno Fits in the breadboard and all that good junk. I had emailed them because I had a problem and they got back to me right away. I just felt that I had to say something about it. You can order them online at http://www.themakerspace.com It needs and FTDI cable or breakout they seem to be out of them at the moment but was told in the email that they will be back in stock next week

Now that is a neat bit of kit... site bookmarked Thanks for that one!

It more like a arduino : Metaboard – Metalab Wiki

Guess its price...$10

Hmm... I'm personally liking the smaller version for what I have in mind. It's more... disposable and discreet rather than a lumping big board with connectors that aren't required.

hackduino is only $8.

well the hackduino is $8 but you need to have or get all the parts and if you have to get some then you may have to pay shipping and the Picoduino is smaller fits in tight places better and its an already created board

I think Ardweeny is smaller!

I think Ardweeny is smaller!

And so much space is wasted on through-hold components! Shrink those down to SMD and you could fit a few more debug LEDs, etc.

I do see why though, as it's meant to be built by entry-level hobbyists..I sure as hell can't solder small surface mount components!

I think Ardweeny is smaller!

I think this is smaller, but its not something you can buy (this link was posted in another thread):

http://www.geocities.jp/arduino_diecimila/obaka/project-2/index_en.html

:slight_smile:

[edit]I must note that the above isn't strictly an "Arduino" - it uses an ATMega88 @ 8Mhz, leaving out the crystal/resonator, etc...[/edit]

I think this is smaller, but its not something you can buy

Ah, another one of my favorites :). If I wasn't too scared of damaging the chip, I'd try that out. As it is, I put EVERYTHING in DIP sockets just in case I ever want to re-purpose it (yes, even $0.10 555 timers :P).

If I wasn't too scared of damaging the chip, I'd try that out.

Yeah - I think that kind of stuff borders on "art", as I've stated before; its akin to other Japanese art forms like origami or bonsai. Maybe when I get my shop fully in order I might try it myself.

Where it would be interesting to apply, though, would be into "advanced" forms of BEAM robotics...

As it is, I put EVERYTHING in DIP sockets just in case I ever want to re-purpose it (yes, even $0.10 555 timers).

Just the other day as I was organizing my IC parts, I had a few 555s (along with LM386s and other such 8-pin parts), and I was thinking "does anybody still use these"; its nice to see people still do!

I have so many old parts (lots of 74xx TTL stuff - most of it LS) that I wonder if I should keep or not; I figure I have to keep it, especially if I ever start to muck around with my Altair...might need 'em as spare parts...

:slight_smile:

Oh sure, simple circuits like 555 can be very useful when you don't want to overkill with an ATmega!

I mean, why bother doing something with an expensive part when you could do it with a cheap one? ;). It's often easier with cheaper parts too (especially if they're designed for it).

This looks nice and small.
Does anyone know if it comes with the bootloader installed?

completely compatible with all Arduino code and products.

Sounds like it to me. I would be very surprised if it didn't.

it does come with the bootloader installed

the problem that I have with the ardweeny and solorbotics in general is that there is a $10 or something charge for orders under $35 i almost bought the ardweeny but that left a bad taste in my mouth

the problem that I have with the ardweeny and solorbotics in general is that there is a $10 or something charge for orders under $35 i almost bought the ardweeny but that left a bad taste in my mouth

Was this recently? Because at their "shipping conditions" page:

http://www.solarbotics.com/info/shipping-options/#freeShippingConditions

They state that there is a handling fee of $5.00 for orders under $30.00; I don't consider that terrible - more of an "incentive" to purchase at least $30.00. I can see it from a business point of view; with the margins on products sold being only so big, you can easily start losing money on overhead. They've run their numbers, and so in order to keep their prices lower (than competition presumably), they have to charge a handling fee on small orders to cover what would be made up "on the margin" in a larger order. They can either do that, reduce overhead (aka, fire employees), or raise prices across their product line.

I hope that made sense...

;D

i understand that but after the $5 and shipping one of them was going to be just over $20 and that wasnt worth it in my eyes

Just to chip in... Jason from The Makerspace has confirmed that he will ship international, just not via the googleshop on the site.

For shipping quotes, just hit the contact button with your details and destination country and he'll sort it out for you... and very quickly too!!

Shipping to the UK works out at $13.45, which I think is VERY reasonable. Some US companies really take the rip shipping overseas. I once had a quote of $73 for three ft of macroline, which is a) not heavy b) not bulky and C) would fit into an envelope (a little one at that!!)

How would you breadboard the picoduino? Put jumper wires through the holes? I can't decide which one I think is better: the picoduino or the ardweeny.

If you used those in projects, would you also need to buy/make a voltage regulator?

picoduino

http://bytebucket.org/ricklon/arduino-wine-in-box-bot/wiki/Home

ardweeny

Yes, You need to buy/make a voltage regulator like this the breadboard voltage regulator as there is no voltage regulator on board.

smallest arduino board
http://www.arduino.cc/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1239733868/all