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[on:]

as a 63 year old i know nothing about programming.i want to purchase an arduino but which one? i see uno r3, mega , mega with android?????? now leonardo. to get the best possible experiance out of my  arduino plus value for money,so i dont want to buy cheap then want another shortly.any help is welcome.......mally

[Reply #1 on:]

The UNO would be perfect to start out with, and there are plenty of examples that come with the software.

[Reply #2 on:]

I would also say a Uno is good,   but also remember to have some fun with programming it might be good to buy one shield (PCB you plug on top of the arduino) that can do some stuff you like,  like some LED's, a little motor, some sensors etc.
An arduino on its own wil get a bit boring. .

[Reply #3 on:]

I would advise you to look for a C language primer. Without some knowledge of the language you will be limited to making small adjustments to already available examples, and you won't be able to communicate effectively with the forum. As for the board the Uno is your best choice; it's called a reference version, meaning it will be supported (by people and by software) for a reasonable period. But an Arduino by itself can do no more than blinking a led and write messages to a terminal window, so you'll probably want to get wires, leds, buttons, sensors, a breadboard. If you don't have them already you may want to look for a starter kit.

[Reply #4 on:]

No matter which one you get, you'll soon find yourself wanting another one.
I started with Uno. Now another one is in the mail, countless tinys are scattered on my desk and I just can't get enough.

[Reply #5 on:]

I started with Uno. Now another one is in the mail, countless tinys are scattered on my desk and I just can't get enough.

Is there a 12 step programme to help with this addiction?

[Reply #6 on:]

I'm not aware of it, but after posting my post above I realized that I'll soon be finishing a project I've been working on for the past two weeks and that to implement it I'll need a bunch of Arduino compatible chips...
I'm already scouting both local and international web shop for atmega328s. I'm looking for those that offer discounts on 10+ orders.

It's not addiction if you can stop at any time. 

On topic, I would also like to emphasize spatula's advice.
I also feel that my limited programing skills are quite limiting when it comes to even reading other peoples code. I manage to use ready made libraries and implement them in my rudimentary programs, but I fear that I'm not at the required level to truly be capable of even approaching the potentials of an Arduino.
That's why a c++ book is in the mail as well (I picked Programming: Principles and Practice Using C++ by Bjarne Stroustrup).

[Reply #7 on:]

Is there a 12 step programme to help with this addiction?

Can I interest you in my new AVR patches?

[Reply #8 on:]

as a 63 year old i know nothing about programming.i want to purchase an arduino but which one? i see uno r3, mega , mega with android?????? now leonardo. to get the best possible experiance out of my  arduino plus value for money,so i dont want to buy cheap then want another shortly.any help is welcome.......mally

The below mega and ethernet shield would make for a good start before getting more parts. The ethernet shield also has a uSD card slot.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-Funduino-Mega-2560-ATmega2560-16AU-Board-Arduino-compatible-Free-USB-Cable-/251143019741?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a794a5cdd

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ethernet-Shield-W5100-For-Arduino-2009-UNO-Mega-1280-2560-/270955738702?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f1638764e

[Reply #9 on:]

Look for a starter kit such as this onehttp://www.oomlout.co.uk/starter-kit-for-arduino-ardx-p-183.html. It's not which Arduino you by that matters so much as the bits to go with it!.

As a beginner avoid the Due as it use 3.3v and not 5v this will avoid you having to use level converts to interface with the most common bits of external hardware.

Mark

[Reply #10 on:]

That's why a c++ book is in the mail as well (I picked Programming: Principles and Practice Using C++ by Bjarne Stroustrup).

is a great book BUT it is overkill for the Aduino as you can't really use 90% of what he talks about and he assumes your already a good to excellent programmer.

Looking for something with a title like "An introduction to programming with C/C++" is a better bet. I'll have a look around and see what I can find.

Mark

[Reply #11 on:]

Kelley and Pohl's "A Book on C" is much more readable than Stroustrup, IMO, and whilst most examples are C and not C++, it is a lot easier to follow.

[Reply #12 on:]

Well, if you have suggestion, I'm always open to them.
And even if Stroustrup sits on a shelf for a while, I'll still get to it someday

[Reply #13 on:]

I gave up on ever trying to understand my first edition Stroustrup about twenty years ago.

[Reply #14 on:]

And even if Stroustrup sits on a shelf for a while, I'll still get to it someday

I gave up on ever trying to understand my first edition Stroustrup about twenty years ago

I'am about the same.

Mark