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[on:]

Hello

I am not very good with what Arduino means, but I have a good friend who would love to tinker with a board. But there are so many to choose from, I really don't know which one to pick. So I was wondering if you could help me pick his birthday gift. No rush, it's two months from now.

I love technology and know my way around the computer, but there are times when I talk to said friend when I don't understand a word he's saying. This is just so you can make a general idea about how he's like, maybe it'll help you with advice.

Thank you very much.

[Reply #1 on:]

Can't go far wrong with an Uno, it's the most popular and has more than enough possibilities for interesting projects. Depending on how much you want to spend, consider one of the many starter kits. If your friend doesn't have a collection of electronic parts, those kits can be a good introduction. They usually come with a series of experiments.

https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11227
https://www.adafruit.com/products/1078
https://www.adafruit.com/products/68
https://www.adafruit.com/products/193

[Reply #2 on:]

Can't go far wrong with an Uno

Yes I would agree with that. It is the basic system and you get a lot of use out of it.

If your friend is experienced with micro controllers then a Due is a step up in complexity and speed but it is not a board to start on.

[Reply #3 on:]

...there are times when I talk to said friend when I don't understand a word he's saying...

Why waste your time with words?  We all know what a picture is worth.

Post a (800 x 600) picture of you friend's Arduino stuff.

[Reply #4 on:]

I'm not sure about what parts he has, but I think he does have some stuff. The gift should be a board that doesn't need too many extra stuff bought. Sadly I can't find any starter kits in Romania.. But I am taking an Uno into consideration.

Also please note: we are a bunch of students (only two of us have jobs, not very well paid..) so the board/kit should come packed with some stuff to get him busy for a bit or it should be easily ... playable with stuff an enthusiast already has at home. Sorry for not using a tech language but I'm rubbish at hardware. Also thank you for the answers