Yeah I got some components that did not fit either. I will take a pair of pliers and twist the pot. I also tried to do the temperature project but I couldn't find the correct component? I also broke the rgb led. :< So I skipped two projects. I ordered a batch of 50 rgb led's for $3.61 so I won't have that problem again.
I heard Radio shack sold component parts so I'll take my breadboard up and look for a pot and maybe a bigger breadboard. male header pins and one of those multimeters.
BranchofLight:
You actually have to resize these yourself. I got a strong pair of pliers with an end good for grabbing and took the plastic part of the headers and pushed the pins until the size was appropriate. It took a bit of work but I eventually found a size that fit the servo on one end and the breadboard on the other perfectly. Your solution is fine too though. Whatever works
Ive had the same issue and solved it the same way. The pins are not "glued" in the plastic part, they are just pushed through it. It might feel hard to pull 3 or 5 together, but one by one its easy with a pliers. Pull out all of them, one by one, then push them in, one by one. Putting the plastic right in the middle (so either side is equal in length) worked for me. Do not use your fingers.
Wow, thank you, all the three pots provided by the kit sit snugly in the breadboard now.
I noticed that it is because of the orientation because if I plug it in the other way it fits well. But I never thought about twisting the pins.
P.S. I twisted the top by 45 degrees and the bottom by 90 degrees to make it completely parallel to the slit. 45-degree turn at the bottom still causes the pots to pop.
For the header pins I simply slid the plastic part with hand, with the pins against a table.
Hi, I am a total newbie working through the Arduino Projects Book to learn about electronics and have had a few of the same problems described in this thread. In all cases, so far, I've been able to figure out how to keep going with the project. I must agree, however, with the above commenter who stated that the pedagogical value in figuring this stuff out is not worth it at this early stage when I'm still learning what a resistor, capacitor, etc. does.
My recommendation is that Scott Fitzgerald and Michael Shiloh, the editors, open source the document (probably the .tex and .sty files) that compiles into this book and the vector version of the figures. I would have been happy to fix some of the little errors I found if it were as simple as forking a github repo and waiting for the maintainer to merge.
rcorty,
As far as I can tell the Starter Kit is now produced by Arduino.org so you might want to put your suggestion to them.
dannable:
rcorty,As far as I can tell the Starter Kit is now produced by Arduino.org so you might want to put your suggestion to them.
No it is not, I have a Genuino Starter kit now, and after three years I have exactly the same problems!!!! No one care about solving these issues? One buy the starter kit to have all the components they need just in hand, though they cost much more than buying separately, and gets them wrong.... This is really annoying!!! >:(
I'm experiencing the same issues as OP. I decided to skip project 5 in the starter kit altogether. The components just don't fit, and as a beginner, I surely don't want to risk damaging my breadboard or other components.
Since this kit is aimed at beginners, such things should be taken into account.
I'm having the same problems -- and more -- with my starter kit breadboard. It is difficult even to get jumper wires to go in, and the larger components like pots are simply impossible. The pins will buckle long before they actually go into the sockets.
I took a very close look at the board with strong light and a magnifier, and in my case it seems that the plastic outer layer of the breadboard is not quite aligned with the lower, metallic layer. The holes in the metal layer are offset (not centred) in their plastic "frames" and part of the hole is actually obscured. The offset is along the long axis of the board. This apparently is why I have to insert jumper wires at a 45 degree angle.
The buss bars at the outer edges seem correct, they work properly, but the inner grid of component holes is all misregistered by a tiny amount. I have been wondering if I can forcibly fix this -- like with a warm awl to shove the soft plastic aside -- but not wanting to destroy my (at present) one and only breadboard, I'm a bit reluctant to get violent with it.
I have ordered a couple more breadboards, figuring I just got unlucky and got a defective one. It is very frustrating though, to have this insanely kewl new toy and be prevented from completing even the most beginner-level exercises because the components can't be inserted into the board, period. Also, no socket adapters seem to be provided which might offer a way around the problem (maybe fine square pin to IC-style socket?)