MKR1000 Bundle

I just bought a MKR1000 bundle. It works fine right out of the box, running the same sketches and examples as the Arduino Zero/WiFi 101 Shield combination. The USB cable that came with it provides a good connection and it connects just fine to my LAN and also seems happy with a 1200 mAh LIPO battery.

My question is what am I to do with the more than 200 other parts that came in the box. I guess this is new technology and the documentation will be some time coming. What would help is a bit of information as to why the various parts were selected and even a page identifying the parts and giving some specifications. I expect Massimo is working on tutorials and maybe even the book that this product could use. Is there any more information or is it a matter of being less impatient?

A lot of the examples for other boards will work with the parts included.

You could start here
But remember to check the pins used against the MKR pins as some things have changed a little such as the built in LED being on pin 6 not 13.

A good selection of components is always useful even if they are not used right away.
I often need to dig something out for a test circuit and find the selections are usually based on a common set of needs and not just random.

These bundles are often aimed at total beginners so a sheet with at least some explanation of what they are is of great benefit to those people.

I agree there is a lack of tutorials specific to the MKR but given that it is still a relativly new product and development in other areas may take priority such as CREATE and the IDE itself which are continual WIP's I am not too concerned. There are also a lot of external sources on the internet for MKR getting started projects too.

Thank You Ballscrewbob,

Certainly there are scads of examples around and I do appreciate what the MKR1000 brings to the Arduino ecosystem. This bundle seems like an ideal way to introduce my friends to Arduino. Even if I don't use all the included parts they will help populate my parts bin.

My needs are simple. I used my trusty 60/40 to install the pin strips to the MKR but I am finding the holes in the included breadboard too tight to use it. Short of extreme force or a hammer the breadboard is useless.

With the transition from 5 volts to 3.3 and the low current provided by the Atmel SAMD21 many of the standard examples will need a separate power supply and an emitter follower or motor driver to work properly. Perhaps the 9v battery snap is for this, and some of the resistor values may need to be selected for 3.3v operation.

The bag in the bundle does include some nuts and screws and plastic parts that aren't described as part of the kit and the two MOSFETs have mounting holes that may indicate the need of a heat sink.

All-in-all a nice collection of parts but the lack of guidance diminishes their value. As I am interested mostly in wireless sensors this is not really a big concern though.

Are the plastic parts the horns for the servo ?

Maybe the nuts and bolts too ?

The Mofsets shouldn't need heat-sinks for most smaller projects.

Hello SurfingDude

SurfingDude:
Thank You Ballscrewbob,

Certainly there are scads of examples around and I do appreciate what the MKR1000 brings to the Arduino ecosystem. This bundle seems like an ideal way to introduce my friends to Arduino. Even if I don't use all the included parts they will help populate my parts bin.

My needs are simple. I used my trusty 60/40 to install the pin strips to the MKR but I am finding the holes in the included breadboard too tight to use it. Short of extreme force or a hammer the breadboard is useless.

yes, it's normal that could need some force to insert the MKR1000 into the breadboard.
basically the pin of the board are a little bit more big than the holes, but it's a standard on our boards.

With the transition from 5 volts to 3.3 and the low current provided by the Atmel SAMD21 many of the standard examples will need a separate power supply and an emitter follower or motor driver to work properly. Perhaps the 9v battery snap is for this, and some of the resistor values may need to be selected for 3.3v operation.

yes, the snap is useful when you need to integrate an external power supply.

The bag in the bundle does include some nuts and screws and plastic parts that aren't described as part of the kit and the two MOSFETs have mounting holes that may indicate the need of a heat sink.

All-in-all a nice collection of parts but the lack of guidance diminishes their value. As I am interested mostly in wireless sensors this is not really a big concern though.

thanks for notice about the nuts and bolts, it's a small gift :wink:
BTW we will add into description.

This kit is very useful and is intended to be used if someone has already some practice with building electronic circuits, but needs more components.
The ideal starting point for a new user is the Starterkit that contains components and a book with 15 projects.

thanks
Andrea

Hello Andrea,

I did finally get it into the breadboard. With the 28 pins I had to rock it a little bit and use more force than I had thought advisable. To get it out then I have to pry with a flat screwdriver.

For my use I had also bought the MKR shield kit which comes with pass-thru headers that silk-screen the pinouts, so I used those headers. So the MKR looks like a baby version of the original Arduino with an option to use a shield or jumper wires on top.

It would be nice if the pair of 14-pin silk-screened pass-thru headers were either included or available separately.

I know this is a new and exciting product, a few pages on the web site describing all the goodies would be useful. Some rough edges in the documentation and examples are expected but I am amazed at how mature it is at this stage.

Thanks for the response.