Hi all,
What is the deal with the Mega's board colour, I have seen blue, black and red so far. All stated tas being genuine Arduino boards. Is there any difference between these boards or is it just for style?
Cheers
I think you answered it yourself, just for style 
There's also a reseller in germany who's providing them in many different colours.
But there is also seeeduino which is red by default. But it would appear in the name.
regards
I think all the real Arduino Mega boards are the same color? What you may have seen is several 'clone' manufacture (i.e. E-bay china dealers) that have used different colors on their boards.
The Seeeduino Mega is not a true Mega clone in that they have built a different size board with different features.
Lefty
Thanks Retrolefty, I think that is probably the reason given they were on Ebay and from Thailand or somewhere. What is the build quality of these "mad in china" arduinos as they are a fair bit cheaper and actually fit my budget!
Cheers
What is the build quality of these "mad in china" arduinos as they are a fair bit cheaper and actually fit my budget!
Not sure, I think I've only heard from one poster about buying a knock off china version and he sounded happy, mostly about the price 
Early on many were using the Arduino picture which included the made in Italy stamp, when if reality they are just manufacturing the Arduino design and building them there. Several of them now show a picture with made in China stamped on them. Several people here feels it's kind of a rip off of the Arduino design, however being open source, as long as they don't mislabel where it's being made I don't think it's a violation.
I like the Seeeduino Mega as it's a different design and size and has several features that are nice to have. It's also cheaper then the Arduino version:
PS: I have bought lots of stuff from China dealers and have never been disappointed, however it seems like every purchase I've made from dealers in Thailand has been a disappointment, so I avoid sellers from there.
Lefty
I've got a what you would call a Chinese knock off ( Mega clone ) , and I'm happy with it at half the price of the regular Mega.
I can't tell any difference with build quality, only the huge price difference.
I was mistaken, it is a Hong Kong seller, and it must be their own picture (because the board is red and there is not Arduino label or even a made in xxx)
I'll look into the Seeduino as well but the limited amount of pocket money the wife gives me price is very important!
Cheers for the replies
I can't tell any difference with build quality, only the huge price difference.
Good to hear. There are some that don't like the whole China trend for most so many manufactured items these days and it is hard seeing so many domestic industries not being able to compete in price, for all the various reasons. I've kind of come terms with it's now a global market place and as long as the quality is not compromised I will continue to consider them on a dealer by dealer basis. So far they seem to be very reliable and do communicate well in the transactions I have had.
One real advantage of the Arduino platform is that all the documentation is open sourced and available so one isn't dependent on the sometimes poor translations in manuals, drawings and such.
Lefty
I've bought lots of stuff from HK and China eBayers - all has been great.
More fool them, the people who buy "real" Arduino - there is really no such thing as it's open source?
James