Being an oldtimer, and a newcomer to the Arduino, I'm having a blast !
And I am pleased at all the resources available for beginners.
But, I would have thought someone would have done a quick note to suggest to folks, especially beginner, that the local dump, aka The Transfer Station, or the Recycling Center is a fantastic place to get material.
Those of you with kids surely know, but for those without, it seems like every kids toy these days has batteries, servos, motors, DISPLAYS, LEDs galore, resitors, capacitors, etc.
I'm in the boonies of Maine. And before shooting off my mouth, I went to the local dump, raided the Recycling Center, and came away with more material than even I thought possible. The broken ESN footballl table was the best; 100+ multi colored LEDS, two displays, a power supply for % VDC and 12VDC, a voice machine, and a multitude of
parts, you know, parts !
Sure, finding that exact part is a crapshoot, but spending a few seconds on Google results in a spec sheet for almost anything. All that is needed is a little time, imagination, and a table top. Wreck the part? Go back to the dump!! 