I'm new to the forum, and this is my first post. I recently got my Arduino Uno R3 and have quickly gotten addicted to it. I have experimented lightly in electronic circuits previously but am having fun mixing the programming with the physical electronics! I'm good at math and enjoy the challenge of figuring out the electronics, but I'm having trouble actually getting engaged because I don't have any hardware to start some easy projects.
I already have things like a breadboard, hook-up wire, lots of resistors, and lots of LEDs (from other projects). But, that's about all I have. So, my question is about putting together a "beginner's starter kit" of sorts. Hopefully this is the right spot in the forum for this post.
I'm thinking of making a mini-shopping-spree type trip to my local electronics shop and getting together a little kit that would enable me to get started doing lots of projects/experiments. I was hoping to get some advice on what you would all recommend for a beginner so that I can complete some simple general projects. Components that would be useful for many different general applications, etc. would likely be the best (I'm guessing). I would imagine I can pick up a few relays, transistors, diodes, etc. but I'm not sure exactly what I'd need to buy. I've had experience with relays and have used them in very simple setups before, but that's about it, so I am not sure for example how I would decide on what transistors to buy at the electronics shop.
Any suggestions would be very much appreciated, and thank you!
Suggest browsing sites like Adafruit, Makershed, and Sparkfun. They all sell experimenter's kits that include an Uno and a booklet of experiments, and the necessary components. But you already have an Uno. OTOH, there's not a lot of downside to having two! The booklets for the aforementioned kits are online as well, so you can see if they interest you in advance. Or you could pick-and-choose experiments from them. Depending where you are, and what your local electronics store is like, you may be much better off online. The sites I mentioned are well worth supporting, and there are lots more where they came from, GIYF. Check out the modules and sensors they have available, pick up a couple that look interesting.
use the stuff from this pdf Arduino Playground - HomePage
use these components for the relay and your arduino survives
What i personally like is stuff like the pcf8574p (i2c i/o extender) and stuff like CD74HC4051 74HC4051 (analog mux)
for temperature readings i like to use ntc probes there is a lot off info out there.
My advice: Pick a project and order the stuff for it and enjoy!
I just started with electronics a few months ago, too. The things I have found useful: LED's, resistors, voltage regulators, MOSFET's, BJT's, RGB LED's(fun), and also a speaker/piezo disk(also fun). Motors are also cool, but make sure you have transistors and diodes. Capacitors are always good to have, and so are 555's( I got like 100 on eBay for about $11.) A cheap LCD(eBay) and various other displays(LED matrix, 7-segment, bar graph) are useful. Switches are very useful if you don't want to unplug/replug things in for power.
I'm not sure what kind of hook-up wire you have, but having both the straight and flexible kinds is useful. Before I had the straight ones I had jumper bundles so thick I couldn't see any of the components.
As far as tools go, a multimeter, screwdriver set, helping hands, a knife, and wire cutters are helpful.
Also, if by "local electronics shop" you mean Radio Shack, NO. $1.69 for a red LED?! No thank you. eBay=cheap, cheap, cheap(If you can stand the wait).
Thanks for the replies!! I'll definitely take each piece of advice that you guys have given. I'll use some of this info to help target some projects that I might also be interested in trying out, too.
war_spigot: Thanks for the tips and nice specifics - sounds like you've started playing around with this much like I am starting to do now, and it's cool to see some of the tips from someone else who's just recently started too. Being a big DIYer type of person as it is, I do have most all of the tools that you mentioned - but thanks for adding that in, I think it was a really helpful bit of info to add in there.
We do have a Radio Shack here, but I definitely stay away from it 99% of the time. Actually I think I've only gone there twice in the 2 years that I've lived here... I reserve it for "emergency use only"...
On that same subject, I think I will probably take what seems to be the lead from all of you of ordering online. It sounds like I won't be as rushed (as I would be in a store) and I can take my time to actually figure out what I need instead of just buying a bunch of stuff that might work.
Where is "here"? Knowing where you are in the world can help us help you find suppliers that are closer.
If you are in the United States, you would do well to look at those beginner kits already mentioned from Sparkfun and AdaFruit, and build up a list of components. Then, take that list and price out the items from Ebay, as well as from your local shops. Also - check out online places like Servo City (for servos), and surplus electronics places like All Electronics (http://www.allelectronics.com/), Electronic Goldmine (http://www.goldmine-elec.com/), and Alltronics (http://www.alltronics.com/) - I mention these because I have ordered from them in the past, and have had great results - YMMV.
Note that via Electronic Goldmine, they offer these things called "Surprise Boxes" - basically grab-bags (well, boxes) of various electronic parts and stuff (I call 'em "floor sweepings" - but the boxes I have ordered always had great stuff in them; well worth what I paid) - here's their "Super Surprise Box", the largest one they sell (AFAIK):
Anyhow, with proper shopping - you can generally get together all the parts you need (and then some) for much less than those kits will cost you; you might have to do some sorting in the end (and with the "surprise boxes" from Electronic Goldmine, you'll be sorting for days) - but it is well worth it. Figure out a storage method early; it's important to be organised in this hobby.
Also - you didn't note it, but if you don't have at least a multimeter - GET ONE. You NEED it; it is really a necessary hardware debugging tool. Even if all you can afford is an el-cheapo Cen-Tech chinese version from Harbor Freight, it is better than not having one at all.
cr0sh - That is some awesome information about online component shopping - thanks!!! I'll spend some time looking around on there after work tonight and begin putting a list of stuff together.
"Here" is Flagstaff, AZ. So, all of the websites you mentioned should work great for me. There are slim pickings as far as electronic component shopping around this small town, so as I mentioned before, I think I'm going to try the online route. I might have to check out the Super Surprise Box... sounds like a lot of fun and sounds like a great way to learn about stuff I don't know much about yet.
I hadn't thought about an storage/organization system, but will start thinking about it now. That is a good tip - thanks.
The good news is that I do already have a nice digital multimeter, so I'm covered there.
Since you're in the US, checkout jameco.com, and have them send their catalog.
It's a small catalog but contains 95% of what I need to build small projects. They
have Arduinos too.
The bigger "industrial-strength" electronics suppliers are digikey.com and mouser.com,
and their catalogs each weigh about 6- or 8-pounds. They handle oodles more stuff than
jameco, but are probably not the best place for ordering parts in 1-seys and 2-seys.
I recently got 2 random grabs bags from Jameco, as well as a fan grab bag. The fan one was $8 I think and it had a huge(kinda, about 4" square, 1" thick) AC fan with an aluminum case, as well as 4 other 12V DC fans. The random bags had lots of power resistors, lots of big capacitors, LOTS of oscillators(some temperature regulated, I think), some IC's(voltage regulators, multiplexers, and some even/odd kind of thing), some surface mount capacitors, LOTS of different kinds of connecters, headers, and screw terminals(like, seriously, a whole lot), and there was even another 12V fan in one! I think most of the stuff is old EOL kind of things, but I think I got my money's worth. I think I'll be able to use(or sell) most of the stuff in there. Only downside is pretty much everything with (previously) straight leads has had almost all of them bent.
If you live in Arizona, Sparkfun things should only take a couple of days probably(they're in Colorado)
Anything cheap on ebay, motors sensors, etc is always good to play with, some things may not be quality to actually depend on but for playing around with you cant go wrong
one in particular is the nrf24l01, it goes about 3.50$ a piece and with two you can have two arduini communicating wirelessly,
Also 1602 lcds are good, ive never gotten a faulty one yet amd those are cheap and a good addition to any project
ds18b20 are easy to use temp sensors that can be strung together with 2or 3 wires for accurate temperature readings, also not too bad on ebay
and ofcourse various general purpose transistors and mosfets as well as some high power leds are aleays fun
Ok - well, Flag probably doesn't have great pickin's (is your "local" electronics shop a Fry's Electronics? I can't recall if they have one up there or not - probably no)...
Electronic Goldmine is in Scottsdale, btw - but does -not- have a storefront (web only). All Electronics ships quickly from California (I've seen 3 day times to my place in Phoenix using standard shipping).
If you have a free Saturday, though, you might consider getting up early and coming down to Phoenix. Here we have a great place called Apache Reclamation and Electronics. Your jaw will drop when you see it. Be sure to wear old clothes. It's open on weekdays and until 4pm on Saturday. You just have to see it; there's a beauty in it's haphazard ugliness. I've been shopping there since 1991; it's been there far longer than that (they also have a location in New Mexico that I have yet to visit). It's not a "clean" place (you can literally not touch anything, and walk out after a couple of hours with your hands feeling grimy) - it is really an "indoor electronics junkyard" (they also have a large multi-acre outdoor yard off of Buckeye road not too far from the storefront; ask them for a map if you care to check that part out).
Another good place to wander around in here in Phoenix (though only open on weekdays) is a place called Equipment Exchange. Not much on small stuff, but what small stuff they have is very esoteric. Most of the stuff they sell (pennies on the dollar, I might add) is surplus and other old "junk" from various valley (and elsewhere) chip fabrication plants (think about the kind of equipment that you would see inside Intel, Motorola/On Semi, National Semiconductor, etc). Great place to wander around and just marvel at things - and sometimes, you'd be surprised what stuff you -can- afford.
For everything else - well, there's ASU Surplus (you might have something similar at NAU?); also valley Goodwills...
war_spigot:
If you live in Arizona, Sparkfun things should only take a couple of days probably(they're in Colorado)
Sparkfun is very quick to Phoenix (2-3 days?) - to Flag it should be even faster (maybe by a day, max). Though I haven't ordered anything from them in a while...
