Hi, I've been looking into getting an arduino and some basic parts to learn with before I go freelance with any projects. Ive seen a few kits on adafriut and sparkfun, but they seem a little basic and overpriced. Should I buy an arduino and then get separate components to assemble my own sort of "kit"? If so, what components should I get? Thanks
(By the way I live in the U.S., and have a budget of about 75 or so)
I bought an arduino uno with a $9.00 add on set instead of one of those big dollar kits...
h ttp://www.cutedigi.com/product_info.php?cPath=290&products_id=4250&osCsid=6c5ce11a8547f74e41b3ffe5b826347b
I had a few items laying around like resistors and 595 chips...
That is why I only bought the board and the basic kit....
BUT>>>
I have since gone and bought servos, motors, more leds, some more leds more chips
IF you are going to follow the tutorials in ANY of the publications such as :
Earthshine's book "Arduino starters kit manual"
or
"Getting started with Arduino"
or any of the other arduino starter books or tutorials out there
you are going to need some buttons and resistors to do the "lessons"
you can build your own kit as you go depending on the direction you want to go, motors, robotics, led etc..
I thought hardware was going to be the hard part, but learning the arduino language proficiently is what I
am concentrating on now.
remember when you make a sketch in the ide, it can always be written better
and cleaner.... at least the way I write sketches
Take a look at dipmicro.com, you can get quite a handful of parts to play with for not much money.
CrossRoads:
Take a look at dipmicro.com, you can get quite a handful of parts to play with for not much money.
CrossRoads,
You read my mind. They have good stuff for less. That is why I'm selling my Phi-1 shield there. It's good stuff and sold for less. 
Thanks Liudr. Actually it was one of your earlier posts that led me there.
I just ordered a bunch of LEDs & resistors from them for a project.
Futurlec or Tayda
Long live low prices!
CrossRoads:
Thanks Liudr. Actually it was one of your earlier posts that led me there.
I just ordered a bunch of LEDs & resistors from them for a project.
I have every color they sell, 20 each, brighter ones, 5mm. I'll be making persistence of vision displays 
I bought the Earthshine kit, and have been very happy with it. The tutorial is excellent, and I did all the projects.
The only problem was that I am in the US, and Earthshine only has the 9V adapters with British and European plugs. So I had to buy a new one of those.
About Starter Sets, I recently posted this: http://arduino.cc/forum/index.php/topic,56634.0.html with some low-cost options...
braunshedd:
Hi, I've been looking into getting an arduino and some basic parts to learn with before I go freelance with any projects. Ive seen a few kits on adafriut and sparkfun, but they seem a little basic and overpriced. Should I buy an arduino and then get separate components to assemble my own sort of "kit"? If so, what components should I get? Thanks(By the way I live in the U.S., and have a budget of about 75 or so)
You live in the US? Then you should shop surplus, because we have a plethora of surplus electronics outlets to serve your need. Here's what you should do:
Make sure you get something to store the parts in. If you're just starting out (and/or have little space), I recommend you go to walmart or another such retailer, and purchase a fishing tackle box - one with a lot of individual compartments and such, plus a deep drawer area. The compartments you can fill with your parts (one type/value of part per compartment - though this can be tough with resistors, capacitors, etc - use your best judgement); the deep area will be for larger components (breadboards, small wire dikes, pliers, etc - you -will- need those tools). Later, you might need the room for soldering items (iron, solder, etc).
When you get your components - make sure you get the following as well for your kit:
You're also going to want hookup wire for jumpers and such. If you can find it, go for about 6 feet of 24 conductor solid-core telephone cable. You will need some hefty loppers or something to cut this to size, btw - but it will be much, much cheaper than anything else. You may not even have to purchase it, if you know where and how to scrounge some up; if you have a building or something going under a renovation, sometimes they pull this stuff out by the mile and haul it away as trash. Ask around - look around (talk to people at the local phone company - maybe a lineman will give you some!). If you can't find it, then using solid-core cat5 is the next best thing (though it's a little thinner in gauge).
Ok - so where to get these parts? Three places I have had good dealings with:
All Electronics (http://www.allelectronics.com/)
Electronic Goldmine (http://www.goldmine-elec.com/)
Alltronics (http://www.alltronics.com/)
Some parts, though, you may not find at the above places (like if you need a servo, or certain IC or other semiconductor components). For those, the next best way to go is via chinese suppliers on ebay. One good supplier I know of (great for LEDs) is a guy that goes by the handle "Asia Engineer". Another good seller (for motors, for the most part) is "80servo". You'll have to use your judgement for other things, though.
Finally, places like Mouser and Digikey are there for brand-new components that you just can't get any other way...
Actually, there is one way you can get some components - just be kind and don't overdo it, and only use it for those components that you have -no other way- to get. It's called "sampling". Some direct suppliers of components - ie, the guys who sell to Mouser, Digikey, and manufacturers - will allow you to sample certain component in small quantities if you ask them nicely, and don't bug them more than maybe once or twice a year. So, for instance, you can ask about sampling components from places like "National Semiconductor", "On Semiconductor" (formerly Motorola), "Microchip", even "Atmel", etc (also keep in mind for some small manufacturers who may sell only to other manufacturers - but sometimes if you ask nice, you can get 1s and 2s of some special components). Remember to ask nice, be courteous about it, and if they say "no" - leave it at that. Some may refer you to a local representative for your region; talk to them (you may have to talk on the phone). Sometimes, you might get a surprise, other times you'll wonder what they're smoking (I once tried to get replacement gears for a motor, the rep would only sell me a minimum of 50 pieces - at $7.00 each; which actually wasn't a bad price, for metal gears - but the motor was bought used for $10.00, so I passed - but I thanked him for the assistance regardless).
Now - there are more than those three surplus dealers here in the US; I have a whole huge list of links - I can generally find just about anything surplus instead of purchasing new. You might want to pick up a copy of Nuts and Volts Magazine and/or Servo Magazine; they'll have a ton of suppliers listed as well. I post a few more suppliers I know of (but haven't dealt with):
Oh - and for servos and other R/C gear (new):
Oh - one other thing to look into: A good lamp. If you can get one, a flexible neck magnifying lens lamp with a good fluorescent or LED lighting can work wonders.
I think that about covers it; welcome to an expensive hobby (no matter how you cut corners, it still isn't that cheap overall).
Terry, Crosh,
The original post was over a month ago, and never responded to anything.
It sucks that we seem to just end up talking to ourselves on a lot of these posts. Crosh, a writeup like yours deserves to be someplace where more people could benefit from it.
CrossRoads:
Terry, Crosh,
The original post was over a month ago, and never responded to anything.It sucks that we seem to just end up talking to ourselves on a lot of these posts. Crosh, a writeup like yours deserves to be someplace where more people could benefit from it.
Hey, Crosh, think about adding your great post as the front page of this: http://arduinoparts.wikispaces.com/ which Crossroads and I put some things on.
Where's the best place for a new thread for this subject: Parts, what you need and where to get them??
I have a few parts here: http://arduino-direct.com/sunshop/index.php?l=product_list&c=15 and I plan to add a lot more.. any suggestions for priorities very welcome!