I was considering buying a clone to save some money, but for my first *duino I figured I'd pay a little more and buy an official one to support the creators/design/....
I just received my Duemilanove, but it looks different from the Duemilanove shown here on the site:
arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardDuemilanove
The name "Arduino Duemilanove" is aligned differently, and lighter, and w/o the TM indication; some fonts are different; the top level of traces are different; the female headers are soldered on crooked; and lots of the labeling/outlines are different. There are a number of different components, which may be not be a clone indication as component supplies change, or it may have cheaper components. The shape/map of Italy is also not present on the back, though I've only caught glimpse of this on youtube videos, and don't know if its on all original Arduino Duemilanoves.
Any ideas on if this one is a clone or an official one?
Just wondering if I've actually supported the Arduino creators or been misled...
I have two official boards and although they are slightly different from each other, both have the map on the bottom and 'Made in Italy' on the top. The build quality is excellent and if yours has badly soldered components then I doubt it is an official board.
If you want to support the Arduino creators/designers and ensure you don't end up with a poor quality clone board, best to purchase from one of the official distributers listed here: Distributors — Arduino Official Store
Some of the key indications for clone boards are miss alignment and different fonts used for the Arduino name. The silkscreen of the labels and names tends to be rather light as well. You will often find that different/cheaper components are used. Such as basic electrolytic caps rather then the solid caps and even different color LEDs. There will always be a map of Italy silked screen on the back of the offical boards. It will also say made in Italy next to the map. At least on the Nove boards. It will also say "designed by tinker.it" on the back and have the circle logo with the "t!" in it. The 2 i own also have a sticker on the back with what seams to be a batch/serial number printed on them.
Buying from list of suppliers on the Arduino site is usually a good indication, many of them sell clones but not knockoffs. I believe the latest real ones have an Italian flag above the USB connector, whereas the more mature ones say 'Made in Italy'. Knockoffs tend to be blank or say 'Made in China'. All the real ones I've seen have maps of Italy screen printed on the bottom. Ones on Ebay are probably all knockoffs : . I have one, its hardly poor quality it just has different coloured LEDs and other cosmetic differences.
Ya, I was pretty sure the one I received was a knock-off, for the reasons I mentioned (name alignment, light font, lack of TM, diff top trace layer, more text and component outlines, ...). Thanks to people confirming that real ones have the map of Italy on the back. Though sadly I bet the knock-offs will soon have that too, as mine says "MADE IN ITALY" (in the wrong font) in the upper left hand corner which other/earlier knock-offs don't yet have.
I'll refrain from pointing out more of the telltale signs because the knock-off-ers don't need more tips.
Per the last comment, ya, I'd definitely recommend buying Arduinos from one of the sellers on the Arduino site, or a well-known compatible maker like ladyada, sparkfun, or moderndevice.
Another reliable source (although newer) is cutedigi.com
I bought my stuff from them. They've got good prices and $4 shipping for an unlimited amount of item. You should check 'em out if you need something Arduino-related.
Mike, do you mean the knockoff clones from china that try to look like official boards, or do you mean the derivative boards from suppliers such as those listed here: Distributors — Arduino Official Store
My experience is that derivative boards from the listed suppliers is high quality
Some knockoff clones from ebay are also high quality but some are crap.
I have original Arduino Duemilanove and it looks the same as on shown on the picture above. Another thing is, when you turn it around it should have a map of Italy. A trustworthy place to get one is oomlout.com, where I got mine.
I would particularly recommend a full starter kit, that sells around £50 ($70). It has everything in: servo motors, DC motors, sensors, relays, LEDs, serial to parallel chip etc. What is the most important, there is a Arduino code (scratch) examples, so you get results quickly. And that builds your confidence like nothing else. You immediately think you can do a moon lender itself ;D .
Feel free to post eBay usernames/etc of companies that are selling "crap" versions, as well as companies advertising "Arduino" but actually shipping some obvious clone. Both practices are less than completely ethical, even if there is little legal recourse.
My general impression is that most of the "exact clone" vendors are "lazy" rather than intentionally deceptive. That means that they're building their clones straight from the reference PCB design(s), probably using slightly different components. But the "made in Italy" and map are not in the reference PCBs, so they won't appear on the clones either, and they're also subject to differences in PCB printing processes...
OTOH, it looks like there are other ways that the shipping official Duemilanoves differ from the reference CAD files too (actually functional differences, like the CAD files not having the dual-footprints for MOSFET or Regulator.) I've got mixed feelings about that...
The illegal knock-off I received was actually from a respected seller that others have had luck with. The seller eventually made things good, but only after some frustration and repeated effort at writing. Since it worked out in the end, I'm on the fence about posting their name here.
Again, I'd only wanted a real Arduino to support the creators. If you want a real one, I'd suggest scrutinizing the photos and description, because it may say "Arduino Duemilanove" multiple times but just one word elsewhere in the description may hint that it's not a real Arduino.
I've since bought a couple derivative Arduino-compatible boards (not masquerading as a real Arduino), and they seem a great way to go as well. I love the super-compact breadboard-mountable one. The diversity of all the offerings is fantastic: something for everyone.
. I have one, its hardly poor quality it just has different coloured LEDs and other cosmetic differences.