Not sure if this asked regularly or not, I couldn't find other posts about it. The actual arduino products seem about 2-3x more expensive than the ones which are labelled as compatible. Which should I get? Also is the uno the best option for most purposes? There's a mega but I gather that's for more advanced applications. If I should get a compatible uno are there particular ones I should avoid?
I was looking at kits on eBay with a compatible uno and a bunch of sensors etc. I figured that if the components are crappy I can replace them as needed. Are there better kits I should get?
Somebody has to pay for the development costs. Hence original Arduinos are more expensive.
The clone manufactures just copy the design and the software, so minimal costs.
So if you buy a clone, you can donate a little of your saving to Arduino itself 8)
There is not much difference. QC of clones might not be as good as of originals so you have a bigger chance that it does not work. And as a beginner you might not have any idea where to start looking.
For clones, you might have to install a driver..
To get your feed wet, I would start with an Uno based kit. A little easier to wire then e.g. a Nano (personal opinion).
For permanent 'products', you can move your project to a Nano without having to worry. I usually develop on a real Uno and my customers supply me with (often clone) Nanos to be programmed for the final product.
A Mega is not more advanced. It just has more pins and memory.
My advice is that you should select the Arduino based on your electronic and programming ability.
If you really are a novice then the starter kits are great.
I know someone who bought one and now is flying.
If you feel you are more knowledgeable then bypass the kits and buy just the components you need.
If you know someone who has used Arduino, then a quick demonstration of actually powering a board, using the IDE and getting some result is really helpful. If not then the internet is always there.
Either way you cannot go wrong. If you can get going with Arduino, it can be really rewarding.
I think you should buy the Genuine UNO - it’s supports the cause , is a high quality product and works out the box.
With the cheaper one you may have driver issues to sort out and possibly less reliability.
If you have a particular interest, concentrate on that, ask about it here, and leave the kits to people who don't know what they want. I have never heard of a compatible that is a dud. The only Arduinos I am aware of that require drivers are high-price, high-quality products that have features the genuine Arduinos don't have. Megas are not really more advanced - just more of the same. If your interest is datalogging, it might pay to get one(!)
Nick_Pyner:
The only Arduinos I am aware of that require drivers are high-price, high-quality products that have features the genuine Arduinos don't have.
A lot of the Arduino clones use the CH340/CH341 USB to Serial chip which required driver installation for Windows 7 at least. The driver package is available from the manufacturer, but when I last did it (in the past year?), some of the install text was displayed in Chinese which is a bit unnerving for those of us who don't read Chinese.
I mostly develop on a Ubuntu Linux machine which did not require drivers for the CH340.