Hi. I'd really like to get either a Boarduino or Sanguino, with money from christmas. Now since I'm new at all of this, I'm wondering what accessories (if any) I should purchase with my *uino, that are really useful.
I do a lot of work on a breadboard, so it will either be a Boarduino or Sanguino, I have my mind set about that (unless your argument is amazing). Now I'm wondering what I'll need to really get a lot of use out of this for what I hope to be doing with it.
I really like making small bots, simple ones, you know, the type that you turn on a torch and they run to the light (simple, I know, but nonetheless quite fun), and I'm hoping to make some more complex ones too, eg. object detection and avoidance, that sort of thing. I also like making small, simple circuits that have no real purpose, except are a great way to learn, so something like a BlinkM would be great.
This is what I've got on my list so far:
Boarduino/Sanguino
USB to TTL cable (or one of those small boards that you can use with a mini-USB cable instead)
BlinkM
Two right-angle gearbox motors (the kind you can get off SolarBotics)
Miscellaeneous components (LEDs, Pots, Buzzers, Buttons, Light dependent resistors, that sort of thing)
Flexible breadboard jumper cables
And here is a short list of some of the components I'm not sure about:
A small (and simple) sonar module (I've scavenged two of these of a never-quite-completed Cybot that came with the Real Robots magazines)
Two micro servos (I have two already, but they're being used in another project)
An Infra-red module, again, must be relatively simple
A motor shield (or something of the like that could be adapted for breadboard use)
Another ATMega (so I can have two different programs and switch between them without having to connect to the computer)
Accelerometer (I could use my Nunchuck, but I'd either have to buy one of those little adapters, or cut the cable, and I really don't want to cut the cable)
That's about it.
I'm not sure about the Motor Shield because I'm uncertain whether or not I can run some low-power motors/servos directly from the board. I'm not talking Stepper motors or heavy-duty motors, just light, low powered ones.
Thanks a lot for any suggestions to what I should/shouldn't buy. Thanks ;D
sounds like youve got most of it pretty well covered.
You should have other cool (expensive) things like a lab power supply (perferrably triple tracking) multimeter and if youre really into it, a scope.
But expensive toys aside, if you plan on using motors; throw in a controller.
something like the L293D which will take 600mA per channel to drive your motors and is nice and simple with diodes all built in.
Also, some logic level MOSFET's or something (maybe a relay if you dont want high speed switching) so you can control with the arduino.
Otherwise, if you have any involved projects youre taking on, think ahead and try and buy everything you will need. It sucks to work on something all day, realise you need a part to finish it, and then find out no one in your local area has it, then you have to wait half a week to get it sent off some online supplier. (trust me, i know).
I know how you feel, sometimes I have to pop down to the shops to get a part I don't have, then they don't have it, I order it, and a week later (if I'm lucky), it arrives and I can finish the project.
I already have a multimeter, but I rarely have to use it, other than continuity checking on a PCB so I can map where it goes.
Ahh well.
I've ordered a Bare Bones Board from MDC, as well as a USB BUB board+cable, which is cheaper than a USB-TTL cable, a 16x2 backlit LCD screen, and a small driver board for it ;D
Should arrive around Christmas/Boxing day, and I can tell you I can't wait! I've already wired up my breadboard with a simple circuit and I'm already writing the code so as soon as I get it, I can play with it almost straight away!
Thanks for the advice, soon I'm going to order the things on my second list from a different place, hopefully somewhere that carries BlinkMs too.
You may want to scrounge any old electronics equipment that you see being discarded on boxing day. Things like old VCRs can be a great source of components that you can pull off the board when you come up short on a project.
Oh yes, not to mention printers / scanners / Fax machines that almost always has nice stepper and Dc motors in them. And frequently also usable power supplys.
Oh, fun is definitely what I'll have with this, and yeah, I'm always picking up discarded apparatus/appliances, keeping useful circuits intact where I can, but desoldering the rest of the components and placing them in trays (eg. Capacitors, Resistors, Transistors, etc.).
I've probably saved myself a fair amount from re-using parts from old appliances, it's amazing what people will throw away
