Hey I'm starting with Arduino and I'm not sure what I need. I have or will have the following.
Multimeter
Large pack of resistors
Soldering iron and solder
Bread Board
Arduino Uno
Breadboard wiring bundle
Pack of LEDs
Wire Stripper
What else do I need? Are capacitors and such pretty essential? Thanks for the help.
What else do I need?
A credit card ? (and a fire extinguisher)
It all depends on what you want to do. There are "starter kits" if you want to build some circuits and learn about the Arduino.
raschemmel:
A credit card ? (and a fire extinguisher)
Sorry, it didn't post the list. Now it's up.
I'd go for a pre-packed starter kit, not necessarily the Arduino-branded one.
Servos are fun, you'll probably want a small (so-called "toy") dc motor and appropriate transistor and diode. Starter kits have all that and more: I see the Arduino one has a 293 H-bridge- old technology but still ok for seeing what an H-bridge is.
What else do I need? Are capacitors and such pretty essential? Thanks for the help.
0.1 uF decoupling caps are good to have across the 5V power bus but not essential.
An assortment of resistor values (1/4 or 1/2 watt ; 1/2 W are easier to handle and plug in) sorted in labeled manila coin envelopes stored in a plastic tupper ware container is a must. Clip leads to plug into
your multimeter so you can attach them to jumpers to plug into the breadboard is a must. A pad and pencil to document your wiring , one jumper at a time so you know what you've done. If you wrote it done after
visually verifying it there's a good chance that's how you wired it. I would photograph the circuits and store
them in a folder on your pc so when you want to rebuild that circuit again you have a visual layout reference. (I don't do that but I have 30 yrs experience but I would recommend it for a beginner).
I would also suggest never turning on the power until you've performed your wiring check using your list.
You look at the list and check each jumper one by one BEFORE turning on the power. (or you can just buy
extra arduinos in case you fry one) . Never short an OUTPUT to ground. (Inputs are ok because they are in
HIGH impedance state when configured as inputs) . Make sure to always have a resistor in series with the leds.
0.1uF ceramic caps from the power pin of any IC to Gnd are essential for reliable operation.
You can stock up on all kinds of parts pretty cheaply from taydaelectronics.com
LEDs
resistors
pots
knobs
connectors
capacitors
diodes
...
buchnich:
Hey I'm starting with Arduino and I'm not sure what I need. I have or will have the following.
Lots of patience. 
robsworld78:
Lots of patience.
.... and a thick skin for when PaulS gets hold of one of your sketches.
(Seriously though, take out his style and absorb his message.)
.... and a thick skin for when PaulS gets hold of one of your sketches.
and then there's me....
You'll need to take a class on basic electronics if you can. There are also plenty of books and tutorials on YouTube that will get you started. If you know Ohm's law and what simple components like resistors, diodes and capacitors do, you'll have an easier time.
Get a name brand DMM. The cheap Chinese no-name stuff is so inaccurate and inconsistent that you will go nuts trying to reconcile your math with what you measure with them. A good one will last too. One of mine I bought 30 years ago and it still calibrates with no problems. You might find a Beckman on eBay for a good price. Beckman got out of general test equipment some years ago and their DMM's are a "sleeper" item. The "Circuitmate" line isn't very good, though. They tried a line of less expensive meters that weren't nearly as good. A "320B" is a good starter. Fluke is good. Others can chime in with their favorites. Dave (eevblog on YouTube) has a video on choosing a DMM.
DrBobLoblaw:
Fluke is good.
My kids got me one Christmas a couple of years ago. Strictly speaking probably not worth the expense for a hobbyist, but it's really nice.
If funds allow, get an oscilloscope. I have found my entry-level one so useful, mainly for illustrating things that the books say are happening: like the traces of PWM at the different frequencies on the different pins, and seeing the order of change on the pins when turning an encoder this-way or that-way. Not necessary, just really cool to have.
wow. post #12 thanks fellas for leaving me the easy one.
wire cutters. first step is to cut the red wire on the smoke alarm !
really, you need a project. what do you want to do ?
I will offer that a switch is a switch is a switch. if it turns on one LED, a bank of LED's a motor, a sun tracker, a stepper motor, a washer/drywer..... it all has to change the state of the switch.
one lonely LED can represent that switch. get that LED to turn on and off when you want, then it is easy to connect that to the rest of the world.
Was it Archimedes who said, give me an Arduino, a large enough transistor, and a sufficient power supply and I can move the world ? of course he said that in Greek, so the translation might be a bit off.
dave-in-nj:
give me an Arduino, a large enough transistor, and a sufficient power supply and I can move the world ? of course he said that in Greek, so the translation might be a bit off.
να μου δώσει μια Arduino , ένα αρκετά μεγάλο τρανζίστορ , και επαρκή παροχή ηλεκτρικού ρεύματος και μπορώ να κινηθώ στον κόσμο
Ignore the "Blink" sketch. Using delay() to time things is a terrible idea. Sadly, something like 95% or more of the beginning Arduino books out there just use delay() for everything.
Even an old analog 20MHz bandwidth scope, preferably dual trace, can be a huge help and should be cheap or even free. Don't waste your money on one of the Nano DSO scopes.
Learn Ohm's Law, and Kirchoff's current and voltage laws. It helps a lot if you learn to sight-read resistor color codes.
You don't need a special shield or transistors or anything else to drive an RC servo, but you shouldn't run anything but a small unloaded servo from the Arduino's 5V line. If there will be a load on the servo, or if it is more than the smallest, or you want to run several, use a separate power supply for the servo power.
Switches, both momentary and not.
@Jimbo,
να μου δώσει μια Arduino , ένα αρκετά μεγάλο τρανζίστορ , και επαρκή παροχή ηλεκτρικού ρεύματος και μπορώ να κινηθώ στον κόσμο
Your such a funny guy... 
You're
Hah!
What do you want to do?
I'm a beginner too... At this moment I have pliers, cutters, some print-board, a few of those male and female connectors.
I think, a lot of wires, maybe some extra breadboards to experiment with, are important. I still use an analog multimeter, with which I can see enough of the current and voltage.
What do you know about electronics? What do you want to know?
I've already "sketched" a small weather station, but on some boards I do have to change it. Takes some time to find out the 'why', but that is the stuff I like.
Hope you enjoy Arduino as much as I am!
Marc.