Have you been reading these board reviews, meaning to get started, but never got around to it? Want to get everything you need for the first step of trying out building your own gizmo? And the second step? And the tenth step? And…
Elegoo’s printer resins are the refill of choice for many a maker with a high-resolution DLP or SLA printer. They’re reasonably priced and perpetually among the top search results when restocking printer goop. Elegoo brings that same approach to the electronics side of making: Elegoo pops up among top search results for microcontrollers, with a tempting price. So how do they check out?
Pretty darn well. When I teach face-to-face classes, I often emphasize a toy box approach. The best way to learn outside of class is to have a goal, a project. But when you’re not that focused, the next best thing is just to get excited to discover all the things you can do, and all the parts that are easy to use. The Elegoo Uno R3 “Most Complete Starter Kit” is a fantastic starting point for that playful approach to learning. With one click, for a very fair price, you’ll soon have everything you need to start a rambling wander through the different parts and skills you might use in your future projects.
At the heart of the kit is Elegoo’s Uno R3, their no-frills clone of the Arduino Uno R3. The countless starter lessons online for the Uno work for this clone, too. Packaged in the kit are dozens of the first parts you might want to explore: An infrared remote, a badge reader, a rangefinder, a couple different kinds of motors, and so many others. There’s also a solid selection of basic supplies like jumper wires, resistors, LEDs, a mini-breadboard for connecting everything, a battery and its adapter for powering everything or a wall-plug to do the same. Topping it all is a CD printed with the URL where you can download all the example programs and wiring instructions to try out each part. You could also put the CD in your computer and get the files that way, if that’s how you roll.
If you’ve been waiting to dive into microcontrollers and find yourself with time on your hands, this is a fantastic starter kit at a price that’s hard to beat. There are so many nights of projects in here, and after you’ve explored all the lessons, the basic supplies will be finding their way into your projects for years to come.
