Get ready to dive into the world of microcontrollers!
Everyone from beginners to advanced users will appreciate all that the Ultimate Microcontroller Kit has to offer. Beginners will appreciate the ability to go from the basics to more advanced projects without having to source additional parts. Advanced users will love the variety and the huge range of projects that can be done using this vast assortment of parts! The 100+ components in this pack have been hand picked by the staff of MAKE to ensure the best possible assortment for your money.

Project Ideas

Here are just some of the projects you can do using the items in the Ultimate Arduino Microcontroller Pack:

For even more Arduino projects and resources, visit https://makezine.com/arduino.

Kit Contents

(From Left to Right)

Microcontroller: Arduino Uno (1)—See arduino.cc for specs, pinouts, and more.

MakerShield Prototyping Shield Kit (1)—Stacks on the Arduino. User-definable components, 3.3V or 5V signals. Build a MakerShield.

Servo

Servomotors, micro (2)—Servos don’t spin, they turn to precise positions. These are rated 4.2–6V, operating speed 0.10sec/60° (at 4.8V), stall torque 1.8kg/cm. Wires: brown (-), red (+), orange (signal).

Motor

Motor, mini DC (1)—Rated at 1.3V, 35mA, it spins at 16,000rpm. Housing measures just 16mm×6mm diameter. Mini DC motor datasheet.pdf

Motor, vibration (1)—The kind found in cellphones. It buzzes about 50 decibels (dB) loud at 3V, 90mA, and will kick in at just 2V. Mini vibration motor data.pdf

Force-sensitive resistors 10K (pressure sensors) (2)—Variable resistors that decrease in resistance when pressed with as little as 2 grams of force.

Tilt

Tilt sensors (2)—Tiny switches with a metal ball inside that, when tilted 30°, connects the contact points, closing the circuit. Rated at max 6mA/24V DC. Tilt switch datasheet.pdf

Photoresistors (light sensors) (2)—Variable resistors that decrease in resistance as light intensity increases. Rated 150V, 100mW, 16kΩ–2MΩ. Photoresistor datasheet.pdf

Thermistors (temperature sensors) (2)—Also variable resistors, NTC-type thermistors decrease in resistance as temperature rises. Rated at 50mW, 20kΩ–1MΩ. Thermistor datasheet.pdf

Speaker

Speaker, 8Ω, with leads (1)—This tiny loudspeaker measures just 13mm in diameter, so it’ll fit into almost any project or prototype.

Buzzer, piezoelectric, 12mm (1)—Rated at 5V, 28mA, it puts out 85dB at 2.3kHz. Piezos vibrate when current is applied. In reverse, they generate a voltage when vibrated! Piezo buzzer datasheet.pdf

LCD

HD44780LCD alphanumeric display screen, 16×2 (1)—Has 2 lines of 16 characters, in blue pixels over a yellow-green LED backlight, and measures 80mm×36mm×15.8mm. (Hook up diagram and “Hello World” example)

LEDs, 3mm: green (5) and red (5)—Light-emitting diodes are polarized, with a longer positive lead (anode) and shorter negative lead (cathode).

RGB LED

LEDs, 5mm, tricolor RGB (3)—Combines red, green, and blue LEDs to reproduce a spectrum of colors. These have 4 leads, sharing a positive (+) lead (anode). RGB LED datasheet.pdf

Resistors: 330Ω (10), 10kΩ (10), and 1kΩ (10)—Resistors limit current and divide voltage. Their leads aren’t polarized (no + and –). Colored bands indicate resistance value in ohms (Ω) and power rating in watts (W). These are all ¼W. See page 7 for the color codes.

Capacitors, ceramic: 10nF (10) and 100nF (10)—Like a temporary battery, capacitors store electrical charge. They have a max voltage rating and a capacitance value that’s rated in farads (F) and typically printed on the capacitor itself. See page 7 for the number codes.

Capacitors, electrolytic, 100μF (5)—Electrolytic capacitors are polarized, with one positive (+) and one negative (–) lead. They resemble little barrels.

Potentiometer, rotary 10K (1)—Pots are variable resistors with a preset range of resistance that can be adjusted. They’re also rated by power (W) and voltage (V).

Transistor, NPN (1)—This semiconductor allows or restricts current, like a normally open switch activated by electricity. Has 3 leads: emitter, base, collector. 20V, 500mA. NPN transistor datasheet.pdf

Diode, 1N4004 (1)—Semiconductor that allows current to flow only in one direction, so it protects against voltage spikes. Polarized, with (+) and (–) leads, rated 1 amp.

Switches, mini SPST, momentary push-button, normally open, 12V, 15mA (5)—Closes (connects) a circuit tem- porarily when pushed. Otherwise it’s open.

Switches, mini DPDT (3)—It’s double-throw (has 2 closed positions, with 1 open position between) and double-pole (can open/close 2 different circuits).

Solderless breadboard, clear, full-size (1)—Trans- parent plastic, adhesive- backed, 2.14″×6.5″, 830 tie points: a terminal strip (630) and 2 distribution strips (100 each).

Mini BB

Solderless breadboard, mini (1)—Has 170 tie points, measures just 1.4″×1.6″ (3.5cm×4.5cm), and fits perfectly on our MakerShield.

Protoboards, 7cm×9cm (2)—These blank circuit boards have 30×24 holes indexed with letters and numbers, copper-backed for soldering, plus solder- ing tabs on 2 edges.

9V Case

9V battery case with DC plug (1)—Includes a sliding cover, switch, 6″ 26AWG lead wires, and a 2.1mm×5.5mm×9.5mm DC plug that fits Arduino (easy assembly required).

Deluxe Jumper Wire Pack (1)—65 multi-color, flexible, stranded jumper wires that can be used over and over, with molded barrels and 3/8″ (1cm) stripped ends.

Heat-shrink tubing, 1/8″ dia., 30″— Insulates and protects wire connections from abrasion and the elements. Slip it on, heat with a hair dryer or heat gun to shrink in place.

Header, female, 6-pin stackable (1)—Pin headers allow you to plug and unplug components. We chose this assortment to fit the Arduino/Netduino perfectly.