Getting Started with Arduino kit V3.0
© 2012 Maker Shed
Ready to get your hands busy with a real circuit board? With roots in Italy, Arduino (the name is an Italian first name) is an Italian open-source physical computing platform based on a single, small circuit board. Because the parts snap together, no soldering is necessary. Visit http://www.arduino.cc/ for the main site. This particular $65 kit bundles the board with a starter book plus some parts to make such things as a flashing LED or a sound sensor. The boards can be assembled by hand or purchased pre-assembled (there are about eight officially recognized Arduino boards made by commercial companies); the open-source software is available as a free download and can run on just about any type of computer. The least expensive version of the Arduino kits start in the $50 range. Note that you'll also need a computer with a USB plug, to communicate with your Arduino board. The software, which can be downloaded, runs on Windows, Mac or Linux, although the Windows version has the most capacity. Getting Started with Arduino kit V3.0 from Maker comes with an Arduino 2nd Edition book by Massimo Banzi. Once upon a time, Steve Jobs played with Heathkit computers. It's most likely that future inventors are playing with something like Arduinos.
$65, Windows, Mac OSX
Teaches: logic, science