Vilros Arduino Uno Starter Kit - Includes Arduino Uno R3 Board, 190+ Electronics Components, Breadboard, Jumper Wires, DC Motor, Servo, Relay, Full-Color 72 Page Manual [190+ Pieces]

This is an excellent kit for Arduino beginners. The manual is a stand-out feature of the kit – very clear, detailed and helpful for those who lack background in electronics. Little is left to chance by providing comprehensive multiple depictions of each of the 12 project circuits. Including not only realistic 2D (Arduino/breadboard plan views) and 3D drawings of the circuit layouts but also abstract circuit diagrams is a great feature. The connections that the user needs to make between components both on the breadboard and to the Arduino itself are set out systematically and comprehensively in a table that allows the user to wire up the circuits in an almost foolproof way. There are one or two mistakes amongst the tables but these can be identified by reference to the other depictions provided. Conscientiously going back and forth between the different types of information given for each project can actually help with understanding the relevant circuit diagram. For all its advantages, the manual does have a few errors – the project 6 (photoresistor) arduino/breadboard plan shows wrong power connections and the project 11 (relays) plan shows wrong both wrong orientation of the transistor and the diode. These mistakes were frustrating, especially in the case of the relay project where I initially thought the supplied relay was faulty (and only discovered the errors after testing the relay to establish it was OK). Surely Vilros could supply an ‘errata’ with the booklet to save their customers from this negative experience. Unlike some other Arduino manuals are no complete sketches given in the Vilros manual. This helps to keep their manual brief and approachable. The sketches themselves must be downloaded but are well documented with comments to help the user understand what is going on. I found it useful to print the sketches off then go through them in detail to determine how they worked. The manual gives just enough ‘flavour’ of what the sketches are doing without becoming bogged down in all the minutia – I thought this balance worked very well. The programming ideas covered in the 12 projects are quite wide ranging and well-chosen to provide a gentle introduction to the scope of what will be later met in more complex Arduino sketches. Having worked through all the projects, I felt well prepared to join the wider Arduino community and tackle projects of my own.

Wow, very impressed with the quality of this starter kit! I am no expert, but I have some experience in electronics. I was tempted to buy only the Arduino Uno and a pressure sensor for the circuit I have in mind to monitor the water supply pressure in our house. However, given that the Arduino is completely new to me, I figured the starter kit would be a good way to ramp up and learn how to use the board. I'm very glad I did. The kit arrived late this afternoon, and I had fun this evening going through the first four projects in the guide. Especially the last one, with 8 LEDs; once you see the patterns that come with the USK code samples, all kinds of other ideas for patterns come to mind. The download and setup of the Arduino IDE was nearly flawless. The driver update for Windows 7 didn't work exactly as stated in the instructions (but those are instructions on the Arduino web site, so I can't fault Vilros for that), but that was a small glitch and the setup was completed quickly. The kit has a nice selection of components to get started learning right away. You're not going to produce anything practical from this, but it does serve the purpose of a good learning platform. I was surprised by the rigid plastic board that can be used to mount both the Arduino board and the breadboard. I scoffed a bit when I first saw it, but it turned out to be very handy to set up the example projects. One word of warning: if you have a preference for the orientation of the breadboard, make sure you figure that out before sticking the board down! The adhesive is very strong! The starter kit guide that was included is what really blew me away. I'm so used to buying things with poor to non-existent documentation, that it's a shock to get a well-written manual! This guide is fantastic! Each section starts out with an overview, and a perspective view of the circuit setup. The next page has a plan view/wiring diagram for the circuit. In addition, the next page has a different type of diagram showing exactly where each lead connects to the Arduino, and where each lead connects to the breadboard. I really think that nearly anyone could set up these circuits using this guide. Hats off to the tech writers! Well, I've just barely scratched the surface of Arduino capabilities, but thanks to this kit, I feel like I've gotten a running start!

Adafruit has a better deal. This is still good though. The 72 page instruction booklet is glossy magazine quality. But according to what I have read it is better than many other manuals. I believe it is taken from SparkFun through creative Commons. This kit provides a balance between a high quality board, an instruction booklet and an amount of accessories. The accessories that come with it are decent. But Arduino accessories are so cheap and plentiful you can just buy what you need with the new projects as you do them. The main reason I bought this kit is because I am a robotics coach and my team will be starting with Arduinos. I am testing a few different kits to see which one I should buy many of. This kit does not come with a plastic box to organize it, the original package works well. But when I have 30 high school students in a lab I need to have explicit systems to keep the stuff from going everywhere. In short though it is a decent starter kit, pretty solid bang for the buck. But a better box to store it would have been nice.

I was very skeptical of this product, especially of the Arduino board authenticity due to the fairly low price of the entire package. Luckily, I got an Amazon card for Christmas, so I wasn't going to loose out on much if this product ended up being trash. You may find my question in December (before I bought this) asking if the board is real. The price just seemed too good to be true. Well, I got my package today and to my surprise the board is 100% legit. I've checked every millimeter of it through official Arduino resources and there's nothing skeptical about it. It also works flawlessly (I've tested it with a lot of code). Everything else that came with the board appears to be of high quality. I was actually surprised, because I was expecting some junk or something to be missing, once again... because of the price. Nope - all there and of nice quality. I think my biggest shock was the printed Guide booklet. From some of the reviews, my expectation was that I'm just getting the parts, and the rest I can learn online. To my surprise, this guide is amazing. It is very detailed, has lots of visuals (I'm a visual sort-of guy, so this is perfect for me). Information appears to be very accurate. I remember reading a few reviews saying that there were translation issues or missing information -- I've yet to find any. Even the print quality is very good (I was expecting something cheaply made). The whole thing just feels like it was made by true professionals. I'm not sure if they've improved it over time, but what I got was of fine craftsmanship. I have only one gripe, and that's the holder. While it feels like it's well made, my Arduino board did not fit in between two clips. I tried everything I could and just couldn't get it to fit. I did not want to damage my board, trying to force it, so I ended up snapping the two clips off and drilling a small hole in one of the stand-offs to screw in my board. It worked like a charm. If anyone is having a similar issue, I recommend this solution. Just make sure that the screw does not make a contact with any circuitry on the board, or might damage it. I would use a very small screw and two rubber washers (one on top and one on bottom). You're not trying to screw it in for strength -- it's just to hold it in place, so don't over-tighten it. Anyways, I'm pleasantly surprised by the purchase. I did not expect much for that price and got a phenomenal Christmas present.

Quick Summary: Real Arduino Uno High quality components from sensors to wires. Would have liked more but it's a starter kit. Good instructions/(downloadable) sketches Attempting to fill one of the few holes in my technical knowledge, I bought this kit to teach myself about electronics and robotics. Was pleasantly surprised to get what appears to be a legitimate, official Arduino and high-quality components (at least opposed to another starter kit I got from another manufacturer". The instructions are simple enough that I'd assume anybody with a reasonably decent technical aptitude could pick things up, but not insultingly/uselessly simple. Full color wiring diagrams are clear and easy to make out. Cables are sturdy and there's a nice variety of colors and lengths. For the sake of proper color coding I would have liked to see a little more red/black and a little less blue/green, but there's still plenty to follow the guide with plenty extras. Only complaint component-wise is that the wires on the transistors are a little flimsy. Not to the point of seeming like they'll break after a fair amount of use but they don't always maintain a good connection to the breadboard. I did end up frying my Uno but that was my own fault. For someone reasonably certain they're going to do more than just tinker with this and then forget it, I'd recommend getting this kit for the components and the Uno, and then buying a Ruggeduino to help protect you from yourself. You can use your Ruggeduino for testing/monkeying around with much, much less risk of frying things and your Uno from this kit for use in completed projects/if you need a second board. Again, absolutely nothing wrong with this Uno, the Ruggeduino's just a nice complementary investment if you don't really know what you're doing.

The Ultimate Starter kit was exactly what I thought it to be. Just the right place to take a person like me who is computer literate, a little background in MS Basic programming from years ago, I could spell the word C. As soon as I plugged in the Ardunio to my PC and downloaded the first sketch. and pow it worked as stated, minutes later the first blinking diode sketch was kicking out SOS code and most everything else you can think of. Imagine the servo motor (include) dancing to rock music. The parts are simple, and introductory. I have already upgraded to bigger motors, bigger Ideas, and have paper designed several device controllers, as this intro kit was so easy to follow, that my mind was racing ahead, I could not read it fast enough. only down side is the little motors are "toy like" and will not raise my garage door, or operate my ceiling fans... but they teach me how to do it, if I have the time and money to invest in more powerful motors and relays. I did not program all the devices with the Kit, but my mind leapfrogged over from the simpler to the more complex.. and I have fun combining the different sketches, to do stupid thinks like making the temp sensor, turn on my motor, and blink SOS when the temp gets too hot or too cold, and just blink green when it is just right, red when too hot. have fun with this ( I am 67 years old) and enjoy this but if you have a PC or Mac, even a child could do the projects I think if they are computer literate. If you want advanced - great info get the book "Programming Ardunio:, Next Steps Going Further with Sketches". 5 star, and mind opening as to what the possibilities are, with all the Ardunio boards explained. WOW! paperback and Kindle from Amazon. I have the Kindle version as I could not wait on the mail delivery. for 9 plus bucks YOU WILL GET A REAL EDUCATION if you can read this techno. He explains well. .

Regarding Vilros and this Kit : The Good: 1) Genuine Arduino board, very well put together. 2) The documentation is fantastic for both the hardware and software side. Very good for beginners. 3) the parts included seem to generally be of good quality, specifically: nice thick USB cable, good breadboard, jumpers, servo, DC motor is beefy. 4) once downloaded, the examples Vilros includes are very well written and documented. 5) The whole think is packaged really well The less-than-good: (if you can call these that.) 1) You need to register with Vilros to download the examples. Not a big deal, actually, just name and email and they haven't spammed me yet. That said, you don't need the examples to get going. The examples supplied from Arduino and the book that comes from Adriuno are sufficient. 2) The leads on the DC motor are flimsy and needs to be re-soldered, but geez... I'm getting REALLY nitpicky here. Regarding Arduino : 1) the IDE you'll want to download from their site installed flawlessly 2) That IDE is easy to use, and It's free (but give them a small a contribution.) 3) the examples they included with the IDE are copious. My 10 year old son and I are working on this together, He already has an idea for his first project. ...pleased as punch! This is the best purchase I've made all year.

I'm a scientist working at a U.S. university, and bought this because I'm interested to see what the Arduino could do. What an amazing kit this is. The Arduino is a pretty incredible little device and at the price it is very good value. I bought the starter kit because coming with a breadboard and components is a very nice easy way to get started. In fact the way the Vilros board screws everything together will make this a really nice little development device for use in the future. I would also say that the instruction booklet that comes with it very nicely describes how to make up the example circuits and makes this a perfect science project for older teens (perhaps in the 16+ bracket). As an instructional device it gives you the opportunity to learn computer programing, electronics, and the extremely useful input/output computer electronics (commonly known in the trade as Analogue to Digital convertors, and Digital Input/Output). The kit comes with everything you need to get started including examples and computer code to demonstrate functions and run the projects. Very nicely done.

Un kit de arduino muy completo y muy bueno. Lo compré para regalarlo a mi marido y está encantado con él. Tiene todas las piezas básicas y mas.

The wax seal of the DC motor wire connection was torn off and the motor doesn't work. The connection point of the servo motor are very loose and hence it doesn't work properly. The other components are just acceptable.

Seems fantastic, I'm still working As a beginner, but has met all expectations so far!

The product has been delivered without the 72 page manual which is part of the product. I need the manual.

Although I did refund as my project was cancelled and I had no use for it. The beginners guide was great and made me fall in love with the product.