Official Arduino Starter Kit [K000007] - 12 DIY Projects with Electronic Components & English Projects Book - Original Kit from Italy

I just received this kit, so of course I'm writing this as someone who hasn't gone through the projects. I will update this review as soon as I get a more direct experience with the projects and test the performance of the different parts and components. The packaging is really nice; everything comes laid out very nicely, making the mere unboxing of the kit a nice experience. Hopefully the projects will be just as nice and all the components will work correctly. Price was very reasonable as well. Update: It's now more than a week since I received this package and I have now more hands-on experience than I had when I wrote the first part of the review. I've gone through the first three projects, and plan to go through a few more soon. I have to say than it's all been a great experience so far. I haven't encountered any defectuous components, and the book is clear enough to follow and go through the projects easily and to learn the basics of the Arduino language. The book is also very nice: while it doesn't teach electronics nor programming in a complete or thorough way, it does help in developing the interest in these areas and provides simple solutions and tips to develop electronics knowledge. It serves as an introduction, so if the user decides he/she wants to continue learning electronics or programming he/she can look for more advanced sources. The wooden base the kit includes was one of the best surprises: I was thinking about getting an acrylic case for my Arduino but after screwing it to the base and attaching the breadboard at its side I've decided it looks very nice like that and will keep it that way. To conclude, I would greatly recommend anyone with no experience but with an interest in the areas of programming and electronics to get this kit, since it represents a very enjoyable introduction to these areas. Also, it can be a great gift to a kid who wants to learn or become an engineer, so I also recommend it to any parent who believes his kid is developing an interest. Learning Arduino is fun and also has educational content, so there is no way to be wrong with this.

This was a very well constructed starter kit, and the price is very reasonable for everything you get. The manuals (and online support materials) reminds me of the 1970’s and the old Radio Shack and Lafayette electronics project kits and Texas Instrument calculator (TI-58C, etc.) manuals that were just so well written that just about anyone could understand them and make you productive very quickly. It is the former electronics kits who got me into my career in electronics and the latter TI calculators who kicked me off into programming devices... along with college, work, etc. I have not seen manuals like this since those early days. If you are experienced, you can skip through a few chapters, but if you are new and wanting to learn, this is a great place to start! You could say they “dumb it down” but electricity is a difficult concept for most and when you are starting out, “dumbing down” can be good. It came “naturally” to me, but there is a lot to learn out there and you need to understand the basics and this, in my opinion, is a great place to start - whether you are interested in Arduino products or just wanting to understand the basics of almost all controllers. While I was thrilled to build a working 2 transistor radio in the 70’s in less than an hour, you will be quickly doing some relatively advanced concepts of control with this Arduino kit. More programming than in the old days, of course... and no AM radio projects. LOL I would recommend it for as young as age 12 to adult. After getting the basics down, Arduino offers more advanced processors and kits to keep your interest. Hope you enjoy it. It doesn’t get much better than this.

This kit by Arduino is aimed at an audience that has little to no electronics or programing knowledge, so it is a nice, easy and practical way to get started. It does a good job of introducing both electronics and programing. The Arduino programming interface is pretty basic, but gets the job done. The programing interface contains the code for each project in this kit, which is a definite plus. It would have been nice if the programing software had come with the kit on a disk, but it is easily available for download. I would also recommend following the getting started instructions from the Arduino web site as it has some picture links to help with the non standard driver installation. For the programmers out there, a simple search will lead you to a Visual Studio add on that gives you the extra features of a full IDE with intellisense support. There is a beta version of a debugger that is also looking pretty good. As already noted by other reviewers, the print in the book is a bit small, and the mounting board seems a bit sketchy. Since the Arduino Uno doesn't come with any kind of base, something is much better than nothing unless you want to solder up a prototyping shield. I put four small rubber feet on the bottom of my Uno before snugging it to the supplied base. Be careful when tightening down the screws as there is nothing between the wood base and the soldered component ends on the bottom of the Uno. Even with the rubber feet I used to keep it off the wood, over tightening will flex the board. Overall, this is a fun and educational kit. It has you up and doing things in very little time while still teaching the basics. In my opinion, the activities are much better than just learning different ways to blink an LED like my other kit. For me, fun projects always make learning go faster. After finishing the projects in this kit, you should have a basic grasp of how things work and have a foundation for moving on in the world of electronics and micro controllers.

The Arduino Beginner's kit is a very good, though a bit pricey, starting solution for those completely new to the Arduino world of programmable boards. Everything is included - electronic components, wires, the Uno, etc., as well as a small breadboard. The 15 projects are relatively easy to do if you have some kind of basic EE background. But this is a good challenging kit for the very young ones - I can see someone getting this for a 10 year old. However, as someone middle aged, this is not too bad for those who have never touched Arduino or Raspberry Pi when they first studied engineering and want to start some kind of Arduino project. My only issues (thus why I gave 4 stars instead of 5): 1. The resistor colors are hard to distinguish with a close eye. It is recommended you have a multimeter at the ready to test each resistor, ensuring you got the correct resistance. The last thing you want is a short circuit. 2. Jumper wires are cheap to replace - that being said, they will break after continued unplugging. 3. Interesting that they have projects involving the use of capacitors for a kit largely marketed for youngsters. Capacitors will blow if you reverse the polarity by accident. Watch and supervise, always. 4. Once you are very familiar with the Arduino's starter kit and do most of the projects, you are going to feel the kit's limitations, especially if you already have a professional engineering background. Of course, buying more Arduino boards and components are just a Google and Amazon search away. For newcomers, this is one of the best starting kits, though you could probably do better with cheaper solutions. However, this is Arduino's official kit. If you're not an Arduino newbie, you may want to look at the costlier Arduino Engineering Kit instead.

I had been debating buying an Arduino kit for a while and I was back and forth about whether or not to spend the $99 on this kit or get one of the third-party kits for half the price. I ultimately decided to get this one because it's the "official" one from Arduino and I figured if there was any problems with it, I would have their tech support / customer service available. The first thing that I noticed with the kit is how well it was packaged and organized; even though it's a beginner's kit, everything had a lot of though put into it. I really liked the balsa wood platform that you attach the Uno and breadboard to, it not only provides a convenient base for everything, but also gives the electronics a little bit more protection in my opinion.All the little extras like the cardboard "panels" and wooden holders for the colored gels are nice as well, especially if you are going to be using this kit to instruct children. I've only worked through about half of the projects so far, but the book is very good at explaining concepts and expanding on previous projects. I have some previous programming experience with C and JavaScript, so picking up on the conventions and syntax used in the programming portion was pretty intuitive for me, but also is explained well enough for someone with little to know programming experience. They also include all the sketches (program code) in the Arduino IDE when you download it, so if you don't want to or aren't that interested in the programming side of things, you can just open the files that are in the book. As far as the physical portion goes, the book included both a pictorial diagram of the Arduino/breadboard and connections, as well as electrical schematics to help you understand how everything is wired and learn how to visualize circuits to help you build them in the future. Overall I think that I made the wise choice in getting this kit over a cheaper version just based on all the little extras and the great organization of the kit and I would recommend this to anyone looking to get started with Arduino and physical computing.

If you're looking to get started with Arduino, this is the kit for you! I did a lot of research on starter kits before deciding to purchase this one. It's one of the pricier kits out there, but it's totally worth it. When the box arrives, the components are organized and packed into clearly labeled boxes. Everything is pretty easy to locate and everything the website mentions is included. Be aware that this kit does not come it a 9v battery which is required in a few of the starter projects. I've already worked through most of the projects in the starter guide and everything worked accordingly. Some reviewers complain that the instructions in the starter guide are unclear and hard to read. The font is pretty small and gray colored, but anyone with decent vision should be able to read it with no problem. As to the clarity of the information itself, the guide is very clear about what goes where on the breadboard and also explains basic concepts of electricity such as Ohms Law. Don't expect to pass the AP Physics electricity and magnetism test based on this guide, but it is sufficient to get you started. I really like that they have the written code at the end of each section with commentary on the logic of each line of code. If you don't feel like typing the code out line by line, the Arduino software comes with code for all the starter projects under file > examples. Overall, this kit is a great way to introduce Arduino to kids 10+ and adults who want to start tinkering with Arduino. Get the official starter kit and you won't regret it!

How could I say anything bad about this! This is the go to kit for starting out. It's amazing the price is so good. Can't beat it.

This kit is awesome. I highly recommend this to anyone that has an interest in electronics and/or programming. While I am a seasoned programmer, I had no electronics experience prior to purchasing this kit. Recently I've found myself yearning to build electronic projects and figured this would be a good place to start given it's a fairly comprehensive starter kit. First, I'll start with the packaging. The packaging on this kit is very sexy, much like an Apple product. The design and style are simple and beautiful, the various items included in the kit are all nicely packaged in their individual boxes, and everything fits together very nicely. The unboxing feels like an experience. I realize some people may not care about the packaging, but if you're considering giving this kit as a gift, it makes a difference and will have an impact. As far as all the components included in the kit, I'm not an expert but it feels like a great starter kit and has a lot of very useful components in it, as well as lots of goodies and extras. There's enough in this kit to tackle a lot of projects and it feels like a solid base to start from. Some people have mentioned that you can purchase all these components cheaper if you source them out individually. I highly doubt the hours one would waste tracking down everything individually would justify the savings. After all this kit is not terribly expensive for what you get. Not to mention, one of the best things in this kit is the book. It's got lots of great projects in it that teach you both electronics and programming in the process. It's well written and easy to understand, even for a novice to electronics such as myself. As a programmer I do have to speak to the programming side of the book which in my opinion could be a bit more detailed for those who do not have experience with programming. That said, it's better than average and I do feel you'll learn to code in the process of going thru these projects. Overall, it feels like a well thought out and thurough course, with each chapter building on the next. In sum, this kit is really fun. I have no hesitation recommending this product. I guarantee you will thoroughly enjoy it, have a lot of fun, and learn some things in the process. This kit would make a fantastic gift for anyone interested in programming and/or electronics, and would also be a great thing for parents/grandparents and their kids to do together.

Sin duda un kit muy cuidado. Es perfecto para iniciarse en el mundo de la electrónica, los microcontroladores e incluso la robótica. Trae muchos materiales y un libro muy bien presentado con unos 15 proyectos interesantes y sencillos. Algunos requieren de una pila de 9V no incluída. Se hecha en falta algo más de Teoría de Circuitos pero cumple con lo que aporta. Muy recomendado!

Arduino Starter Kit is amazing microcontroller for beginners. All the electrical components are included in the packet for projects. I liked the projects and programming environment both. The starter kit gives a good hold to understand execution of electronic projects. Sooner or later intermediate and advanced kits may be available - I will definitely like to buy them. Update on 3rd October 2015: I have placed another order. The 170 page manual is printed on good quality paper - the reading experience was good. I prefer to have a pdf file - I am unable to obtain it online. Could I get a link to download ?

All perfect. Recommended product

I like it very much

Perfect thank you