[chbot] Arduino boards

[Tim Carr]

Hi King (and all), first up full disclosure - I'm Tim from MindKits and I've
been watching the thread run and am very happy to see the awareness for
local suppliers.

Although I'm a little biased it's worth pointing out that the creators of
the Arduino request that anything built as a clone/copy is labeled other
than Arduino. The reason being that when buying an Arduino you know the
parts and source can be depended upon. The Arduinos also come from Italy
which leads me to believe you're looking at a copy and it's worth weighing
up what to do with a faulty board if it breaks or doesn't work and the
quality of the components used.

My humble opinion is that if you're going for a knock off you may as well go
for a clone from a reputable source with support for when something breaks
or goes wrong. Many of these clones have the same key functionality but with
extras added on (eg we sell one with a prototyping area on board called the
TwentyTen ).

Another example is this board (please excuse the plug but I feel it is
fitting):
http://mindkits.co.nz/_product_36241/Seeeduino_V328_fully_Assembled

You'll note it's also cheaper than the Arduino copy/clone from China, comes
with a warranty and someone to call if it all goes pear shaped. The extra
features are listed on the MindKits page so I won't force you to read any
more from me.

Regards and a huge, genuine thanks to everyone who is keeping hobby
tinkering alive in NZ,
Tim
MindKits Chief Ninja


On Mon, Jul 12, 2010 at 9:19 PM, King Au <kingau1999 at gmail.com> wrote:

> J Harris wrote:
> > Hey King
> >
> > Try http://www.mindkits.co.nz (highly recommended) or
> > http://nicegear.co.nz (I haven't used these guys but they seem to be
> > good)
> >
> > Thanks
> >
> >
> > Joshua Harris
> >
> >
> > On Sun, Jul 11, 2010 at 10:05 PM, King Au <kingau1999 at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >> Hi,
> >>
> >> I'm going to order some Arduino boards from China. Apparently they are
> >> much cheaper in China than buying it here so let me know if you want
> >> some as well.
> >>
> >> One of the boards I'm getting is the Arduino Duemilanove 2009,  for
> >> which people are selling for $72 in Trade me, but it's only $45 if I get
> >> some from China. It has a ATmega328 processor and the USB cable is
> included.
> >>
> >>
> >> If you can't see the image, try this link:
> >>
> http://eshopen.com/wp-content/uploads/wpsc/product_images/Arduino%20Duemilanove%20w%20Atmega328.jpg
> >>
> >> It also comes with a combo such that an Arduino board + USB cable +
> >> power adapter + ISP (In chip System Programming) board for $60
> >>
> >>
> >> The second one is the Arduino Mega 1280 board:
> >>
> >>
> >> If you can't see the image, try this link:
> >> http://carancho.com/AeroQuad/store/images/arduino_mega_iso2_800.jpg
> >>
> >>
> >> I personally think it's a very good deal so if you want some for your
> >> projects, let me know asap. And if you are new to microcontrollers and
> >> want to start a project, these boards are ideal. Because the boards are
> >> standard and fully supported in the open source community. Free source
> >> code and example available at:
> >>
> >> http://www.arduino.cc/
> >>
> >> Look here for fun projects you can do with arduino boards :
> >>
> >>
> http://zedomax.com/blog/2010/02/16/top-10-diy-arduino-projects-and-how-to-tutorials/
> >>
> >> Cheers,
> >> King Au
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
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> >>
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> >
> Yes, I know there are available in NZ, but I can still get them cheaper
>  From China.
>
> For example , the Arduino Duemilanove  is $45 in China, but $59 in
> nicegear.
>
> Plus I'm getting a whole lots of other things from China as well, the
> saving can add up.
>
> King
>
>
> <http://nicegear.co.nz/electronics-gear/arduino-duemilanove/>
>
> _______________________________________________
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>



-- 
Regards,
Tim
MindKits Chief Ninja
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