Arduino is a very popular and easy to use programmable board for creating your own projects. Consisting of a simple hardware platform and a free source code editor with an easy “one-click compile/upload” feature, it’s designed to be really easy to use without being an expert programmer.
Arduino is also the most popular microcontroller board and
Microcontroller Kit for advanced users and all kinds of more ambitious projects. It’s been used to make robots, home automation gadgets, automotive projects, for sensing and controlling lights, motors, locks and servos, sound and video, interactive objects like animated sculptures, toys and games, radio links and just about anything else you can dream up. It can even be a web server and connect your projects to the Internet. A huge number of example projects (including both hardware designs and software source code) are available to help beginners get started.
Plug-in expansion boards called “shields”(
arduino shields) add extra functionality, and we also stock a handy range of modules to make it easy for you to incorporate sensors, actuators, sound input and output, and visual feedback into your projects.
The current version of the Arduino hardware reference design is called the “Uno” (or “One” in Italian) and is published by the Arduino team. It provides four basic functional elements:
An Atmel “ATmega328P” AVR microcontroller
A simple 5V power supply
A USB-to-serial converter for loading new programs onto the board
I/O headers for connecting sensors, actuators, expansion boards, etc
The Freetronics “Eleven” is based on the Uno reference design and is 100% compatible with it, but with a number of design updates and improvements:
Prototyping area included so you can add your own parts
Gold-plated PCB for maximum robustness
Connection markings on both top and bottom
D13 LED isolated using a FET to prevent input bias
USB socket replaced with smaller mini-USB socket
LEDs moved to edge of board for easier visibility when another board is stacked on top
Focus on:
Raspberry Pi,
3D printers,
Cheap Arduino Compatible
