⚖️ Which board for you?
- Your first board doesn't really matter, it is cheap, teaches you the basics, and you figure out what specifically interests you
- If you don't know, then just get an Arduino starter kit with good documentation and code, aka the ones from KeyeStudio or Elegoo.
💸 Price Point Examples
- $25 – Arduino Uno R3 clone + sensor kit from AliExpress: Good enough to get started but you wait 3 weeks
- $50 – Arduino Uno R3 clone or ESP32S3 + sensor kit + multimeter from Amazon: Start in 2 days
- $100 – Same as $50, soldering kit, accessories, then get stuff from AliExpress you don't mind waiting for
🚀 Starter Kits
🧠 Individual Boards
📡 Sensor Modules & Kits
- AliExpress – $14 – 45 sensor modules for $14, hard to beat the price, but no instructions or code to go with it
- AliExpress – $16 – Cheap sensor kit with good variety, great to pair with an Arduino or ESP32 board, little instructions
- Amazon – $21 – 37 sensors for $21 from a pretty decent company HiLetgo, little instructions
- Amazon – $24 – THE BEST SENSOR KIT - 37 modules for $24 but TONS OF DOCUMENTATION! And code!!!
- Amazon – $35 – Official Arduino sensor kit, about 10 sensors on a board, you just plug in an it works. Only get if you have no desire to learn to wire or solder (aka core electronics skills). Might be perfect for a child though, seriously.
- Amazon – $36 – Decent 37 in 1 sensor kit from the company I hate Elegoo, still recommend it though. Decent instructions and code provided.
- Amazon – $50 – 48 modules by KeyeStudio, still great documentation and code, but I doubt you will use them all, check out their kit of 37 modules
- AliExpress – $8 – 45 modules for $8, not too good to be true, but you get what you pay for. Probably 30% don't work or break soon and 20% use really old firmware, still worth buying to really learn how to learn how to do electronics.
🧰 Tools
- AliExpress – $3 – Search AliExpress for 'Aneng Multimeter' and get the standard looking BOX ones for $3-5, NOT A PEN SHAPE
- AliExpress – $6 – Aliexpress based Aneng Multimeter
- Amazon – $10 – Amazon based Aneng Multimeter
- Amazon – $10 – One of my daily driver multimeters, by Plusivo
- Amazon – $13 – My personal favorite multimeter, by AstroAI, the one I usually grab when I have multiple in reach
- Amazon – $30 – My favorite clamp style multimeter by Aneng to read AC and DC current, you probably don't need one to start
- Amazon – $12 – My favorite cheap 80W soldering iron with digital temperature control, stand, sponge, and some solder
- Amazon – $19 – Soldering starer kit, 60W and dial temperature gauge but lots of great stuff like tweezers, solder sucker, solder, good holder. I bought to keep in my car but each thing in the kit ended up on my workbench eventually
- Amazon – $43 – The 'I always buy more than I need as a beginner' soldering kit. You don't need this, but some nerds love them
- Amazon – $9 – Rosin Solder Flux Paste
🧩 Accessories
- Amazon – $8 – 6 pack of wire cutters
- Amazon – $14 – Multimeter cables with alligator clips, mini hooks, and more
- Amazon – $7 – Heat shrink tube kit (900 pieces 1/24" to 1/2")
- Amazon – $7 – Jumper wires (40 male to male, 40 male to female, 40 female to female). I hate Elegoo but jumper wires are generic
- Amazon – $6 – Alligator clips (ALL ALLIGATOR CLIPS BREAK QUICKLY, so buy them cheap and lots of em)
- Amazon – $10 – Breadboard, LEDs, resistors, capacitors, buttons, and some other basic components. Goes great with a board and sensor kit. Included in most starter kits. Again, I hate Elegoo but this is a good price
- Amazon – $8 – (not for me, maybe for you) Precut and bent jumper wires for breadboards
- AliExpress – $3 – Silicone soldering mat
- Amazon – $14 – Wire Strippers
- Amazon – $9 – Helping hands wire holder and magnifying glass (get from Harbor Freight for $5, or AliExpress for $4)
⚠️ Avoid These
