19 Nov 2011

Components and Tools that you might need

I listed some if not all necessary components and tools that I will be using in my projects. They are more or less to Arduino projects anyway. I spent less than 40 pounds on all these tools and parts from Ebay, which is not too bad.




Components



Assembled Arduino board
USB Cable. Standard A-B cable is required. Any length is OK.

Proto shield kit



Tiny breadboard
9V DC switch-mode power supply with 2.1mm barrel plug
9V battery case with 2.1mmm barrel plug

Red 5mm LED
Green ultra-bright LED

Red ultra-bright LED

Blue ultra-bright LED

  1K Potentiometer (Marked 102)
1/2W


4 leg switch

100 ohm resistor, 5% 1/4 W
Brown Black Brown Gold


1.0 Kohm resistor, 5% 1/4 W
Brown Black Red Gold

10 Kohm resistor, 5% 1/4 W
Brown Black Orange Gold

CdS Photocell

  12-18" of 22 gauge solid-core wire
in differing colors.



Tools
Tools are not included in the starter pack, but you probably have a few of these tools kicking around the house. Ask a friend if you can borrow them?
Multimeter/Oscilloscope A meter is helpful to check voltages and continuity.
Flush/diagonal cutters. Great for cutting component leads and wires.
Wire strippers very handy for making wire jumpers!
If you need to get any soldering done, you may also want....
Soldering iron. One with temperature control and a stand is best. A conical or small 'screwdriver' tip is good, almost all irons come with one of these.
A low quality (ahem, $10 model from radioshack) iron may cause more problems than its worth!
Do not use a "ColdHeat" soldering iron, they are not suitable for delicate electronics work and can damage the kit 
Solder. Rosin core, 60/40. Good solder is a good thing. Bad solder leads to bridging and cold solder joints which can be tough to find. Dont buy a tiny amount, you'll run out when you least expect it. A quarter pound spool is a good amount.