Recently I noticed that Arduino breadboards have gained momentum on Kickstarter, several campaigns were all doing very well.
I don’t know the exact reason, the circuits are all standard and nothing new, maybe they reduce messy wiring and offer some tutorials, it’s just my guess.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/st … nav_search
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/br … escription
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/je … nav_search
My Alice Mini breadboard comes with a SD card slot , OLED and ESP8266 interfaces, It offers the best performance-to-price ratio. It outperforms other Arduino breadboards for a much lower price.
The STEMtera is selling for $39 now, $45 after Kickstarter campaign.
The Breadbro is selling for $40 after a $20 price reduction. Many backers actually paid $50+
http://www.breadbro.com/development-boa … -pre-order
I want to make it available for $25, but still feel it’s not low enough. I am thinking about offering one with an external FTDI cable for $19.
Is it worth to do it? I would like to have your opinions. I would like to know if you prefer a built-in FTDI cable or with an external FTDI cable to save $6? without the 328P chip to save another $3.
So the pricing is as follows:
1. $25 for the board with a built-in FTDI
2. $19 for the board without the FTDI
3, $16 for the board without the FTDI and without the 328P
Which option do you prefer? Your opinion is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.
For the features of the Alice Mini, please check my web site at http://www.firebirduino.com
For this audience, the best combo would be STM32F103C8T6 board from Baite with an convenient connection to breadboard. The second combo will be – once available – the STM32 connected to a breadboard. Some additional considerations are for
– Power supply for the external devices, such as servos
– Ready made 3 pin connectors to allow direct connection of servos and sensors
– Optional 4 pin connectors for sensors with two signals, such as ultrasonic sensor
– Ready made 4 pin connectors for I2C sensors
– Ready made 5 pin connectros for SPI sensors
The Atmel processors are missing the computing power, the teensy processors are excellent, but pricey.
Cheers, Ollie
I can buy a Bluepill + breadboard and some wires for about $5.
But I am obviously not the target market for this.
I can buy a Bluepill + breadboard and some wires for about $5.
But I am obviously not the target market for this.
I agree that those Arduino breadboard are targeting different markets, beginners and freshmen in a university course. The high price may be justified by software that comes with. That’s the only reason that I can think of, otherwise it’s way too expensive. Is it a new trend in Arduino prototyping for beginners? Time will tell.
It’s impossible to find a textbook or on-line course materials to open a university course for the Bluepill, so the $5 Bluepill has no impact in educational market and cannot compete against those Arduino breadboards.
Wayne
Cheers, Ollie
From what I know, usually authors don’t like to dedicate their books to a particular board unless they have a very strong bond relationship with a board maker. What if the board maker cannot make it, or readers cannot get it, then his book will go down the drain. that’s why we have not seen any author made the Bluepill as the target in his book.
Except for an introductory course, most universities usually use professional IDEs from chip makers, because their goal is to help EE/ECE students get jobs in the industry after graduation, they have to teach students with whatever the industry is using..
The low cost Alice Mini with free shipping is available now at:
http://www.firebirduino.com/alice_mini/index.html
There are not many UNO boards with a built-in breadboard available on the market. If you can find one, it’s usually fairly expensive.
The Alice Mini offers the best performance-to-price ratio, with a few extra parts, any re-seller can make a neat STEM educational kit at low cost.
The UNO Upgrade module is also available to forum members for the first time. We don’t have many in hand, so act quickly if you need one.
