Is there interest in an arduino-based project board?

[Samuel Tebbs]

I am posting here to ask if there's any potential interest in an arduino uno based project board? The board itself would have an arduino built-in, hooked up to several sensors and input and output devices. There would also be a software library written to be used specifically with the pin configuration of the board.

 

[Gryd3]

Arduino as-is is very easy to work with.
I would much rather buy a few individual parts than a project board.
That said, it would not hurt to use something like this in a classroom environment.

 

[ADRT]

I've gotta agree with Gryd3. It's already marketed in kits. You could try to market it as a beginners trainer for young kids though. Make it possible to remove the arduino and use it anyway you want when you are done with the trainer. I was given a electronics project board when I was about 12 and I absolutely loved it. It's what got me interested in electronics to begin with. But when the projects where all done there really wasn't anything else to do with it. Pretty sure it ended up in the trash.

 

[Samuel Tebbs]

Thanks for the feedback! I would like to point out that schools and wider education would be a main target audience for the board, in order to hopefully encourage the education of electronics and computer science within schools.

Here is an up to date list of the considered components:

• Temperature sensor
• Light sensor
• Infrared sensor
• LCD screen
• Switches
• Buttons
• External breadboard
• LEDs

 

[Gryd3]

Thanks for the feedback! I would like to point out that schools and wider education would be a main target audience for the board, in order to hopefully encourage the education of electronics and computer science within schools.

Here is an up to date list of the considered components:

• Temperature sensor
• Light sensor
• Infrared sensor
• LCD screen
• Switches
• Buttons
• External breadboard
• LEDs

Sounds good to me.
Have you thought about the following:
USB-B as a more physically robust USB socket for programming and light-duty power.
External power input.
On board voltage regulation with over-current protection.
Socketed IC, as many students may very well source or sink too much current when trying to connect additional hardware. Being able to drop in a new AVR would be ideal without having to resolder the board.
Perhaps ditching the Infrared sensor, and allow students to manually add this later. (Ir detector requires some kind of source, and many students working on similar IR projects will interfere with each other)
Male or Female Pin header to allow students to either plug the device directly onto a conventional breadboard to allow for solderless prototyping, or the use of jumper wires to a conventional breadboard. (Breadboard can be separate, or a small breadboard embedded on the development board. I would avoid integrated perfboard to allow kits to be re-used.)

 

[Samuel Tebbs]

Sounds good to me.
Have you thought about the following:
USB-B as a more physically robust USB socket for programming and light-duty power.
External power input.
On board voltage regulation with over-current protection.
Socketed IC, as many students may very well source or sink too much current when trying to connect additional hardware. Being able to drop in a new AVR would be ideal without having to resolder the board.
Perhaps ditching the Infrared sensor, and allow students to manually add this later. (Ir detector requires some kind of source, and many students working on similar IR projects will interfere with each other)
Male or Female Pin header to allow students to either plug the device directly onto a conventional breadboard to allow for solderless prototyping, or the use of jumper wires to a conventional breadboard. (Breadboard can be separate, or a small breadboard embedded on the development board. I would avoid integrated perfboard to allow kits to be re-used.)

Thank you for the feedback, we will definitely include the safety features you mentioned!