Base Arduino Kit

We are using an Elegoo Uno board, an off-brand version of the open-source Arudino Uno microcontroller. For the purposes of this class, you can order the kit which for a reasonable price, includes a bunch of other stuff that will help us in our tutorials and hands-on experimentation before you develop your own project.

The kit is ~$45 at the time of writing, but prices may vary.

Amazon
Elegoo
NewEgg

With the kit is a CD with a bunch of code to get you started. If you cannot read optical media, no worries, as it can also be found on the Elegoo website.

Electronics Vendors and Stores

There are many vendors that are both great places to purchase sensors and electronics equipment, as well as places to gain insights on how these tools work and how to implement them. Here is a list of a few places you should check out:

Adafruit
Although the selection is a little smaller, it makes up for it with many hands-on tutorials, with many including videos to help. They’re NYC based, which means online orders have quick deliveries, including an option for same-day deliveries (for a fee) to many neighborhoods in the city (but not the Columbia bubble).

Sparkfun
The mother of them all. When Radio Shack went out of business, I wasn’t terribly sad because Sparkfun had everything I needed. They probably have the largest selection of hobbyist gizmos and gadgets and a great place to learn what is possible just by perusing the selection. There are some tutorials, but each sensor has a lot of technical documentation. Even if you’re not ordering, it’s worth visiting the site as a resource. Items ship from Colorado.

Tinkersphere
There are benefits to brick and mortar. A literal nerd playground with everything you could possibly want. If you’re in a pinch or just want to browse what’s possible, I highly recommend a stop at this store at 152 Allen St, New York. The store is now online, but NYC based.

Arduino
The original project site has a bunch of documentation and a store featuring official products, including some very advanced ones and IOT-specific boards.