Where to Find Electronics
(Spring 2023)
After a rough couple years, it’s now a lot easier to find programmable electronics for my books and classes! Here’s where to look for the best deals on kits and individual parts. I will try to keep this page updated.
Adafruit Circuit Playground Express
I use the Adafruit Circuit Playground Express (CPX) microcontroller board in many of my projects. It is simple to work with, can run two motors, and is easy to attach and remove by adding a Velcro dot on the back.
Adafruit’s BOTS book parts bundle is your best buy for the CPX and other electronics you need for the book and classes, but it has been frequently out of stock. To grab it when it is available, sign up for an email from Adafruit.
The next best buy is the CPX Base Kit. It includes a data USB micro B cable and a 3X AAA battery pack with JST plug.
However, it is worth getting the Circuit Playground Express board by itself if that is all you can find. (More on finding the additional parts further down.)
BBC micro:bit
The BBC micro:bit V2 board (they refer to it as a “mini-computer rather than just a microcontroller) is interchangable with the Adafruit Circuit Playground Express in most cases. The version 2 board includes a speaker and sound sensor (which version 1 does not have), as well as letting you put the board into sleep mode using the reset button. (The micro:bit Go Bundle’s battery pack doesn’t have an on-off switch.) The new version also has a data logging feature that lets you store data on the board for later analysis.
Unlike the CPX, you can really only run one servo motor off the micro:bit without adding a second battery pack. But on the plus side, the micro:bit has been around longer than the CPX and is widely used around the world, so there are a ton of learning and teaching resources.
The Making Simple Robots Starter Pack from Makershed includes a micro:bit V2 as well as all the electronics (minus AAA batteries) you need for my book Making Simple Robots 2nd Edition.
Other places to find just the micro:bit (with or without the Go Bundle kit including the USB cable, battery pack, and 2 AAA batteries) include:
Other Electronics You Need
I have shopping lists to help you find the electronics you need for specific classes or projects. Here are some of them:
Disclosure: I may earn a commission if you shop using one of my Amazon links, at no extra cost to you. Thank you!