Which Arduino Should You Go For?
The selection of boards can be done based on design, investment and support. The performance of the board depends on the customisation that is being done by the programmer and architect of project. eCommerce giants like eBay, amazon etc. offer a lot of compatible models on their sites.
Experts recommend Arduino Uno, Arduino Mega or Arduino Mini for starters and all the specifications are listed out on the Arduino’s site online. The developer can also access an array of information that supports their project.
ARDUINO UNO
There are two variants to this version of Arduino; the normal version and the surface mount device (SMD) version. The normal version has the integrated chip held by a holder, while the SMD version has an Atmega328 controller soldered onto the board. The advantage here is that any damages to in the normal version can be rectified with just a replacement of the chip whereas the whole board has to be replaced in the SMD Arduino.
ARDUINO MINI
The boards of Arduino Mini are smaller in size with about a length of three centimetres and costs cheaper. The Arduino Mini is packed with functionalities similar to that in an Arduino UNO, but comes in a smaller size and is cheaper than the UNO. This is best suited for small robots and even smaller products. The only problem here is that the integrated chip is mounted onto the board and like an SMD board, the whole board has to be replaced in such a case.
ARDUINO MEGA
The mega boards from Arduino can accommodate projects that require more than 20 GPIO pins. It can accommodate a lot of wiring. A simple addition of IC74595 helps increase the number of pins on an Arduino Uno but buying an Arduino Mega would be the best option. The Arduino mega adds 2 more pins to existing 2 pairs of Tx and Rx pins than its other variants.
ARDUINO LILYPAD
The Arduino Variant would be applied to more creative projects due to its sleek design. The peculiarity of this Arduino is that the wires are replaced by conductive threads and can be easily stitched into clothing and fabric. Projects for special purposes and smart clothing can be designed with a Lilypad board. Look forward to some creative projects with this board.
To summarize, an Uno or Mini can be chosen for small and simple Arduino projects depending upon your size and cost limits. Or if you have a need for greater number of pins or serial communication devices to be processed with the same controller you can go for the Arduino Mega. And for a beginner, the Arduino Uno is the most recommended board to get started. Packing about 8MHZ CPU Clock speed it houses ATmega328 or a ATmega32u4 processor.
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