What is a good programming kit I can buy?

[jewishdolphins]

I'm new to coding. Only know a bit of python from my high school classes. However, I want to explore my abilities of being able to code by having some sort of kit that will motivate me to learn how to code.

 

Usually, I've been learning how to code by looking up videos and stuff. But the problem is that when I am learning, videos usually baby me too much to the point where I just feel like I am in school trying to learn a concept. I just want to learn coding by actually applying coding to something like: programming robots, making fancy arduino projects, or even messing around with a mindstorm kit. 

 

Anyone have any suggestions of where I should start? I want to program some sort of robot. Particularly a robot that can move or have a crane and pick things up or do other fancy things. The problem is that I have no clue what kits are good or what I should buy. If anyone has anything good that they can recommend me, it would be great. 

 

Thanks.

[straight_stewie]

For what you want to do, there really is no kit. If you really want a prebuilt kit just for starting out, then the arduino starter kit is pretty good. It's got an LCD display, some leds, some potentiometers, switches, resistors, transistors, capacitors, plenty of wires, an electric motor, small bread board, and a beginners book.

In the model or miniature world we call it "kit bashing" or collecting parts of kits and modifying them and adding things to them to build our own kit. 

Before I can help you put together a custom kit, I need to know a few things:

• How much do you want to learn about the electronics side of it?
• What languages do you want to use?
• What are your end goals?
• Are you willing to learn a new language?
• What is your budget?

[jewishdolphins]

21 minutes ago, straight_stewie said:

For what you want to do, there really is no kit. If you really want a prebuilt kit just for starting out, then the arduino starter kit is pretty good. It's got an LCD display, some leds, some potentiometers, switches, resistors, transistors, capacitors, plenty of wires, an electric motor, small bread board, and a beginners book.

In the model or miniature world we call it "kit bashing" or collecting parts of kits and modifying them and adding things to them to build our own kit. 

Before I can help you put together a custom kit, I need to know a few things:

• How much do you want to learn about the electronics side of it?
• What languages do you want to use?
• What are your end goals?
• Are you willing to learn a new language?
• What is your budget?

electronics - not too much but it could be useful. I am doing software engineering but I can see how the electrical component can be important for the assembly. So I don't mind learning about it, but just not my main focus.

languages - im comfortable with python for now. Could learn more in the future but dont have a grasp of anything else yet. but ik ill have to learn more later on

goals - find a kit that will encourage me to learn about coding on my spare time. don't really find it motivating to just sit and begin writing useless code without any end result (i.e. programming light patterns on an LED)

new language - maybe. depends on the difficulty. but if i can find a kit that will help me exercise the language in a fun manner than sure i can

budget - max maybe around 200 bucks. I have money but its not ideal to spend a crap ton of it towards kits. so around 200 max would be fine for me.

[straight_stewie]

4 minutes ago, jewishdolphins said:

electronics - not too much but it could be useful. I am doing software engineering but I can see how the electrical component can be important for the assembly. So I don't mind learning about it, but just not my main focus.

languages - im comfortable with python for now. Could learn more in the future but dont have a grasp of anything else yet. but ik ill have to learn more later on

goals - find a kit that will encourage me to learn about coding on my spare time. don't really find it motivating to just sit and begin writing useless code without any end result (i.e. programming light patterns on an LED)

new language - maybe. depends on the difficulty. but if i can find a kit that will help me exercise the language in a fun manner than sure i can

budget - max maybe around 200 bucks. I have money but its not ideal to spend a crap ton of it towards kits. so around 200 max would be fine for me.

Well, these small kit things you are after are microcontrollers and the only thing they can really do is be a logic component in larger circuits that you design, so you're going to have to learn some electronics stuff to do things the way that you want to do them.

If you want a machine that accepts python your options are to lookup micropython controllers, or to get a raspberry pi and install linux and python on it. Really, the only language that runs on Arduino is Arduino C++.

Since you seem to be set on keeping with python, I would recommend a raspberry pi of your choice, running linux, python, and rpi.GPIO. This of course, will require you to learn some basic linux commands.

Your only other option that sticks with python is "micropython controllers", which aren't actually running python, but something similar.

[Mira Yurizaki]

You could also try microncontroller demo/dev boards. ST has the Discovery Line which comes with a microcontroller, I/O pins, an LED or two, and some other features. I'm also certain NXP and Atmel have similar products. You can usually find them for the same cost of the other programming kits.

 

I'd highly suggest sticking with a Cortex M product since most of the microcontroller industry seems to be heading that way.

[riklaunim]

4 hours ago, jewishdolphins said:

I'm new to coding. Only know a bit of python from my high school classes. However, I want to explore my abilities of being able to code by having some sort of kit that will motivate me to learn how to code.

Then you can use MicroPython boards and write code in Python (although not the desktop Python) - like pyboard, micro:bit and few more. There is also Python based Zerynth platform - but that I didn't tested yet. Those boards with some additional electronics and stuff allow you to make and control robots, but aren't full ready to go sets (but a good shop can help with a full starter list). Raspberry Pi electronics is also scripted with Python, but that's a single board computer.

[Huntsman]

If you're just starting, get an Arduino Uno first. Then based on random ideas like flashing LEDs or motor speed controlling or LCD, get the parts when you need them. I see all those "starter kits" which are just a collection of normal parts but with jacked up pricing.

 

The key here is to draw up a roadmap for yourself regarding what to learn, from what you have now till your end goal. Get your collection of parts along the way and you'll fare better than just following some tutorial and build an impressive robot right off the bat.

[mariushm]

I'd go with a Pickit 3 , the programmer for PIC microcontrollers. 

 

Programmer standalone : http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/microchip-technology/PG164130/PG164130-ND/2171224

Programmer with a prototyping board with a chip and some leds and buttons, ready to be programmed and messed with :  http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/microchip-technology/DV164131/DV164131-ND/2002492

 

It can pretty much program any of their microcontrollers from 30 cent chips to 5-10$ chips. You have freeware MPLAB X where you write programs in C and there's huge amount of tutorials and example code and stuff which can help you start from basic things like making a led blink

There's also some manuals on the Microchip website, and the PDF that normally comes with the more expansive package above is also free, so you can see the source code and play with.

 

Microchip also owns the Atmel microcontrollers these days, the ones used in Arduino. You can find cheap Arduino clones on ebay but I'm not sure you're really going to learn as much with Arduino. You'd basically write "sketches" which is basically some simplified C code that the IDE then converts to real code and compiles into microcontroller code, so it hides things from you.

You would learn more by writing C code for Microchip microcontrollers directly in the MPLAB X ide and you'll get more satisfaction as well.

[KE2012]

On 28/10/2016 at 8:52 AM, mariushm said:

I'd go with a Pickit 3 , the programmer for PIC microcontrollers. 

 

Programmer standalone : http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/microchip-technology/PG164130/PG164130-ND/2171224

Programmer with a prototyping board with a chip and some leds and buttons, ready to be programmed and messed with :  http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/microchip-technology/DV164131/DV164131-ND/2002492

 

It can pretty much program any of their microcontrollers from 30 cent chips to 5-10$ chips. You have freeware MPLAB X where you write programs in C and there's huge amount of tutorials and example code and stuff which can help you start from basic things like making a led blink

There's also some manuals on the Microchip website, and the PDF that normally comes with the more expansive package above is also free, so you can see the source code and play with.

 

Microchip also owns the Atmel microcontrollers these days, the ones used in Arduino. You can find cheap Arduino clones on ebay but I'm not sure you're really going to learn as much with Arduino. You'd basically write "sketches" which is basically some simplified C code that the IDE then converts to real code and compiles into microcontroller code, so it hides things from you.

You would learn more by writing C code for Microchip microcontrollers directly in the MPLAB X ide and you'll get more satisfaction as well.

 

 

 

Hell yeah! Pic for the win! That little kit got me my Electronics degree.