Cytron Maker UNO Microcontroller

The Minus: It is ONLY powered through the USB connector. My concern is the integrity of the socket over long term use. Get this for learning and development (see pluses), try the Maker Nano for permanent installation in projects. The Pluses: The pins are clearly identified on the PCB; many are identified on -both sides- of the headers. The integrated buzzer has a switch to turn it off as stated for compatibility. This also keeps you from throwing the unit across the room when bad code hits it. The LEDs are a nice touch – could be a minus if you need something “stealth”. It comes with a sticker pack to label the headers – even more clearly to reduce parallax reading errors The datasheet lists Purple as a feature, I’ll give 'em that since even the components: ATMega328P, USB UART, 3.3V regulator, and the 16MHz crystal are clearly labelled on the PCB

We needed 4 arduinos for our project, so I bought one of these to try, figuring it may not work. But it worked first time - no need for extra drivers. I love the built-in LEDs also. Makes it very easy for on-board testing.

Great price. I have not had a chance to fully test it, but just plugging in it the surface mounted LEDs lit up and flashed and the little buzzer played a Mario Bros tune. Super exciting for me and the kids. The only think to keep in mind is that it is powered by a micro USB which is fine if you are planning on keeping it connected to a computer or yo have one of those portable phone re-chargers.

A great low-cost UNO alternative - super handy to have the lights and a buzzer for throwing quick prototypes together. A note that this does NOT use the FTDI USB chip (which is why it's so much cheaper) so you'll need to install the CH340 driver. Feels a tad sketchy but it's a very common alternative chipset. Then the board works with the Arduino IDE like any other!