Photos: 15 great Arduino kits for the DIY geek to build

2. Getting started with Arduino Kit

This kit from Maker Shed includes everything you need to get started building a light-sensitive Arduino kit. It costs $79.95 and includes a bunch of components that, with the exception of the battery pack, don't require any soldering.

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Image: Maker Shed

3. Adafruit MetroX Classic Kit - Experimentation Kit for Metro 328

Adafruit's MetroX Classic Kit is a great way to get started with microcontrollers. There are more than 20 circuits to play with, and it starts at $84.95--although discounts are available if purchased in bulk.

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Image: Adafruit

4. Vilros Arduino Uno Rev 3 Ultimate Starter Kit

Including a 72-page manual and almost 200 components, the Vilros kit is a good deal for the money at $44.99. They also have a more expensive option at $59.99 that comes with an LCD.

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Image: Vilros

5. DFRobot Beginner Kit for Arduino

The kit from DFRobot is compatible with Arduino Uno, and it can help you get started with LED projects and more. It costs $52.90.

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Image: DFRobot

6. SparkFun Inventor's Kit V3.2

Priced at $99.95, the SparkFun Inventor's Kit has more options than most with 16 unique circuits to explore. The kit doesn't require any soldering, and it comes with a full-color guidebook.

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Image: SparkFun

7. SainSmart UNO R3+5V Servo motor Starter Kit

The SainSmart UNO R3+5V Servo motor Starter Kit is another good deal at $55.99. It includes a Servo moto, a shield, a development board, and detailed tutorials.

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Image: SainSmart

8. Sunfounder Super Kit with Uno R3 for Arduino

For $45.99, you can get the Sunfounder Super Kit with Uno R3 for Arduino with 22 lessons. This kit also comes with a tutorial book and DVD.

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Image: Sunfounder

9. Arduino Mega Kit

The Arduino Mega Kit from oddWires comes with a bunch of basic components and leaves all the building and project planning up to you. If this kit sparks your interest, you can find tutorials meant to fit with oddWires' arduino kits on its website. The Mega Kit is priced at $57.95.

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Image: oddWires

10. Beginner Kit for Cytron Uno

This tiny little kit comes neatly packaged in its own box and contains the components necessary to build an arduino capable of detecting light and temperature, taking digital and analog input, and more.

Even better, Cytron offers its lesson and project book for the kit free on Google Drive. The kit itself costs $26.25, and bulk-purchase discounts are available.

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Image: Cytron

11. Elegoo UNO R3 Complete Starter Kit

Just look at the sheer amount of components you get in this Elegoo UNO R3 kit: there are over 200 of them. Pre-soldered, ready for 63 different projects, and priced at $69.99, this kit is one of the more expensive in this gallery, but it can't be beat for versatility.

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Image: Elegoo

12. DIY Gamer Kit

Sure, getting an Arduino kit is great, but what if you want to learn a more narrowly-focused set of skills? This DIY Gamer Kit is perfect for those who want to learn about game hardware and how to develop their own games. 

The $69.95 kit comes with everything needed to build a GameBoy-like handset and develop games for it.

Image: MoMA

13. DuinoKit Jr. Arduino Based Prototyping Kit

This kit is built for kids (or children-at-heart) and is less based around building an Arduino from the ground up and more about learning how to manipulate and innovate with electronics. 

The kit comes with a series of 20 "missions" designed to teach about electronics and programming. By the end of it, the website said, "the user will be able to creatively connect components to prototype their own electronic device." 

The DuinoKit Jr. costs $142.95.

Image: Home Science Tools

14. Grove - Starter Kit for Arduino

If your interest in learning about Arduino mainly stems from all the possible sensors it can use, then the Grove Starter Kit for Arduino is a great choice. 

This $49.90 kit comes with sensors for sound, touch, angle, light, and more. It's a great and affordable option for those that want to build a machine that interacts with the physical world.

Image: Seeed Technology Co.

15. Makeblock mBot Robot Kit

Kids that want to learn about Arduino might get bored by some of the more basic kits, but there are other options, like the Makeblock mBot Robot Kit. 

This nifty kit comes with everything needed to build and program a three-wheeled robot with a variety of sensors. It can be programmed or used right out of the box, so a child more interested in hardware won't be stuck coding if they don't want to. The kit costs $104.99.

Image: Makeblock