The MKR IoT Bundle is perhaps the easiest way to dive into the world of Arduino programming. The kit provides a detailed guide on using the MKR1000 board. Five online experiment tutorials help you understand the essence of how technology can be implemented before you start developing your own creations.
The company’s website explicitly recommends not connecting 9V to the board to avoid damaging it. Instead, use the 9V battery strip to supply power to an external component. While the complete set costs $ 70 on the official website, all components can be purchased separately for $ 85. The availability of replacement components is good news, as newcomers can easily damage some of them if not follow directions closely. That is absolutely natural, since experiments always involve a certain degree of risk. While cheaper Arduino alternatives from no-name brands are tempting, they likely won’t deliver as consistent quality.
Also, Arduino has excellent customer support that will always be happy to answer any of your questions. The package consists of:
- Arduino MKR1000 board with soldered head
- Micro USB cable
- 1 board of 400 points
- 70 solid core jumper cables
- 9V battery clip
- Stranded jumper wire
- Six phototransistors,
- Three potentiometers (10 kilohms)
- 10 buttons
- Temperature sensor (TMP36)
- Tilt sensor
- Alphanumeric LCD (16 x 2 characters)
- 34 LEDs (six bright white, one RGB, red, green, yellow, three blue)
- Small DC motor (6 / 9V)
- Small servo motor
- Piezoelectric Capsule (PKM17EPP-4001-B0)
- H-Bridge Motor Driver (L293D)
- Optocoupler (4NE5)
- Two MOSFET transistors (IRF520)
- Capacitors of five (100uF)
- Five diodes (1N4007)
- Three clear gels (R, G, B)
- Male Pin Strip (40 x 1)
- 20 resistors (220 ohms)
- Five resistors (560 ohms)
- Five resistors (1 kilohm)
- Five resistors (4.7 kilohms)
- 20 resistors (10 kilohms)
- Five resistors (1 megohm)
- Five resistors (10 megohms)
Now that you know what’s in the package, let’s take a closer look at how it can be used. The first experiment that Arduino offers is called “Love You Pillow” and it is truly romantic. Following the tutorial, you can create an LED pillow with controlled audio through a Telegram bot or another chosen chat. Simply put, you can send any emoji remotely, and a buzz will tell the pillow owner about your message.
Another possible project with the Arduino MKR IoT package is “Puzzle Box”. It suggests that you create a custom lock for your storage box that can be opened by turning the knobs in the correct order. The combination can be configured through the Blynk online application. When the correct order is guessed, your puzzle box will play a song and automatically open the lid. The company advises that candy should be put in place of real valuables. However, we are confident that with some practice you will be able to create a reliable enough lock.
Have you ever heard of Pavlov’s dog? The third experiment is called “Pavlov’s Cat” and you will soon understand why. You should train your cat to recognize dinner time using only components from the MKR IoT package and regular cardboard. No animal was injured during the development of the experiment. Of course, cats are independent creatures and no one can guarantee that the project will be successful, but you get the idea. Every time the sensors detect the presence of a cat in the cardboard, a certain melody plays and your pet receives food. Sometimes another melody will be played, although the food will not be distributed. You can control the speed of food dispensing over the phone and monitor the progression of the cat’s behavior. After a while,
“The Nerd” is a wireless electronic pet, a Tamagotchi if you like, and the fourth project possible with this pack. Survive by collecting WiFi SSIDs. You need to balance your router’s online and offline modes with the hours of the day to ensure the Nerd’s healthy eating and sleeping routine. Sounds complicated? Is that how it works. The Nerd scans the available networks every half hour. When a new network is detected, the virtual pet stores it and goes to sleep in low power mode. If nothing is detected, the Nerd will make loud sounds until you feed it. When not fed for two days, the Nerd dies with a dramatic noise.
Finally, the last experiment is the “Plant Communicator”. With the help of sensors connected to your plants, you can monitor the level of humidity, temperature and light. Daily emails, charts and notifications ensure that you meet all your needs.
Pros
- Great value for the price
- Perfect for beginners, with detailed tutorials.
- Fun experiments available online for free
- Helpful support
Cons
- Relatively expensive compared to non-Arduino alternatives
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