👍 Recommendation This is a solid buy recommendation, This is a perfect starter kit for getting into electronics, and learning how to programme. 👍 Recommendation Arduino Plug and Make kit Initial impressions Modulino Arduino Uno R4 WiFi Whats in the box? Writing Code Over-the-air updates come as standard Example projects Value for Money Conclusion Review Score Arduino Plug and Make kit The Arduino Plug and Make Kit is a new Starter Kit for beginners. It contains an Arduino Uno R4 and 7 electronics modules called Modulinos. It’s priced at €95.20 and contains everything you need to start building fun projects. Initial impressions My initial impressionare are that this is a premium experience - it has nice packaging and is well presented. The unboxing experience is delightful; after removing the sleeve the box opens into two halves. One half contains all the electronics, the other half has the PCB board that the modules and Arduino attach to. Modulino The kit comes with 7 Modulino modules — these are little circuits that contain sensors, controls, or outputs. Each has 2 Qwiic connectors so that they can be daisy-chained together. They communicate over I2C and use the popular Stemma QT/Qwiic connectors. The seven modules included are: Modulino Knob - a rotary encoder control with a push button, too Modulino Pixels - an RGB LED Strip with 8 pixels Modulino Distance - a precise distance sensor that uses a time-of-flight laser Modulino Movement - an inertial measurement unit for accurately measuring the tilt, roll, and yaw Modulino Buzzer - a small but loud buzzer for playing sounds and musical tunes Modulino Thermo - a temperature and humidity sensor Modulino Buttons - a circuit that has three buttons Arduino Uno R4 WiFi This is the latest incarnation of the original Arduino Uno microcontroller. It has built-in WiFi and an impressive array of LEDs to display scrolling text or simple animations. Whats in the box? The box contains: Arduino UNO R4 WiFi: The microcontrol board that powers the kit 7 Modulino nodes: Sensors and actuators for different projects The Modulino Base: For housing the modules USB-C cable with USB-A adapter: To provide power and upload code to your Arduino Qwiic cables: For connecting the Modulino nodes and the Arduino board Spacers, screws, and nuts: To secure everything in place for a permanent installation Writing Code The kit is designed to be used with the Arduino IDE and C++ programming language. The programming experience is further enhanced by using the Arduino Cloud, a cloud-based service that enables your creation to present the data and controls via an elegant dashboard interface that can be controlled from anywhere in the world. Over-the-air updates come as standard You can update your projects using the Over-the-air (OTA) feature without plugging in a USB cable to update the code. OTA is a method of updating the code on your microcontroller using Wi-Fi and a cloud service that can push a new version to the device, which will install it and restart it. Register the device with Arduino Cloud, and the OTA boot code will be added to your projects. Your device can receive OTA updates as long as the WiFi connection is available and the WiFi password remains the same. Example projects The kit comes with a comprehensive guide that includes 10 example projects. These projects are designed to help you get started with the kit and learn how to use the Modulinos and Arduino Uno R4 WiFi, these include: Weather Report - Never get caught in the rain again, with a visual reminder to take an umbrella when needed Hourglass - Who needs an egg timer? Customize your own digital hourglass Eco Watch - Make sure your plants thrive in the perfect temperature and humidity Game Controller - Level up with your very own HID (Human Interface Device) gamepad Sonic Synth - Get one step closer to being a rockstar, DJ or sound engineer! Smart Lights - Set the mood with your very own smart lamp Touchless Lamp - Control lights with a simple gesture The projects are easy to follow and take you through the setup step by step. The projects are also designed to showcase the best of the kit and give you the foundations for creating your own projects and taking it further. Value for Money On first glance, this is an expensive kit at €95.20 (plus shipping), however the Uno R4 WiFi is a premium board and the Modulinos are well made and versatile. The kit is designed to be used over and over again, and the projects are designed to be expanded upon. The Arduino Uno R4 WiFi on its own is priced at €30.50, and with the seven modules, mounting board, and accessories, the kit is actually good value for money. The quality of the parts is very high and the documentation and support is excellent. The kit is a great way to get started with Arduino and is a good investment for anyone looking to get into electronics and programming. The packaging is mostly cardboard and paper, so it’s also environmentally friendly. Conclusion The Arduino Plug and Make Kit is a great way to get started with Arduino. It includes everything you need to start building projects, and the included guide is easy to follow. The Modulinos are well made and versatile, and the Arduino Uno R4 WiFi is a premium board that is easy to use and has built-in WiFi. The modules introduce you to a range of sensors and actuators, and the projects are designed to help you get started and learn how to use the kit. The kit is good value for money and is a great investment for anyone looking to get into electronics and programming. Review Score Below is the Kevs Robots review framework. First, each product is scored out of 5 for each of the 9 areas. The total score is then calculated by adding the scores for each area and dividing by 9. The total score is then rounded to the nearest whole number. Scoring area 1 2 3 4 5 Price Very Expensive, verging on not worth it Expensive, but worth it for the value add Affordable, similar in price to competitors Cheap / great value for the parts and features Free / Very low cost Ease of use Hard to use, complex operations requiring multipe steps Many steps, some of which as complex. Some steps to construct or operate, some of which are complex Few steps, simple to do Very easy to use / use is obvious and clear Functionality Very little innovation or usefulness Does less then you’d expect, but still useful Practice, does what you expect but no more Quite a few innovative functions, does more than you’d expect Amazing features & innovation, industry leading Availability Very difficult to get hold of any variation or version Little available; some variations or versions are available Available in some countries and stocks mostly available Available in most countries & mostly in stock, short wait for stock replenishment All versions and variations widely available in all countries & in stock Aesthetics Design is not pleasing to the eye; poor colour choice, parts do not fit together, no cohesive design Design is acceptable, some elements do not work together well Design is functional, no overall cohesion Design is functional with some flair, most elements work together well Very pleasing to the eye, complimentary colour choices, great fit and finish, with an overall cohesive design Build Quality Poor construction, with gaps or overlapping parts. Poor quality materials used Functional construction, cheap materials Functional construction, acceptable materials used Durable design, some parts are high quality, most are acceptable Solid construction, parts fit together as intended with no unexpected gaps or overlapping parts. High quality materials and parts used Documentation Single language instructions, no diagrams, basic features only Basic instructions, technical specifications in a few languages, little no diagrams, no example code Basic instructions, technical specifications in a few languages, diagrams for use. Some example code Documentation available in multiple languages, with all features covered and diagrams for use. Some example code Documentation available in multiple languages, with all features covered and simple diagrams for use. Mechanical and circuit diagrams also included. Example code. Advanced topics covered too Packaging Little to no thought given to environment. Wasteful use of space leading to higher shipping costs. Excess layers of packaging Some thought given to environmental packaging & recycling. A few layers of packaging Some thought given to environmental packaging materials & recycling. Single layer of packaging Environmentally friendly, packaging designed for recycling with some effort. Packaging is has mostly efficient use of space to cut down on shipping costs Environmentally friendly, packaging designed for easy recycling. Packaging is small with efficient use of space to cut down on shipping costs Environmental No consideration given to sourcing, production, supply, delivery or disposal of product, with toxic chemicals used in production No consideration given to sourcing, production, supply, delivery or disposal of product Product is efficient to operate, but may have poor environmental production or disposal impacts Most of the product is sourced from recycled materials, no toxic chemicals used in production, some thought given to production and delivery energy used Product is sourced from 100% recycled materials, with no toxic chemicals used in production. produced with clean energy, packaging designed to lower delivery costs and disposal of product is taken care of total is 4.3 💳 See the transparency notes for details.