Arduino Microcontroller Microchip

It's exactly what I expected, and it has provided a nice first foray into microcontrollers for this old hand at programming and electronics. It took only minutes to install the free IDE (integrated development environment -- the "programming" tool) and to run a test program on the board. So far I've used it to drive strips of several hundred WS2812b individually addressable programmable LEDs for combination functional/aesthetic lighting installations, and it takes input from either pushbuttons or touch sensors (using I2C bus). But essentially it was the quality I expected for the price I paid. That said... Having the included solid plastic base while prototyping and developing code is somehow a consistently underrated feature that this genuine Arduino Mega2560 board has. I can't stress the benefits of avoiding: accidentally shorting, lowering resistance to ground of, or adding capacitance accidentally to a pin because the underside of the board is touched when moved, or dust containing some metallic particles you didn't notice is on your desk. Point is, for all the functionality of this board, perhaps most impressive thing about the package was a single, undocumented, completely self-explanatory, highly useful simple accessory, simply because it isn't something most people have sitting around. Seriously, how often does an included accessory require no installation, do it's job perfectly, not need replacing, be able to be removed if unwanted, requires no explanation, and avoids both potentially board-destroying situations AND potential programming nightmares where anomalous input could be intermittently created. By including this feature, novice developers who are less likely to be actively aware of certain precautions are saved from a disturbingly short or horribly frustrating first experience working with microcontrollers. I also can't stress enough that if you use microcontrollers which make use of the Arduino IDE (which is MANY), it's a worth buying a slightly more expensive genuine Arduino product once and a while (if they fit your project) to support the company that provides the software and support for free to the world. No, I'm not affiliated in any way, just a fan of their business model.