GAR Monster Starter Kit for Arduino – Robotics & IoT Development| Comprehensive 5-Board Set: Uno R3, Mega 2560, Nano V3, ESP32 WiFi+BT, ESP8266 NodeMCU | 25 Sensors, Tutorials & Organizer Toolbox

Massive Kit…Check out the USB
Finally, after examining many Arduino kits, I ended up picking this one because of the great variety of things it offers. It’s pricier than most kits but for the number of things that you get, it’s worth it. One of the first I noticed when I opened it, was how everything was sorted. It was nice to find that most of the sensitive components were inside of anti-static bags. This a true sign that they care about what they are selling.One thing that you have to know is that this is a clone Arduino, nonetheless, since Arduino is open-source there is nothing illegal here. Make sure you follow the steps in the documents inside the USB stick that will find in the kit. This is a CRUCIAL step because you will have to install the proper drivers for the Arduino to work. This is because like I already mentioned, this is the clone version. You can either download the Arduino software from the internet or use the one included in the USB stick. I recommend the first option so you will have the latest update.I’d highly recommend checking the other files in the USB drive too. It has tons of different documents. You will find very useful projects in there. Also, there is a folder where you will find the datasheets for the different sensors and accessories. This is super helpful as you won’t have to spend a lot of time looking for them online to meet the requirements of your project. However, they missed to include the datasheet for the servo, and I had a problem with the thermoresistor datasheet. It shows three different versions of the thermoresistor. But the component doesn’t have any markings on it nor is the part number specified in the description. Those are really the only issues that I ran into, and you most likely will find the other components’ datasheets.Besides that, another thing that really surprised me was that there was also a folder with a lot of different pdf books to learn Arduino. Some of them have over 200 pages! However, my personal preference is the book written by Jeremy Blum, “Exploring Arduino”, which you can find here on Amazon.After opening the kit, the first thing I did was to test my new Arduino board by running a simple code that turns an LED on and off. It worked flawlessly. So far I’ve been running different codes to tinker with the different accessories such as the photoresistor, motor driver IC, servo, potentiometer, LEDs, speaker, etc. I was impressed to find that one of the ICs (Integrated Circuit) was from Texas Instruments and not from an unbranded seller. For those who don’t know, that company has a very high reputation in the electronics world in which NASA has used their products. Although I can’t tell the quality of the rest of the kit, this is a huge plus for me because it speaks of quality.There is no doubt that the amount of things that you can do with this kit is unlimited. There are so many different components that, as a matter of fact, I even had to split the kit in another container because it was so compacted. The only thing that they missed to include in the kit were jumper wires, but this is still a great kit and it well deserves a five-star rating. I highly recommend it.

If I was given this when I was a kid I wouldn’t have wasted my 20s
I taught myself to code 7 years ago at age 29 and I was writing software professionally within 6 months. I wanted to start using my powers to create physical things so I picked up a Raspberry Pi a while back. I didn’t really use it that much because I didn’t have many components/sensors etc. and I don’t have a lot of time to shop for them individually.When I decided to get into Arduino I didn’t want to make that same mistake again. So instead of being cheap and just buying an Arduino Uno I decided to get this kit. Very glad I did! It has so much awesome stuff in it that I may never be able to use it all. I started by messing around with some of the LEDs.I then had an idea to build something that lets me use Google assistant to add contacts to my Angular/.NET Core contacts app. When a contact is added successfully(HTTP 400) a green LED lights up, and if it fails a red LED lights up. I looked at the component list and sure enough it came with TWO different Wi-Fi modules. I ended up using the ESP8266.Bottom line is if you buy this kit and you have a random idea to build something there’s a good chance you won’t have to order anything else to build it. If you have a kid give them this right now! Programming saved my life and I only wish I was able to start 15 years earlier.

Impressive kit! But missing a USB drive.
This kit has an impressive array of Arduino boards, connections, sensors, and other modules ready to be hooked up! I had to shave a star because the USB drive mentioned in other reviews, which was supposed to contain instructions and literature on starting Arduino was missing from my kit.

Overall Cost Benefit Analysis
All of the sensors, boards, and bonus boards were all packaged with care. I was completely excited for this package. It is the only package I found that included so many of the sought out boards and modules. This package pays for itself. While the $200+ price tag is a high buy-in. It is still cheaper than buying the main boards separately with the modules. Which I researched and found that it would have cost over $300. There are wholesalers that sell all of these products but most have a minimum purchase for each board. The minimum for some was 1 while the most sought after modules were 2-4. Would definitely recommend this purchase.

This starter kit has a good selection of sensors, motors, boards etc. to play with, and learn or teach, or both. On Linux things worked out of the box. Occasionally a code example was a little out of date, but it is easy to get support from GAR themselves, or on the official Arduino website or message boards.I do have to mention support by GAR on this product is great. They are very helpful with any issues you might have, they really make an effort. Great service!

Lots of cool micro controls great for learning thanks to the flash drive with all the links that seem to keep going. Over all a great for learning. As you can see I’ve only scratched the surface.

Love It!