During project development, possessing a few additional tools can significantly impact the outcome. Discover our selection of indispensable accessories for Arduino!
Arduino boards boast an open-source platform and a user-friendly approach with many remarkable features, but there’s always room for improvement to enhance their efficiency and ease of use. Whether you’re a novice in the world of microcontrollers or an experienced user, accessories can be just as crucial as the board to achieving your project objectives.
Apart from the board, you’ll need to explore features such as sensors, protective housing, and an adjustable power supply. Fortunately, we’ve curated a list of essential accessories for Arduino boards to help you in your ongoing project or have at hand for future projects without interruptions from delayed deliveries.
Our list includes accessories that are useful for typical Arduino projects and specific purposes like enhancing productivity and convenience. Whether you’re tackling a new project, encountering challenges, or seeking to improve your skills, you’ll find an accessory in this list that can provide a helping hand!
Arduino must-have accessories:
Starter Shield Kit
An Arduino Nano, a development board with built-in sensors and modules, can significantly simplify the process of building projects, regardless of whether you’re a beginner or an experienced user. However, incorporating separate sensors provides more flexibility while also imposing some limitations. This IOT starter shield kit, on the other hand, includes several integrated features that can save valuable assembly time and enable quicker testing.
For beginners, this kit serves as an excellent learning resource because it allows for easy integration of other modules and sensors, in addition to the ones that come with it. It’s something that you can carry with you on your learning journey and update as needed. Furthermore, not having to deal with jumpers and soldering makes it ideal for working with younger individuals since fitting sensors and modules is safer than soldering them.
Intended Purpose: Development board and training kit
Price: Approximately $70
Nextion Touch Display
In some projects, a high-quality screen can be the deciding factor in taking them to the next level or making them viable in the first place. A monitor with an integrated controller can greatly simplify your work, and this is where our top pick comes into play. The Nextion NX4832K035 3.5-inch touchscreen, featuring a resolution of 480 × 320 pixels, also comes with a MicroSD card slot that supports up to 35 GB of storage!
This sophisticated display component has an 8-pin GPIO header for communication protocols, but the connection is made using the TX and RX pins of the Arduino board ports. The developer provides programs for font generation and module management, allowing you to go all out with customization if you’re willing. For more information, refer to the datasheet.
Intended Purpose: Enhances LED screen usage
Price: Approximately $50
Multi-Functional Oscilloscope
If you haven’t yet discovered this versatile tool with an oscilloscope, you’re missing out on a lot. Many of us have learned the hard way that instructions can only get you halfway there when building supposedly simple devices. You also need tools to test parts and circuits!
There was a time when an oscilloscope was an expensive piece of laboratory equipment used exclusively by professionals. However, nowadays, even students can get their hands on a portable one with excellent functionality, notably a component tester and signal generator that are ideal for electronics with erased or illegible specifications, especially in Arduino projects.
Intended Purpose: 3-in-1 oscilloscope, transistor tester, and signal generator
Price: Approximately $40
There are numerous ways to power a breadboard, but having a more flexible solution can be extremely beneficial during testing and prototyping. This adjustable power source with a P4 connector and USB accepts input voltages ranging from 6.5 to 12 V DC, allowing you to take advantage of any unused source if you don’t have a more professional solution.
In terms of convenience, this adjustable power supply has two output voltage modes that are compatible with the standard working voltages of the Arduino circuit, namely 3.3 V and 5 V, as it can be directly inserted into the breadboard. However, it is not recommended to power the Arduino directly through the pins because this bypasses the Arduino’s internal voltage regulator. With selector jumpers, you can easily adjust the voltage suitable for your project while still having a convenient power button and USB output.
Intended Purpose: Powers a breadboard
Price: Approximately $10 for three modules
Stackable Connector Kit
Connectors are essential for assembling Arduino projects, but sometimes the modules and accessories you stack up may not fit together perfectly. In such cases, spacers come in handy. These small connectors are compatible with all Arduino models and can help you build various configurations with multiple layers.
It’s always useful to have different sizes of spacers on hand since you may not know when you’ll need them. Besides, they can provide stability to your stacked model tower and prevent it from falling over. Make sure to keep some spacers in your toolkit for an efficient and secure Arduino project assembly.
Purpose: Ensures stability and compatibility for stacked Arduino modules and shields
Price: ~$12
Solid-State Relay Modules
One of the key objectives of automation is remote control of other devices’ power, often accomplished through the use of relays. Arduino circuits are in high demand as they are relatively inexpensive and consume low power, making them perfect for simple tasks. While you can choose smaller modules with fewer relays for smaller tasks, consider expanding your projects in the future.
Solid-state relays have no moving parts or electromagnetics, which can interfere with more sensitive circuits or make an unpleasant noise with each activation. Some devices come with an LED light feature indicating which relays are active.
Purpose: Activates and deactivates electrical loads remotely
Price: ~$18
Adjustable Power Supply
Adjustable Power Supply
Adjustable DC power supply modules aren’t specifically made for Arduino, but they can help a lot when you need to work with a lower voltage in a separate circuit or even in the supply of a component. That’s right, if you already have a power source and you just want to partially utilize that power for other purposes or circuits, you can use one of these to do the job.
A very convenient feature is that you won’t need to do calculations or use a multimeter to carry out measurements because many of these modules have a built-in voltmeter for you to read the real-time output voltage. You’ll also like the reverse polarity protection that’s great for when you need to power up an Arduino but your only available source exceeds specifications. This little guy can be a temporary solution if you have a compatible power plug.
- Purpose: Adjusts power
- Price: ~$10
Bumper
Adding a protective bumper to your board can make a big difference in preventing accidents during testing, simulations, and programming. Even with precautions, accidents can still happen and having a damaged board can ruin your project. A bumper or a case can also improve aesthetics or assist with mounting. Luckily, you can easily 3D print your own bumper or case using free designs found on 3D design repositories. It’s a simple and cheap solution that can save you from costly mistakes.
Purpose: Protects the board Price: Free (STL file)
Raspberry Pi Adapter
Although Arduino and Raspberry Pi are not the same, some projects can benefit from using both. Combining an Arduino Uno with a Raspberry Pi can be a powerful solution for projects that require innovation. There are other ways to connect an SBC to an Arduino, but an Arduino Uno to Raspberry Pi adapter can save you valuable time.
The main feature of this adapter is a chip that translates voltages to Raspberry Pi HAT-style shields, enabling you to utilize some previously unused parts or experiment with different possibilities. For instance, you can configure the I2C bus to connect to Arduino pins A4 and A5 or 16 and 17. For more information, you can refer to the schematic diagram.
Purpose: Connects Raspberry Pi shields Price: Approximately $5.
Test Clamp
A test clamp is a useful tool for smaller-scale projects, especially those involving micro-controllers with many connections and ports. Soldering wires to test functionality or write code can be time-consuming and risky. With a test clamp, you can avoid these issues by securing the connections and connecting jumpers to firm pins that are not soldered to the board.
This simple accessory allows you to easily test modules and burn bootloaders without the need to solder pin headers. It can save you a lot of time and effort, making it a great investment for anyone working on smaller projects.
Purpose: Facilitates module testing and bootloader burning without soldering pin headers
Price: ~$7