20% discount at Freetronics until 5/5/14 - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: GiskardReventlov
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2014, 10:48:55 pm
content: I saw this on the instructable arduino contest page:"In addition to supplying some fantastic prizes, Freetronics is also offering a 20% off discount to their online store until 5/5/14! Enter the code “INSTRUCTABLES” at checkout to receive the discount."I've never bought from freetronics, are they any good?

author: deth502
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2014, 11:44:16 pm
content: my opinion, i went ot he site, i saw their arduino copy, i thought it was a little expensive. then i looked at this:http://www.freetronics.com/products/experimenters-kit-for-arduino#.Ux5Ntz9dUt4idk what that servo motor is worth, but unless they run $50 or so, imo, youre getting raped.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 11, 2014, 12:14:20 am
content: Quote from: deth502 on March 10, 2014, 11:44:16 pmTheir prices are in AU$, and are about the same as you'd pay anywhere else here.FWIW, the similar experimenter's kit from Adafruit is the same price (in US$).

author: deth502
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2014, 02:07:05 am
content: to be fair, its been a while since i bought, so i went and checked prices and they were right where i remember them.a real arduino uno board goes for $20-$25.the kit includes "SOUND" Piezo & Sound Module and "LIGHT" Light Sensor Module, which im assuming are just a self contained piezzo buzzer, and a photo resistor.i still didnt price a stepper motor, but again, a $20 arduino and maybe $20 worth of leds, resistors, and stuff, yeah, that still needs to be a $50 stepper motor to work out, unless that "sound" and "light" are a lot more special than they make them sound.and au$ are not that far off of us$. all should be within 10%

author: TheBorg
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2014, 04:08:41 am
content: Quote from: deth502 on March 11, 2014, 02:07:05 amThats what the beginners fall for. You can get all the stuff in these starter kits from digikey for $10

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 11, 2014, 04:15:22 am
content: Quote from: deth502 on March 11, 2014, 02:07:05 am$US, I assume. The going price for a genuine Arduino Uno from an Aus store is AU$30~35.Based on that, and doing a rough guesstimate based on local retail prices for everything else, I came up with AU$80~90 for the experimenters kit. Not good value - but, as I said, the roughly equivalent kit from Adafruit is US$85, so newbies buying kits are being screwed regardless of where they buy it.Quote from: deth502 on March 11, 2014, 02:07:05 am"Should" is the operative word thereCue someone coming in to explain it's all because of nanny state consumer protection laws in 5 ... 4 ... 3 ...

author: hamster_nz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2014, 04:22:33 am
content: Sure, they may get the stuff from Digikey for $10, but then you have to pay people to design things, repackage things, ship things, market things and so on. With a product that costs $1,000 that might add up to a few % of the final product cost. When you have a product with $20 of parts you either have to sell in huge volume or at a high cost to pay the overheads.I made a board with just some 8 LEDs, 8 resistors and a few PCB headers - less than $4 in parts (incl custom PCB). If I wanted to pay you to make ten of them for me, how much would you charge? I'm sure it would be more than $40.I really like all the Freetronics stuff I have ever purchased - sure it cost more than generic 'junk' from dx.com, but I walked off the street into a store and got it that day. It is always of resonable quality too.

author: Joule Thief
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2014, 04:22:44 am
content: Even with AUD / USD difference,an 830 breadboard for $18 USD that I can get delivered to my door for $4

author: GiskardReventlov
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2014, 04:25:35 am
content: Haha, no one applied the 20% discount. Very funny.(or did I miss that you did?)Also regarding the arduino kit, for some peopleno soldering required == Priceless

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 11, 2014, 07:08:12 am
content: Quote from: Joule Thief on March 11, 2014, 04:22:44 amWhich simply shows that things sold to the Arduino market are overpriced regardless of where you buy them...FWIW, not including the likes of DX, the cheapest 830 point breadboard I can find in Aus comes to about twice that delivered. Typical wholesale/retail places charge even more e.g. AU$9~$27 at Element14 or RS,~AU$20 at the fart-toy shop, etc.The 20% discount makes Freetronics stuff a reasonable bargain in the Arduino market in Aus - but a quick look suggests the differences in int'l vs domestic postage makes it borderline for anyone overseas. Of course, if it works for you then go for it.

author: deth502
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2014, 09:39:59 pm
content: Quote from: Tac Eht Xilef on March 11, 2014, 07:08:12 amthis may be true, but i despise companies who over price their wares just to add a huge discount to get things back to NORMAL prices, and make you feel like your getting a bargain. i avoid that on principal.

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 13, 2014, 06:41:49 am
content: Aside from the Arduino and stepper, the rest could be purchased at Tayda for less than $10 total I think.Quote5mm leds 3 cents eachRGB Led, 27 cents eachTactile switches, 4 cents each2N7000, 9 cents each1/4w 1% resistors 1.2cents each1N4004 2 cents each74hc595, 25 cents each40 pin header strip 29 cents10K linear pot, $1.47830 point breadboard $4.59I calculated $8.21 including the breadboard. Arduino, servo, and the 2 sensors not included.http://www.taydaelectronics.com/An official Arduino Uno from Arduino.cc is $20 Euro which is a little less than $28, so we're up to 36 dollars.So that leaves you with the servo, a few dollars and the 2 sensors.Even better, Tayda posts discount codes on their facebook page each month.

author: Joule Thief
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 13, 2014, 07:20:09 am
content: Quote from: Tac Eht Xilef on March 11, 2014, 07:08:12 amI keep forgetting about the huge international aspect of the forum and comparing most of what I see to what is available in the US market.http://www.ebay.com/itm/131014539989?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649Then I look at the shipping exclusion list - which is everyone except the US and Canada.

author: idpromnut
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 13, 2014, 12:10:08 pm
content: Also remember that while it is dirt cheap to buy the parts on Digikey, some of Freetronics's cost is knowledge on what to buy, and how to select parts. This can be one of the most daunting tasks in electronics, even to a non-beginner

author: deth502
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 13, 2014, 09:58:34 pm
content: Quote from: Tac Eht Xilef on March 11, 2014, 04:15:22 am