“Which board should I buy?” is the question we hear most at the counter. There is no single right answer — it depends on what you are building and how you like to learn.
Arduino Uno — the classroom favourite
The Uno runs at 16 MHz with 32 KB of program memory and works at 5 V, which makes it forgiving with older sensors and modules. Every textbook and most school curricula use it. It has no Wi-Fi, so it is best for learning electronics and for stand-alone projects.
ESP32 — the connected all-rounder
Two cores at up to 240 MHz, built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and plenty of pins. If your project needs to send data to a phone, a dashboard or the internet, start here. Remember it is a 3.3 V board: 5 V signals need a level shifter or voltage divider.
Raspberry Pi Pico W — great for MicroPython
The RP2040 chip with Wi-Fi, very well documented, and excellent for learning Python on hardware. It is also 3.3 V.
Our quick advice
- Teaching or just starting out: Arduino Uno.
- IoT, monitoring, anything online: ESP32.
- You prefer Python: Pico W.
Still unsure? Message us on WhatsApp with what you want to build and we will point you to the right parts.
