You can find many reputable stores on AliExpress that sell very cheap Arduino kits. So if you are thinking of getting into the world of automation and doing your first robotics and electronics projects, this may be a great opportunity to get an Arduino board at the best price. If you click here you will find over 2000 different kits.
But what is Arduino?
Arduino is a small printed circuit board with a microcontroller that is very useful for quick prototyping for educational or personal use. Small devices like light controls, engine speed, light, temperature or humidity sensors and many other projects that use sensors, actuators and communication with other devices can be done relatively quickly and easily. It includes a simple integrated development environment for programming. The entire software package is free and the electronic circuit diagrams are sold as free hardware.
The circuit board integrates a microcontroller with pins that are connected to the input and output ports, a voltage regulator and a USB input that enables communication with a PC if required.
This hardware was expanded to include an integrated multi-platform development environment (Windows, Mac and Linux). This software also allows programming in a simpler, C-derived language called “Wiring”. Thanks to the common software base developed by the creators of the project, it is possible to connect almost any electronic object to this hardware; Computers, sensors, displays or actuators. Thanks to years of experimentation, it is possible to access a very extensive information database, which consists of a large number of libraries that can be integrated very easily.
Why is Arduino so Cheap on AliExpress?
On Aliexpress, the vast majority of the Arduino boards that can be found are replicas. Thanks to the fact that everything is based on free hardware, any Chinese manufacturer can download the schematics and create their own board. From what we could verify, the replicas work just like the original Arduinos, but they cost … up to 10 times less!
Price comparison between the official website of Arduino and AliExpress
Below we have created a table that compares the prices on the Arduino official website and those on Aliexpress. We definitely recommend you to take a tour of the official website because although the prices are higher, with your purchase and donation you are adding a little to their great project.
As I said, we’ve selected the most popular products (plates, kits, accessories, etc.) and compared both prices … you’ll be amazed at the difference!
| Arduino web | AliExpress | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| product | Price incl.VAT (21%) | Sold by | price | Observations | Save [€] | Save [%] |
| Arduino uno | 24.2 | Advanced technology | 2.48 | No USB cable! | 21.72 | 89.75 |
| Arduino Mega 2560 | 42.35 | Great Wall electronics | 5.75 | No USB cable! | 36.6 | 86.42 |
| Original Micro | 21.78 | Module fan | 2.98 | With USB cable! | 18.8 | 86.32 |
| Starter kit | 96.67 | All electronics trading companies | 21.94 | Contains more things! | 74.73 | 77.31 |
| Sensor kit | 54.45 | MT technology | 17.74 | Contains more things! | 36.71 | 67.42 |
| Robot tracking | 84.57 | A + A + A + | 19.61 | With plate and sensors | 64.96 | 76.81 |
| Mega semiconductors | Without Arduino | 75.03 | 88.72 | |||
Are there any drawbacks to buying on AliExpress?
One downside is that they don’t have a ROHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) certificate, a European directive restricting certain dangerous substances (here’s why they are so expensive) so it is possible that the Arduinos we buy are not too ecological.
Another downside is that they don’t have the same serial communication chip as the originals and a driver is needed from the manufacturer so we don’t have any problems. And now let’s explain how it works:
Chinese Arduino serial communication driver
When an Aliexpress Arduino is first connected to our PC, it doesn’t recognize it and so prevents us from loading the programs as if it were an original Arduino.
This is because the Chinese copy of Arduino doesn’t use the same serial communication chip, but instead uses the “CH340”. To solve this (in Windows 7) we need to download the manufacturer’s driver. We recommend that you send him an email to make sure which driver you need to download, in the case of the Arduino UNO from the starter kit, it is the one at this link that takes us to the following page:
Installation is very simple, all you need to do is follow the steps below
- Disconnect the Arduino from the computer.
- After clicking “Download” we run the installer and say yes to everything without changing anything.
- After the installation (in less than a minute) we reconnect the Arduino and wait for the PC to recognize it.
- It hangs around for a while, looking for the drivers until it finds it (it appears in “Control Panel / Hardware and Sound” as “USB-Serial-ch340”).
- Once we find it we can run the test by opening the Arduino programming environment and loading a program onto the board to see if it recognizes it.
- Remember to indicate that it is an Arduino UNO and which serial port you will be using (if it is not the right one the software will recommend a different one, in my case it is COM20).
For more information on how to get the Chinese Arduino up and running, check out Instructables.
Best cheap Arduino Stores on AliExpress
After walking around AliExpress, we selected the best stores where you can buy an Arduino board at the best price. Here is a small list (if you have any questions, please contact the seller directly):
- A +++ Electronics – This 3 diamond rated store has a wide variety of Arduino boards at the best price. You can find anything from Arduino Uno r3 to more complete kits.
- MT technology. – With a 5 diamond reputation, this Chinese supplier can be your savior if you are looking for high quality Arduino boards at affordable prices.
- Top of the team. – This prestigious (2 crown) store has a wide variety of electronics accessories perfect for your automation and robotics projects.
- DealPark – Here you will find Arduino platforms of different models (Arduino Uno, Arduino Mega or for the experts Arduino Mini).
Buying Arduino on AliExpress – Tips
Before buying from AliExpress, it is important that you carefully study the reputation of the AliExpress store (in our opinion and experience, with a diamond you can be sure it is a safe deal) and the ratings and reviews of old buyers. In addition, since the Arduino board is a fairly complex electronics product, we recommend that you read the product description carefully and contact the seller directly if you have any questions.
