MPGuino? Arduino vs. IDuino?
 

I plan to get an MPGuino soon but am at a loss as to what I need to actually buy. What is the difference between an Arduino or an IDuino?

Thanks,

EXPIOWA

Try this: http://spiffie.org/kits/mpguino/

Welcome to ecomodder, :)

You could buy the kit like SVOboy said, that is one way to go. The kit is a new thing so there may be some bugs to be worked out. But it is a really nice integrated package and does not have wires running all over the place, and fits into smaller places than the others.

Arduino is the basic name of the platform for the hardware/software. The others are just a spinoff of Arduino and is compatible, though some extra parts may be needed. You can get an actual Arduino board, which is what I used for my first mpguino. The Freeduino is basically an Arduino, but in an easy to solder kit and costs less. I used this for my next two mpguinos. Others have used the Iduino, which is smaller and costs less, but needs a few additional parts.

I am one that has used the iDuino. It is much smaller, but I have noticed that more than one iDuino user (me included) notices jumpy speed (and thus jumpy MPG) readings. I think the best way to go would be the kit as said above, but you may want to consider putting a couple female headers between the board and the display, in case your soldering skills are such that you may wind up retouching your joints (I did so last night). It will add some thickness and some cost (a whopping $0.90), but you shouldn't have a problem fitting it inside an enclosure, and if you do wind up needing to re-touch some joints, or make a tweak in the future, that will be some money well spent.
I built my MPGuino and used the female headers to make my iDuino easy to detach for other possible ventures. I had to sand down the ends of the female headers to make them fit, not too hard to do. I have had it in and out several times, so I would say it has been well worth the money.

Looking at the Buy link in the one provided by SVOboy, I found two versions of the kit for sale. The descriptions are identical but one is more money so I assume that it is better. I just don't know why.

The $39.51 Kit shows additional things that people had bought at the bottom of the page. Are some or all of the things shown included with the more expensive kit or does it not need them?

I am looking forward to building a kit. I put together a robot that would follow a dark line on paper in high school so a smaller project like this one should be fairly easy once I know what I need to get.

Thanks to everyone who replied to this thread. I appreciate it.

The one that costs more is the first version of that PCB I believe, and the $39.51 one is the newest revision of it. I think the only major difference is the location of the USB and RJ11 ports. Functionally, they should both be the same.

I just received my MPGuino kit (version 2), and got it put together the day it came. The instructions on the website are very easy to understand, and the small size is very convenient. It comes with everything you need, except for a phone wire to connect the MPGuino to the phone jack that comes with it. You'll also need wire to connect to your car's power, ground, VSS, and injector signals, but other than that, no other parts are needed.

I just used the MPGuino on a 150 mile trip today, and it worked great, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, speeds remained constant, and mileage readings seemed pretty accurate.

Version 2 has both connectors on the same end of the board. Version 1 has them on opposite ends. With the connectors on the same end, it's much easier to find a box to fit it in. Just butt the connector end against one end of the box and bolt it down. With connectors on opposite ends, you have to find a box of exactly the right dimensions so the jacks can protrude out the ends.