A mounting problem

[karlcswanson]

With Arduino you can get a board working for less than $20. The Arduino project uses low cost AVR microcontrollers and the open source avr-gcc compiler that will run on each of the major operating systems. While the official arduino boards will cost around $30, unofficial, yet fully functional versions can be made for under $10.

[Golto]

Thanks guys. I wasn't aware of Microchip's sample program. And I recently found that TI has something similar, I'm assuming others do as well.

Also about Arduno, that REALLY LOOKS INTERESTING! $30 is really something in a decent price range! My question is about it's expandability though. I'll buy it regardless.

My point still remains. Why don't people know about these products/services. If the devides are so openly available, and so accessable for the wallet-impared (like me), why aren't they used?

[FourPenguins]

From what research I've done, I find that it's relatively inexpensive to get parts for a specific purpose. The price goes up a lot once you want more versatile items. A prime example is the victor line of speed controllers. They are very expensive, but they are also acknowledged by most to be the most versatile and reliable dc motor controllers available to hobbyists. There are many cheaper speed controllers out there, but they are not rated for the high loads that the victors can handle. The same applies to many other robotic parts. If you know exactly what you want and have the time or connections to research it, you won't pay that much. If you have only a nebulous idea of your needs (as in FIRST, which hosts a great variety of machines), you need to buy parts that are likely overkill for your final product.