In the context of IoT device prototyping, electronics engineering, and STEM education, the microcontroller board that everyone thinks of is Arduino. In particular, the Arduino UNO, although more than 10 years have passed since its introduction, still holds its position as an introductory device for IoT.
Arduino UNO has been a cheap microcomputer board from the beginning, but if you need a lot of equipment such as educators, you would want to get it as cheap as possible. So this time, I would like to introduce an Arduino UNO compatible machine and sensor kit under the brand name Keyestudio from Shenzhen KEYES Robot.
Arduino UNO compatible machine “Keyestudio V4.0 Development Board”
Keyestudio’s Arduino UNO compatible machine is sold under the trade name “Keyestudio V4.0 Development Board”. In Japan, it is sold on Amazon.co.jp, where the product name is “V4.0 Development Board for Arduino UNO R3 with KEYESTUDIO USB Cable”. Hereinafter referred to as “Keyestudio development board”. The Keyestudio development board is only an Arduino UNO compatible, and the colors are different, but other than that, it’s exactly the same.
It’s a compatible machine, so it’s natural, but when you look at the top and sides, at least the number of pins and the layout of the pins are exactly the same as the Arduino UNO.
The USB interface of the Keyestudio development board is Type-B, which is rare now, just like the Arduino UNO. At least for me, there is no other device with a Type-B interface other than the Arduino UNO. However, the Keyestudio development board also comes with a USB cable, so you shouldn’t have to worry about that.
As of February 2023, the Arduino UNO in Japan is generally around 4000 yen including tax. On the other hand, the Keyestudio development board is 1699 yen on Amazon.co.jp, which is less than half the price of the Arduino UNO. It’s a price that makes you wonder if it’s really okay. I will briefly explain how to use it later, but at least the one I purchased worked without any problems.
