Reviewer:
Jason
from New Cumberland, PA United States
The kit does not come with instructions or hardware needed to program the device. I was disappointed and returned it to Radio Shack promptly.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Packaging needs work.
May 29, 2013
Reviewer:
Seg
from Union City, CA United States
I bought one of these at Radio Shack. Yes, as others have pointed out the retail packaging needs some work.
Mine has the incorrect "survival pack" photo on it.
There is no indication on the outside of the SEALED tin that you need an FTDI. Luckily I already had one. This should really be mentioned on the outside of the tin.
No, this kit is not a good choice for a total Arduino beginner. There should probably be some "Skill level: Intermediate/Advanced" branding on the tin to eliminate confusion.
I bought it expecting a more "advanced" kit and that's what I got. Personally I'm satisfied with it, and I'm currently working on rebuilding it on to a perfboard for better durability. And free up the breadboard...
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Love this Kit!
April 20, 2013
Reviewer:
Dan Franz
from Cottage Grove, MN United States
As I am a Ham Radio Operator, anything that comes in an Altoids tin I Must Own. While not overly impressed with the price I went to Google and searched for the assemble instructions and found them. Todays society must want everything done for them. People, USE YOUR Brain and Resources and go out and build something! I already own multiple Arduino's and they are my programmers. As DIY implies, "DO IT YOURSELF"! :-)
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Wish I had Read the Reviews Prior to Purchase
April 14, 2013
Reviewer:
David Scheltema
from Ann Arbor, MI United States
I bought this at RadioShack and like everyone else reviewing found the packaging misleading.
In fact, my version of the MintDuino kit does not even show the MintDuino it has a photo of the Survival Pack. The link on the card inserted for the manual doesn't link to the pdf. And all the complains regarding the FTDI programmer hold true for me.
Overall I am very disappointed with the packaging on the exterior of the kit! MAKE really should strive to do better with their kits that they sell at third-party resellers. To their credit It is very explicit on the website that you need an FTDI programmer, but to not have such notification for the store supplier kit is disappointing and unhelpful.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Misleading - DO NOT WASTE TIME
April 2, 2013
Reviewer:
from ,
I enjoyed the other Mintronics kits, but no more after this bulls**t. First you pay 25$ for the kit, oh yeah another 15$ for the FTDI adapter, and then did we mention another 3$ for the instructions. Extremely disappointed with Make now. Perhaps they should start MAKING it a habit to list what you need BEFORE you open the damn package. Returning and getting an Arduino. At least that already has the USB plug.
Falsely advertised 
Packaging needs work. 
