Which Arduino(or clone) to pick?

[mollekake]

Hello all!
I got a project in my mind that i want to try my hands on, it involves accelerometer and communication between two boards/controllers.(is bluetooth best?)
So i started looking around and oh my, there are a TON of boards, shields and controllers out there.
I want something cheap and easy to use, with a decent amount of shields to pick from.

So here is the big question, which one would you reccomend? And why that one?

 

[Arouse1973]

What are Shields? What distance are you going to need and how much data. Can you tell us a bit more about your project.
Thanks Adam

 

[shumifan50]

Which one you pick depends on what you want exactly. You can go for the minimum pinouts that support your application, or futureproof by picking one with more I/O pins. Most support UART and I2C. Shields are just dependent on how they interface and whether the specific Arduino you pick supports that type of interface, e.g. UART or I2C (the main 2 types of interfaces used). And then of course what I/O your app wants to do.
Other than that they are nuch of a muchness.
Personally I would go for the biggest one that fits my budget and space requirements. It is not possible to make a recommendation unless we know exactly what you want to do, so the I/O requirements can be determined.

My choice of communications in order of preference:
UART = if wite connections are possible and very high speeds are not required.
I2C = if it fits
Bluetooth = Note that you get bluetooth shields that plug into I2C or UART.

@Arouse: shields are the name Arduino gives to their interface boards to various peripherals.

 

[Arouse1973]

Thanks shumifan50
Adam

 

[mollekake]

Well i want to create a game with RC cars. I want to attach a module that senses when the cars crash with eachother. When one car sense a crash(the accelerometer) it communicates with the other car to see if it sensed a crashed aswell. So it needs to be small mainly

 

[(*steve*)]

I like the arduino pro mini's. They're small. They don't connect to "shields". You can get them delivered for around $US3.50 each (edit: make that $US2.50 delivered).

 

[mollekake]

Ok that sounds like a cheap version. Unfortunate that it does not have any shields with easy connection.

 

[(*steve*)]

Shields are really just a way to monetize connecting a few wires.

 

[mollekake]

Yeah i guess you're right about that