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How to recognize official Arduino boards.

David MellisJuly 6th, 2010

Arduino is an open-source project and we’re happy that so many people have created variations on our hardware and software. We realize, however, that it’s sometimes hard to tell which products are part of the Arduino platform itself. The official boards are listed on the hardware page (and pictured above, with the exception of the official shields and Mini-USB adaptor). These are the products that we feel provide the best overall experience and utility to the Arduino community. They include boards from three manufacturers: SmartProjects (in Italy), SparkFun, and Gravitech (both in the US). These companies pay a licensing fee in exchange for support for these products in the Arduino software and documentation.

The official Arduino products are the only ones licensed to use the word “Arduino” in their name. Other products may be labelled as “Arduino-compatible” or “for Arduino”, but these are not a part of the platform itself and don’t fund continuing work on the project. If you’re making a product and wondering what to call it, we’ve added some guidelines to the FAQ. We think that these conventions make it easier for everyone to understand what products they’re buying and who supports them.

Finally, we’d like to thank a few companies that have been particularly good about working with us on these issues: Adafruit Industries, Oomlout, and SparkFun Electronics. Thanks for your cooperation and all the great products!

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3 Responses to “How to recognize official Arduino boards.”

  1. How to recognize official Arduino boards « adafruit industries blog Says:

    […] Arduino Blog » Blog Archive » How to recognize official Arduino boards… Arduino is an open-source project and we’re happy that so many people have created variations on our hardware and software. We realize, however, that it’s sometimes hard to tell which products are part of the Arduino platform itself. The official boards are listed on the hardware page (and pictured above, with the exception of the official shields and Mini-USB adaptor). These are the products that we feel provide the best overall experience and utility to the Arduino community. They include boards from three manufacturers: SmartProjects (in Italy), SparkFun, and Gravitech (both in the US). These companies pay a licensing fee in exchange for support for these products in the Arduino software and documentation. […]

  2. mowcius Says:

    Glad there is something on this now.

    Maybe a “how to spot a fake arduino board” would be helpful.
    Red reset buttons, no ‘made in italy’ etc

    Mowcius

  3. john Says:

    I wonder when you guys will put the mini usb on the Arduino? The mini usb is much more commun.

    I think it is time for a major update to the official Arduino and have those header alignment fix even if seller of shield say that you will ruin there sales.

    it is like everything in live, you have to start to change what ever they say.

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