Arduino Controller Components and Cost
I’ve added up the cost of the components in my new controller and it’s a lot more than I thought. It would probably be close to $300 to recreate one of these with the external joysticks. I’d hate to think of all the parts I bought that I either destroyed, never used or special cables/bits I needed for programming.
You could bring down the price by sourcing parts from eBay, and you could use the cheaper 2.4GHz XBee’s, or simplify and remove the LCD or external joysticks. Then the cost would be close to $150-200, but that does not include the hours needed to make the custom PBCs I hand made.
Main Compontents:
PS2 Controller – $20
Arduino Fio – $25
Arduino MEGA – $65 (or $30 ebay)
MEGA Shield (NKC Electronics) – $6.50
XBEE Modules (qty 2) – 2.4GHz = $40, 900MHz = $90
XBEE Explorer – $10
CD Screen (3.3V) – $27
MUSIC2 – $38
Misc:
Lipo Battery – $16
Various Cables/wires – $5
Perfboard – $2
RJ45 sockets – $2
Extra Joysticks – $5 (ebay)
Amp – $20
RF Filter for VMusic/Amp – $5
Total: Approx $300
Posted by Chris on April 23rd, 2011 in Electronics, RC | 6 Comments
Tags: Arduino, controller, xbee
Adam Welch remarks on May 23rd, 2011 at 9:04 am
Do you have plans or instructions that would help me build one of these controllers?
Chris remarks on May 24th, 2011 at 10:30 am
Sorry no, not at this time.
Adam Welch remarks on May 24th, 2011 at 11:40 am
Would you consider it difficult to figure out? I had seen an R2 at Comic Con this year and I couldn’t find where the operator was. And then I was your controller design. I would like to have this with the one I am building.
Matthew Dowis remarks on October 13th, 2011 at 12:54 pm
Chris, Awesome Job! You continue to amaze with your abilities! Ever considered doing these on a commission basis? If so, please let me know. I would be interested.
Chris remarks on November 1st, 2011 at 10:56 am
I’ve thought about it, but not sure I have the time to get it up to a polished product that would minimize support time 🙂
Emiliano Ayala remarks on July 18th, 2013 at 10:12 am
Wow this is awesome. Super impressive