The folks over at Altronics are doing some pretty amazing things in the maker space. Their new Arduino Megabox takes DIY device building to a whole new level, providing a method to create a finished product with your Arduino prototype.
Just as many of us will remember when building DIY kits in years gone by, the case was often the part that was most difficult to get looking good. With Arduino projects, this problem certainly hasn’t gone away. The team at Altronics have carefully considered what to include in this case, to provide versatile and functional options. Like any product such as this, it won’t suit EVERY project perfectly, but it’ll certainly provide a solid option for many.
To start off, it will fit an Arduino UNO or Mega, which plugs straight into the custom-developed board. It cleverly provides breakouts while still retaining header access, and additional access to connect a shield (Ethernet, WiFi, prototype, whatever you like). The case then includes four illuminated tactile switches, a rotary encoder, a 2 x 16 LCD, as well as two 2A relays! With some clever insight, they haven’t taken any flexibility away from you though - everything is broken out to headers, so there’s no restriction on how they’re assigned to your Arduino (meaning you can omit them if you don’t need them). Everything provides built-in resistors so you can connect straight from 5V without worrying about current-limiting yourself. There’s a handy 210-hole prototyping area for soldering various connections too, making this a VERY versatile box.
These cases are in the final stages of development at the time of writing this, so will vary slightly from the unit we had, but for the better. The tactile switches will upgrade to DPDT, more terminal access through the case, and some other improvements are coming as well.
Grab it online from Altronics: