Mike,
     This is what I have been looking for. So it looks like cutting my=20
teeth on a BBLeo would not be a bad idea.
Thanks,
rich!

On 7/3/2014 4:45 PM, Mike Hord wrote:
> Hi Rich-
>
> The bricking issue is only on the 32u4 based boards; 328-based
> boards are far more reliable. So, my answer is, buy a 328-based
> board! My personal preference runs to the SparkFun RedBoard,
> not solely because it's our design, either. The current "base" Arduino,
> the Uno R3, uses an AVR that's been programmed as a USB to
> serial bridge. The RedBoard uses the venerable FT232RL. I trust
> that FTDI have their act well together on that chip.
>
> We buy our blank PCBs from Gold Phoenix, in China, but all the
> population and testing (we test 100% of our outgoing products)
> is done in Colorado, in our own facility.
>
> Finally, I'd advise against the higher end Arduino boards, at least
> to start out. That's the Mega, the Due, the Tre, and the Yun. They
> all have their place, but cutting your teeth in the Arduino world is
> not it.
>
> Mike H
>
--=20
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