GikfunPrototype Shield DIY Kit A1 for Arduino Mega 1280 2560 R1 - R3 (Pack of 2pcs) EK1096x2

Great idea, but very poorly executed. I got this board after another type as the holes looked better suited for my needs (less traces to cut, less ports connected together...ect). Having already built my project once on another board, I can honestly say the other was worth the hassle of severing traces and such.This board is first NOT a PCB, but more the fiberglass center core material used in multi-layer PCB manufacturing, only twice as thick. This leads to a material that is not as strong at a true PCB and flexes more (not good for a proto board that can/will be removed and installed a lot.The pins that come with this are yet another disaster. Unlike the pins and headers your probably using right now, these are more of a plated tin, than a sturdy, ridged metal. This leaves you with pins that will very easily bend, and which the heat from simply soldering them into the board causes them to deform. Again, another flaw for a proto board.Final flaw, the thew holes are not to the standard. The holes are undersized and the pads around the holes are less than half of that of a normal perf board.All in all, this could be a great product. The fact they did not clutter up the board with extras and left it as a mostly blank board with all pins accessed is great, however the chap materials used and cost cutting done makes this a product to avoid,I would return it for refund, but as I have tried soldering onto it and using it, I don't see a return possible, so I'll leave this as a warring to others.-- To the company making this/ selling this: IF one day to redesign this or feel I got a board which does not reflect the quality of your product, please do contact me and/or ship a board to me which does reflect your standards. After which I will agree to update or edit this review as an exception to your products standards. Baring this, I must review that which was received, and that is junk.

These are cheap because they have defective hole spacing. If this doesn't affect your application, then go nuts. If it does, look elsewhere. See the attached picture for example.It's not possible to mount components on headers using the GPIO holes next to the pins. This will hunter your layout and requires lots of manual jumper wire soldering or header pin bending. I strongly suggest getting the NKC Electronics, Adafruit, Electronics Salon, or official Arduino mega shield instead which have proper .1" perfboard spacing. MEGAshield KIT for Arduino MEGA 2560 R3 Processor Accessories Mega Protoshield for Arduino Electronics-Salon 1x Prototype PCB for Arduino Mega 2560 R3 Shield Board DIY. ArduinoMall/Gikfun aligned the central grid off the misaligned 8-13-AREF-GND pins that Arduino (canonically) messed up. Other Mega shields, and GikFun's Uno shield, were smart enough to align the central grid off the other banks (70-8 = other 62) which are aligned properly with 2.54mm/.1" pitch. If you try placing something rectangular (like a DIP socket, DAC, switch, or board) between the GPIO holes and the central grid on the Gikfun shield it WILL NOT FIT*. (*any bank except the misaligned one.) Look at the picture I've attached to this review. Note the only holes that line up are the "Arduino misplaced" bank.On the plus side, they come with a full set of R3 "10-pin" stackable headers for Mega, switches, both ISP headers, and includes extra "8-pin" stackable headers in case you are using it with an Uno. And the fact the GPIO pins have a secondary inboard breakout is nice... **IF** the components had actually fit. MEGAshield KIT for Arduino MEGA 2560 R3Processor Accessories Mega Protoshield for ArduinoElectronics-Salon 1x Prototype PCB for Arduino Mega 2560 R3 Shield Board DIY.

I have a love/hate relationship with these boards. Great quality boards, nice layout, very poor connectors.The main issues are caused by the thin pins from the stackable headers which result in many poor connections to the Mega boards from some vendors. I've tried various combinations of other expansion boards and Mega boards from several vendors. While these connectors do mate OK with an official Arduino Mega, they result in very poor connections to several different (brand new) Elegoo Mega boards. eg only 3 out of 8 ADC8-15 pins worked! The video shows the 3 steady pins and the other 5 flicker like crazy due to the poor connectors.The Elegoo Mega boards work fine with other vendor's more sturdy (and thicker) connectors such as Adafruit's protoshield (see comparison photo) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0137IMQYY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 or the Electronics-Salon connectors. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073CNX6ZQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1Since reliable connectors are so important, I'd think twice about buying this item until Gikfun can improve the connectors.

The pins on this shield are longer than those of other protoshields I have used. On first thought, longer pins should be good because they create a greater standoff distance between the protoshield and the Arduino, thereby preventing solder spots on the underside of the shield from touching Arduino components (such as the USB Jack). However, I found that it is extremely difficult to align the pins with the matching headers on the Arduino. I dread the idea of having to pull this protoshield off and put it back on many times during the development of the custom circuit I am trying to wire up on the shield. Indeed, I decided to return the item but it is already past the return window so I am stuck with it. Amazon sells at least two other protoshields for the Arduino Mega that are much easier to attach and detach because they have shorter pins.

I should have read the other reviews instead I just read the hype on the web page. I do a lot of prototyping and Arduino builds. There is Nothing to like about these boards, lettering is tiny, headers are bent and misaligned, board holes are way too small and more. Will be returning these to Amazon.