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

These boards are nice and sturdy, fit perfectly on my Due, and another shield fits on top of this one just right. The pins are nice and stiff, reducing likelihood of damage when taking it off and on. Plus the power bus is super useful.I noticed some folks didn't like these shields very much, and after reading their posts I think Gikfun has modified their product a little bit to make it better. The parts arrived in a nice stiff plastic box with a hinge lid, and the inside pin hole spacing seems to be the same as any other proto shield I've seen (don't think you're supposed to use header pins on those).I like these shields, and I'm about to order a second set for a couple new projects.

Mine was delivered with all the correct fittings. But what it really needs are some interconnects between the thru holes. Kinda wish it had a DC power jack too. Otherwise it's a nice design for Mega boards.

My only complaint is the header pins... they came bent and misaligned and are difficult to plug in to the arduino. But the boards are good quality

Compared to a few other boards I've bought - this set is nice! I especially like that it has the mounting holes in it unlike the others. Soldering is easy, but a helping hand would definitely make the job easier. I used these with Max32 boards which are compatible with the Arduino Mega.

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.

The media could not be loaded. 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 ONLY minus to this product is the use of headers with rather thin pins. If you are careful with them, they only present a minor difficulty. Would I buy more? YES