Where to go to buy Mega2560 R3?

Model Prusa i3
This is probably the millionth time someone asked this question, but where should I turn to for the Mega board? My first printer I built with the kit bought from Ultimachine where the RAMPS1.4 came with the Mega2560. It came as a group project so someone bought the parts for me. Now it's time for me to build my own Prusa i3 printer and buy the parts myself. I look on Ebay and Mega2560 R3 (looks identical to the one on Ultimachine website.) However the cost is about 40$ less for Ebay one. Now I'm very green when it comes to buying stuff myself. Now it's not just Ultimachine but there's quite a few vendors selling the RAMPS and Mega boards. Any suggestions?

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ttttrigg3r
Model Prusa i3
This is probably the millionth time someone asked this question, but where should I turn to for the Mega board? My first printer I built with the kit bought from Ultimachine where the RAMPS1.4 came with the Mega2560. It came as a group project so someone bought the parts for me. Now it's time for me to build my own Prusa i3 printer and buy the parts myself. I look on Ebay and Mega2560 R3 (looks identical to the one on Ultimachine website.) However the cost is about 40$ less for Ebay one. Now I'm very green when it comes to buying stuff myself. Now it's not just Ultimachine but there's quite a few vendors selling the RAMPS and Mega boards. Any suggestions?

I got my ramps1.4/lcd/mega r3 for about 45$ shipped from aliexpress. It came with the drivers and jumpers as well. Its working just dandy for the price. I have seen mega R3 go for about 15$. They should do the job.

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Modicum V1 sold on e-bay user jaguarking11

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ttttrigg3r
where should I turn to for the Mega board?

An Arduino Mega? From Arduino, of course. Odd question.

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Generation 7 Electronics	Teacup Firmware	RepRap DIY

Buying an original Mega2560 from Adafruit, Sparkfun, or Arduino will run something like $65 I believe, but you are buying an official Arduino, supporting the original creator, and can have confidence you are buying a reliable board with the correct components installed as opposed to cheaper "alternatives".

The project is open however, and I believe you can buy alternative boards in the $40 price range from places like SainSmart and RepRapDiscount. These boards usually come in different colors and have been rebranded to distinguish them from official Arduino's. I think RepRapDiscount also has made revisions to some models in order to support 24V power supplies.

Finally there are clones. Cheap boards running from $10-$25 with questionable soldering, substitute chips (from what I have read), and didn't even bother changing the silk screen on the boards. In most cases they should be fine and if not, you are still saving money when you buy a second board. The big problem with clones is some people think they are purchasing an Arduino when they are not. In a perfect world, no one would buy the clones / counterfeits until the manufacturers change the silk screening to clarify them as after market or made in china.

Mine says its made in italy....... yahhhh. The rule is you do get what you pay for. My arduino has been flawless. It has been working its butt off on my printer and has not shown any signs of problems. The ramps 1.4 I bought has two short comings, 16v caps and mosfets that are not really up to high spec. I ordered mosfets for the board just in case I have to swap them out, however I can say even the original ones have not been too bad, they are not getting ungodly hot either. As for the caps the 16v caps are not up to the task of runing a 24v+ system, however they are close enough for my 12v psu. I have more amperage than I know what to do with so its fine in my book.

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Modicum V1 sold on e-bay user jaguarking11

If you're in the USA, most Radio Shack locations around me have pegboards full of what I believe is the real deal Mega 2560 R3 for $59.99:

Radio Shack - You've got questions? We've got blank stares! Wanna buy a cell phone?