Budget & Equipment Plan
A five-year, ~4,000 RMB equipment strategy: digital-first early grades, class hardware kits that accumulate year over year, and an all-free software stack chosen for reliability in China.
Operating assumption: 2,000–3,000 RMB per year for the entire Design department. All numbers below are typical Taobao prices as of 2026; actual prices fluctuate and bulk-buying improves them. The strategy has three principles:
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1. Digital first. Grades 6 and 7 rely entirely on free, open-source, or in-browser software. This preserves budget for hardware purchases in upper grades.
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2. Class kits, not personal kits. Hardware stays in the Design classroom in labeled bins. Students check components in and out. Kits rotate across Grades 8–10.
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3. Accumulate over years. Each year’s budget expands the kit rather than replacing it. By year five of this curriculum, the lab will have enough equipment for multiple simultaneous project teams.
Year-by-Year Spend Plan
| Year | Purchases | Estimated Cost (RMB) | Running Lab Value |
| Yr 1 | Consumables only: card stock, markers, sticky notes, printer paper. All reusable paper-prototyping materials live in Design classroom bins. | ~200 | 200 |
| Yr 2 | FIRST MAJOR HARDWARE BUY: • 15 × Arduino Nano clone boards @ ~15 RMB = 225 • 15 × breadboard (830 tie-point) @ ~10 RMB = 150 • Jumper wire sets (male-male, male-female) = 80 • LED kit (mixed colors, 200 pcs) = 50 • Resistor assortment (220Ω, 1kΩ, 10kΩ) = 30 • Push-buttons (50 pcs) = 20 • Passive buzzers (15 pcs) = 50 • USB cables (type A to mini-B for Nanos) = 75 • Storage bins and labels = 100 Optional alternative: 15 × micro:bit v2 clones @ ~80 RMB = 1200 (pricier but gentler learning curve). | 780 (Arduino route) 1800 (micro:bit route — exceeds budget; Arduino route recommended) | ~980 |
| Yr 3 | SENSOR EXPANSION: • HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensors (15 pcs) = 150 • DHT11 temp/humidity sensors (15 pcs) = 100 • LDR light sensors (30 pcs) = 30 • PIR motion sensors (10 pcs) = 80 • SG90 servo motors (15 pcs) = 75 • Battery holders (AA 4-cell, 15 pcs) = 75 • AA batteries (bulk) = 100 • Replacement consumables (jumpers, LEDs) = 150 Reserve: 500–700 for unforeseen needs / breakage. | ~760 + reserve | ~1740 |
| Yr 4 | MOTION & CONTROL: • L298N motor drivers (10 pcs) = 80 • Small DC geared motors (15 pcs) = 120 • Chassis / wheels / caster kits for 5 small robots = 300 • Small RC receiver+transmitter pair (1–2 for demo) = 200 • TFT or OLED display modules (5 pcs) = 150 • Replacement consumables = 150 Reserve: 500–700 for student-requested special components. | ~1000 + reserve | ~2740 |
| Yr 5 | CONNECTIVITY & CAPSTONE: • ESP32 dev boards (10 pcs) = 300 • MicroSD module + cards (for data logging) = 100 • LED matrix / NeoPixel strips (5m assorted) = 200 • Replacement consumables = 200 • Student-requested parts for open challenge = 300–500 Reserve: remaining 300–500 for next-year startup / replacements. | ~1100 + reserve | ~3840 |
Five-Year Running Total
By the end of Year 5, cumulative spend is approximately 3,840 RMB — well under the conservative 5-year budget ceiling of 10,000–15,000 RMB (5 × 2,000–3,000). The unspent annual reserve accumulates as a working float, usable for: replacing broken components, responding to student proposals in the open challenge, small emergency purchases (e.g., a failed laptop power supply), or carrying forward to add more advanced equipment (a shared 3D printer, for example, at 1,500–2,500 RMB).
Sourcing Notes for China
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Taobao / 1688: Cheapest route. Arduino Nano clones reliably work for classroom use. Buy 20% extra of consumables to cover breakage.
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Local stationery / Hutou / Zhihui markets: Good for paper goods, storage bins, basic crafting supplies.
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JD.com: More reliable for legitimate branded goods (e.g., actual micro:bits, ESP32 official boards) at somewhat higher prices but faster delivery and genuine products.
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School procurement: If the school’s procurement process allows, bulk-ordering for the 5-year plan in advance may unlock better prices.
Software Stack — All Free / Open-Source
| Purpose | Tool | VPN Needed? | Notes |
| Raster graphics | Krita (desktop) or Photopea (web) | No for Krita; Photopea accessible in-country | Both excellent; Krita preferred for stability |
| Vector graphics | Inkscape | No | Mature, free, identical to pro tools |
| UI/UX design | Figma (free tier) OR Penpot (open-source) | Figma may need VPN; Penpot self-hostable | Penpot is the China-safe option |
| Video editing | DaVinci Resolve (free version) | No | Professional-grade; runs locally |
| Audio editing | Audacity | No | Simple, reliable |
| 3D modeling | Tinkercad (web) / Blender (desktop) | Tinkercad may need VPN; Blender no | Blender is the durable choice |
| Web editor | VS Code | No | Free, excellent |
| Game making | MakeCode Arcade (web) / Scratch / Godot / Unity | MakeCode / Scratch generally OK | Scratch has a China mirror |
| Physical computing | Arduino IDE / MakeCode for micro:bit | No | Local install; no dependency |
| Data viz | Flourish (free tier) / Datawrapper / Google Sheets | Flourish may need VPN | Sheets as fallback |
| Design journal | Google Docs / OneNote / Obsidian | Google needs VPN; OneNote generally OK | OneNote is the safest default |
| AI — general reasoning | DeepSeek (primary), Kimi, Doubao, Wenxin | No VPN for any of these | DeepSeek is the workhorse |
| AI — image generation | Doubao image, Jimeng AI | No VPN | Light classroom use only |
| AI — enrichment (home only) | Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini | VPN required; unreliable at school scale | Not required for any assessment |