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What do you get if you cross an Arduino with a Raspberry Pi Zero? That may be a unusual query, however stranger nonetheless is that we now know the reply, and might maintain it in our arms! EspinalLab’s ATMegaZero 32U4 takes the ATmega32u4 microcontroller present in Arduino’s Leonardo board and mixes issues up by together with the 40-pin header discovered on Raspberry Pis, in addition to incorporating the diminutive kind issue of the Raspberry Pi Zero. However is that this board greater than a freaky mashup impressed by two maker titans?
Half Arduino, half Pi…all straightforward and expandable!
The very first thing that stands out past the preliminary Frankenstien kind issue is the standard of ATMegaZero’s documentation and sources. Usually with small-batch boards, a singular proposition is stifled by poor documentation or help, however EspinalLab have clearly put quite a lot of effort into not making this error. Their documentation web site options detailed specs, pinouts, setup directions, and examples. The ATMegaZero makes use of Arduino’s growth atmosphere, making it superb for newcomers, and a customized Board Supervisor definition signifies that the Third-party board can be utilized identical to Arduino’s personal {hardware}.
No board evaluation could be full with out blinking an LED, however for the reason that ATMegaZero is totally Arduino-compatible, and includes a built-in LED on the Arduino customary pin 13, it’s so simple as choosing the ATMegaZero board and port, and operating Arduino’s built-in Blink sketch!
Pin parity with Pi
When you’re prepared to maneuver past blinky, ATMegaZero’s Studying Protect furnishes three LEDs, a push button, and a buzzer – we used it to create a mini gentle tree for very tiny vehicles to make use of when beginning a race! As a result of stackable nature of the ATMegaZero, you may actually develop your board as you develop your expertise, with choices just like the RTC (real-time clock) Protect to assist hold time, even when the facility’s gone, or the Lipo Protect to present you energy on the go.
The Sensors Protect opens up a complete new world of prospects, with temperature, humidity, gentle degree, barometric strain, and air high quality sensors, plus a six-axis accelerometer and built-in RTC. Full your stack with the Relay Protect, and management 4 exterior units, as much as 220V/10W. Then high it off with the obtainable OLED show, which takes benefit of the ATMegaZero’s built-in show port (reverse the microSD, the place a digital camera port would ordinarily be discovered on the Raspberry Pi Zero), and an ESP-01S ESP8266 Wi-Fi module to get your system on-line.
Stack ’em in the event you acquired ’em!
Past the collection of shields supplied by ATMegaZero, the 40-pin kind issue additionally offers compatibility with some Raspberry Pi HATs and pHATs. Because the board is 5V, not like the Pi’s 3.3V, this reduces the pool of usable {hardware}, though there are nonetheless a lot of obtainable choices. One nice instance is Pimoroni’s Scroll HAT Mini, which matches the Zero kind issue and offers a brilliant 17×7 charlieplexed LED show for scrolling textual content or animations. Along with logic degree, compatibility is commonly hindered by software program incompatibility, on condition that the ATMegaZero is an Arduino-compatible microcontroller, whereas the Raspberry Pi is a Linux-based single-board laptop. Fortunately ATMegaZero present a wide array of their very own shields, that are assured to work with the 32U4.
ATMegaZero 32U4 with 5V-compatible HAT
Whereas it could appear counterintuitive, this Raspberry Pi-looking board is definitely an effective way to get began with Arduino! Wonderful documentation, its personal ecosystem of growth boards, and the potential capability to transcend its native capabilities with 5V Raspberry Pi HATs and pHATs signifies that ATMegaZero isn’t just an effective way to get began, however an important platform for prototyping and constructing any variety of tasks.
The ATMegaZero 32U4 actually grows along with your expertise
Standout options:
Raspberry Pi-compatible header pinsRich ecosystem of ATMegaZero-designed shields and broader Pi-compatible pHATsGreat documentation and examples
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