Choosing a Microcontroller
Choosing a Microcontroller: Popular Boards & Variants
Last updated
Choosing a Microcontroller: Popular Boards & Variants
Last updated
Overview: The Arduino UNO R3 is one of the most popular microcontroller boards globally, especially for beginners. It is known for its robustness, extensive documentation, and large community support .
Key Features:
MCU: ATmega328P, 8-bit AVR .
Clock Speed: 16 MHz .
Memory: 32 KB Flash, 1 KB EEPROM, 2 KB SRAM .
I/O Pins: 14 digital I/O pins (6 with PWM), 6 analog input pins .
Host Interface: USB-B (via ATmega16U2/8U2) .
Operating Voltage: 5V .
Best For: Learning, prototyping, education, simple robotics .
Typical Price: ₹500–700 / $7–10.
Key Features:
Typical Price: ₹350–450 / $4–6.
Key Features:
Typical Price: ₹300–500 / $3–5.
Overview: A powerful ARM Cortex-M4 board suitable for advanced robotics, signal processing, and industrial applications.
Key Features:
MCU: STM32F407 (ARM Cortex-M4).
Clock Speed: Up to 168 MHz.
Memory: 1 MB Flash, 192 KB SRAM.
I/O: Multiple GPIO, ADC, DAC, UART, SPI, I2C, CAN, USB OTG, Ethernet.
Onboard: Accelerometer, audio DAC, pushbuttons, LEDs.
Best For: Industrial automation, real-time control, advanced robotics.
Typical Price: ₹1,200–2,500 / $15–30.
Key Features:
Best For: Hobbyist projects, learning ARM Cortex-M3 development.
Key Features:
Best For: Wearables, compact robotics, breadboard prototyping, embedded devices.
Typical Price: ₹300–400 / $4–6.
Overview: An advanced variant of the ESP32 with enhancements for AI acceleration and more GPIOs, suitable for edge AI and vision tasks. Features a dual-core Xtensa LX7 processor.
Key Features:
MCU: Dual-core Xtensa LX7.
Clock Speed: Up to 240 MHz.
I/O Pins: Up to 45 GPIOs.
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 4 (802.11 b/g/n), Bluetooth 5.0 (BLE).
Special Features: AI vector instructions, USB-OTG, LCD/camera interface.
Best For: Edge AI, machine vision, complex IoT devices.
Typical Price: ₹400–600 / $4–6.
Key Features:
MCU: STM32H747, featuring a dual-core Cortex-M7 (up to 480 MHz) + Cortex-M4 (up to 240 MHz).
Memory: 2 MB Flash, 1 MB SRAM.
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Low Energy, Ethernet, CAN bus.
I/O: Advanced I/O capabilities.
Best For: Machine vision, industrial IoT, high-performance computing tasks.
Typical Price: ₹12,000–15,000 / $120–150.
Overview: A series of ultra-low-power 16-bit MCUs, well-suited for battery-powered and portable applications.
Key Features:
MCU Architecture: 16-bit RISC.
Clock Speed: Up to 16 MHz.
Memory: Up to 128 KB FRAM, 8 KB SRAM (FRAM is a non-volatile memory known for high endurance and low power).
Power: Ultra-low power consumption (e.g., 0.1 µA in sleep mode).
Peripherals: ADC, UART, SPI, I2C.
Best For: Battery-operated devices, energy harvesting applications, portable electronics.
Typical Price: ₹50–100 / $0.50–1 (for individual MCUs).
Overview: Marketed as one of the world’s smallest MCUs, designed for ultra-compact, low-power applications.
Key Features:
MCU: Arm Cortex-M0+.
Clock Speed: 32 MHz.
Memory: 16 KB Flash, 4 KB SRAM.
I/O Pins: 6 GPIO.
Peripherals: 12-bit ADC.
Package Size: 1.38 mm².
Best For: Extremely space-constrained applications, miniature sensors, disposable electronics.
Typical Price: ₹20–30 / $0.20–0.30 (for individual MCUs).
Key Features (Common to both Minima & WiFi):
UNO R4 WiFi Specific Features:
Typical Price: Varies; R4 Minima is generally less expensive than R4 WiFi.
Key Features:
Typical Price: Check current suppliers.
Key Features:
Typical Price: Varies, generally more than UNO.
Key Features:
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth.
Key Features:
Key Features:
Key Features (ATSAMD21G18A boards like Arduino Zero):
Overview: The Raspberry Pi Pico is a low-cost, high-performance microcontroller board featuring a custom dual-core ARM Cortex-M0+ chip designed by Raspberry Pi .
MCU: RP2040, Dual-core ARM Cortex-M0+ .
Clock Speed: Up to 133 MHz .
Memory: 264 KB on-chip SRAM, 2 MB on-board QSPI Flash .
I/O Pins: 26 multi-function GPIO pins, including 3 analog inputs .
Peripherals: 2x UART, 2x SPI, 2x I2C, 16 PWM Channels, 8x PIO State Machines .
Host Interface: USB 1.1 with device and host support (Micro-USB port) .
Operating Voltage: Input power 1.8V to 5.5V DC .
Best For: Robotics, embedded systems, IoT, education, projects requiring C/C++ or MicroPython .
Overview: The ESP32 is a family of low-cost, low-power system-on-a-chip microcontrollers with integrated Wi-Fi and dual-mode Bluetooth .
MCU: Xtensa dual-core (or single-core) 32-bit LX6 microprocessor .
Clock Speed: 160 or 240 MHz .
Memory: 520 KiB SRAM, 448 KiB ROM (Flash memory varies, e.g., 4MB typical) .
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.2 BR/EDR and BLE .
I/O Pins: 34 programmable GPIOs, 10 touch sensors .
Peripherals: 2x 12-bit SAR ADCs (up to 18 channels), 2x 8-bit DACs, 4x SPI, 2x I2S, 2x I2C, 3x UART, Ethernet MAC, CAN bus 2.0, PWM, Hall sensor, infrared remote controller .
Security: Secure boot, flash encryption, cryptographic hardware acceleration (AES, SHA-2, RSA, ECC, RNG) .
Best For: IoT applications, wireless sensor networks, smart devices, robotics .
Overview: A cheap and popular development board based on the ARM Cortex-M3 microprocessor .
MCU: ARM Cortex-M3 .
Clock Speed: 72 MHz .
Memory: 64 KB Flash, 20 KB RAM .
I/O Pins: 37 GPIO pins, 10 analog input pins (12-bit resolution), 12 PWM pins .
Peripherals: 2x I2C, 2x SPI, 1x CAN 2.0 .
Operating Voltage: 2.7V to 3.6V .
Overview: A compact version of the Arduino UNO, ideal for breadboard projects and designs where space is limited. It uses the ATmega328P (or ATmega168 in older versions) .
MCU: ATmega328P (for v3.0) or ATmega168 .
Clock Speed: 16 MHz .
Memory (ATmega328P version): 32 KB Flash, 1 KB EEPROM, 2 KB SRAM .
I/O Pins: 14 digital I/O pins (6 PWM), 8 analog input pins .
Host Interface: USB-Mini (FTDI FT232R for older versions) .
Operating Voltage: 5V .
Memory: (Varies by module, ESP32-S3-MINI-1-N8 used in UNO R4 WiFi has 8MB Flash) . For the ESP32-S3 generally, ROM is 384kB, SRAM is 512kB .
Overview: A high-end, industrial-grade board designed for advanced applications. It features a dual-core STM32H747 microcontroller .
Overview: An update to the classic UNO, featuring a 32-bit ARM Cortex-M4. It maintains the UNO form factor and 5V operation .
MCU: Renesas RA4M1 (ARM Cortex-M4) .
Clock Speed (Main Core): 48 MHz .
Memory (RA4M1): 256 KB Flash, 32 KB SRAM . Minima also has 8 KB EEPROM .
I/O Pins: 14 digital I/O, 6 analog inputs (up to 14-bit resolution), 6 PWM .
DAC: 1 analog output (DAC) .
Operating Voltage: 5V .
Host Interface: USB-C .
Peripherals: CAN Bus, RTC, Operational Amplifier . HID support .
Co-processor: ESP32-S3-MINI-1-N8 for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth® . ESP32-S3 clock up to 240 MHz .
Connectivity: Wi-Fi®, Bluetooth® .
Onboard: 12x8 LED matrix, Qwiic I2C connector .
Best For: Upgrading UNO projects, IoT (WiFi version), projects needing more processing power/memory than R3 .
Overview: The first Arduino board based on a 32-bit ARM Cortex-M3 microcontroller. It has a large number of I/O pins and operates at 3.3V .
MCU: Atmel SAM3X8E (ARM Cortex-M3) .
Clock Speed: 84 MHz .
Memory: 512 KB Flash, 96 KB SRAM .
I/O Pins: 54 digital I/O pins (12 with PWM), 12 analog input pins .
DAC: 2 analog output pins (DAC) .
Operating Voltage: 3.3V (I/O pins are not 5V tolerant) .
Host Interface: USB (ATmega16U2 + native host) .
Best For: Projects needing high processing power, many I/O pins, true analog output, and 32-bit computations .
Overview: An 8-bit AVR microcontroller board with a significantly larger number of I/O pins and more memory than the Arduino UNO .
MCU: ATmega2560 .
Clock Speed: 16 MHz .
Memory: 256 KB Flash, 4 KB EEPROM, 8 KB SRAM .
I/O Pins: 54 digital I/O pins (15 with PWM), 16 analog input pins .
Operating Voltage: 5V .
Host Interface: USB (ATmega16U2/8U2) .
Best For: Complex projects requiring many I/O pins like 3D printers, robotics, and multi-sensor applications .
Overview: The first Arduino board to feature an ESP32 microcontroller from Espressif, specifically the u-blox NORA-W106 module (ESP32-S3) . It combines the Nano form factor with ESP32 capabilities.
MCU: u-blox NORA-W106 (ESP32-S3) .
Clock Speed: Up to 240 MHz .
Memory: 16MB Flash, 512 KB SRAM (NORA-W106 has 384kB ROM too) .
I/O Pins: 14 digital I/O (5 PWM), 8 analog input .
Operating Voltage: 3.3V .
Host Interface: USB-C .
Special Features: Supports MicroPython, Arduino Cloud enabled, USB HID emulation .
Best For: IoT projects, wireless applications in a compact form factor, MicroPython development .
Overview: Uses the ATmega32U4 microcontroller, which has built-in USB communication, allowing it to appear as a mouse or keyboard to a connected computer .
MCU: ATmega32U4 .
Clock Speed: 16 MHz .
Memory: 32 KB Flash, 1 KB EEPROM, 2.5 KB SRAM .
I/O Pins: 20 digital I/O pins (7 PWM), 12 analog input pins .
Operating Voltage: 5V .
Host Interface: USB (built into ATmega32U4) .
Best For: Projects requiring native USB capabilities (like HID emulation), general Arduino projects .
Overview: A small board co-designed with Adafruit, also based on the ATmega32U4, similar to the Leonardo but in a smaller form factor, suitable for breadboards .
MCU: ATmega32U4 .
Clock Speed: 16 MHz .
Memory: 32 KB Flash, 1 KB EEPROM, 2.5 KB SRAM .
I/O Pins: 20 digital I/O pins (7 PWM), 12 analog input pins .
Operating Voltage: 5V .
Host Interface: USB (built into ATmega32U4) .
Best For: Compact projects, HID emulation, breadboard-friendly designs .
Overview: Based on the ATSAMD21G18A, a 32-bit ARM Cortex-M0+ microcontroller. The MKR Zero is part of the MKR family, designed for IoT applications and has a smaller form factor .
MCU: ATSAMD21G18A (ARM Cortex-M0+) .
Clock Speed: 48 MHz .
Memory: 256 KB Flash, 32 KB SRAM (EEPROM can be emulated) .
I/O Pins (Arduino Zero): 14 digital I/O (12 PWM), 6 analog input, 1 analog output (DAC) .
Operating Voltage: 3.3V .
Host Interface: Native USB & EDBG Debug (Arduino Zero) .
Best For: More computationally intensive projects than 8-bit Arduinos, IoT applications (MKR series), projects needing a DAC .
Other notable microcontroller families and boards mentioned in the search results include Teensy and nRF52, often supported by libraries like SimpleFOC . These cater to various specific needs, from high-speed processing (Teensy) to low-power wireless communication (nRF52).
