Types of Arduino Boards: Comparison of Specification and Features

In the world of electronics, Arduino boards have revolutionized, providing different types of options for students and highly professional engineers. Different types of Arduino boards come with different features and specifications. In this tutorial, we will discuss each Arduino board. Let's get started!

Entry Level Boards

Arduino Uno

It is open source based on the ATmega328P microcontroller. It is a commonly used Arduino board and the best option for making projects  and programming different components

It has 14 digital pinouts that are input and output configured.  Out of 14  six are PWM output pins with also have size analog input pinout and USB connection. It comes with a 16 MHz ceramic resonator, a power jack, a reset button, and an ICSP header. It gets power from a USB connection or outer power sources. Arduino IDE is used to program this module. IDE also configured with Mac, Linux, and Windows

Arduino Nano

It is compact and configured with an ATmega328P microcontroller. It operated with Mini-B USB and did not have power JACk. It is used in robots, and home automation projects.  it comes with

• Reset button
• 14 digital input and output pins
• Mini-B USB connector
• ICSP header
• ceramic resonator  having 16 MHz
• Power LED

Arduino Micro

It is small sized and comes with an ATmega32U4 microcontroller, that provides good operating features instead of small size. These boards are used in projects where space is the main parameter. it comes with twenty digital input and output pins, a 16 MHZ oscillator, an ICSP header, a USB connection, and a reset button. It comes with all features that can be easily configured with a microcontroller just make connections with a computer with the use of micro USB and start work.

Key Features

Compact Size: These boards come with a size that is best to make robots and custom input devices

Built-in USB: These boards come with a built-in USB interface, which reduces the use of other devices and makes it an easy process for the program

6 PWM Channels: It has 6 PWM modulation channels that are used to connect different devices like LED motors and provide accurate operation

12-bit ADC: For measurement of analog signals it uses12-bit Analog-to-Digital Converter

Arduino Leonardo

It is an ATmega32U4 microcontroller, that is not used for computing power and also has features to work as a keyboard mouse to program accordingly. These features make it possible to use interactive interfaces, intelligent control, and creative input techniques. Arduino Leonardo's common examples are Blink an LED, Controlling a servo motor temperature sensor reading

Key Features

Mouse and Keyboard Emulation: These features make it useful for gaming peripherals, automation systems, and interactive installations

Versatility: it comes with the versatility of conventional Arduino boards, and can connect different types of sensors, communion modules, and actuators

USB: it has built-in USB connectivity, and programming, and communication with computers can be done easily

4. I/O Pins: It comes with twenty inputs and output pins

5. Open-source Nature: it comes with open-source software and hardware,

Arduino UNO R3

It is based on the ATmega328P microcontroller and comes with 14 digital inputs and outputs pinout with six pins are PWM output. It also has six analog input pinouts, a 16 MHZ quartz crystal reset button, and a power jack. It is best for studies and hobbyists who want to work in basic programming learning and electronic project creation

Arduino PRO Mini

it is based on an ATmega328P microcontroller, las Arduino UNO configured. it does not have USB interfacing built in and a voltage regulator that makes it power effective and small in size. There is an external ETDI used to upload code to this module. Its small size makes it effective for less power projects and small-size electronics

 Arduino Nano Every

The Arduino Nano Every is an updated typeclassic Arduino Nano. it is also configured with an ATmega4809 microcontroller and comes with 14 digital input/output pins, a reset button, 16 MHz quartz crystal, 8 analog inputs, and a USB connection. it is more powerful and has more features than older Arduino.

 Arduino Mega2560 Rev3

It is a larger and high powerful Arduino board. It has an ATmega2560 microcontroller with 54 digital inputs and output pins with 15 PWM outputs, 16 analog inputs, a power jack, a USB connection, and 4 UARTs. These boards are the the best option for projects that need a larger number of pins and many connections like  3D printers and robotics projects.

Enhanced Features Boards

Arduino Nano 33 BLE

Arduino Nano 33 BLE also has a  compact board configured with an nRF52840 microcontroller. That comes with  Bluetooth Low Energy and a 9-axis Inertial Measurement Unit. These boars are used in wireless communication and motion sensor projects

Arduino MKR Zero

it is an Atmel SAMD21 microcontroller-based Arduino. It comes with a 32-bit ARM Cortex-M0+ core and is employed in high-speed computation and low-power and uses projects. With that preferred for robotics, and IoT applications. It comes with 32 Built-in LED Pin, 7 (ADC 8/10/12 bit) and 1 (DAC 10 bit). it uses UART and SPI protocols

Arduino UNO WIFI Rev2

It is an updated type of classic Arduino UNO, that comes with a conventional UNO design and built-in Wi-Fi features of the ESP32 module. It helps to make connections with the internet easily and is also employed in  remote monitoring circuits

Arduino Due

it is an Atmel SAM3X8E ARM Cortex-M3 CPU-compatible board. It offers a higher level of boosting in operation than AVR-configured Arduino boards, so used in complicated projects that need high computational power and multitasking operations. it has 54 digital inputs and output pins 12 analog inputs 84 MHZ clocks and a USB OTG-capable connection with two DAC

Arduino MKR Vidor 4000

it is different from other boards due to the flexibility of an FPGA  with the easy use of the Arduino platform. It is best for projects that use signal processing, hardware acceleration,  and digital logic designs.

Arduino Zero

it is configured with an Atmel SAMD21 microcontroller and has a 32-bit ARM Cortex-M0+ core. it is employed in embedded systems, IoT IoT-based projects and uses less power. It has 32KB SRAM memory units, 256KB Flash,  and an RTC of 32.768 kHz

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IoT Boards

Arduino Nano 33 IoT

Its  nRF52840 microcontroller helps to use them in IoT-based projects offering  BLE and Wi-Fi connectivity.  Its operating Voltage is 3.3V, its Input Voltage (limit) is 21V, its Clock Speed is  48MHz, 256KB flash memory unit is 32KB SRAM.

Arduino MKR FOX 1200

The MKR FOX 1200 comes with a Sigfox module, providing communication with the Sigfox network. It is best for low-power and long-range IoT projects where energy efficiency is needed. it has Micro USB (USB-B) and comes with SAMD21 Cortex M0+ 32bit low power ARM MCU. It has 6 LED Pin and Analog Input Pins 7 (ADC 8/10/12 bit). Uses UART, SPI protocol

Arduino MKR WAN 1300/1310

They are made to work for LoRa WAN (Low Range Wide Area Network) communication, preferred for long-range wireless communication. They are used for low power uses and long-range connectivity, for example, environmental monitoring and agriculture-based circuits. it comes with SAMD21 Cortex-M0+ 32bit low power ARM MCU. Its power supply is five volts, the Circuit Operating Voltage is 3.3V, comes with 8 Digital I/O Pins.

Arduino MKR GSM 1400

It comes with a GSM module, they are used in cellular communication. It was used for projects that needed remote data transmission with different cellular networks, and used in projects that were configured with cellular coverage. it has a SAMD21 Cortex-M0+ 32bit power ARM MCU with Li-Po Single-Cell battery compatibility.

Arduino MKR WIFI 1010

It offers a Wi-Fi connection, employed for projects needing high-speed internet access. it is configured to the ESP32 module and has a good balance between operation and power uses

Arduino MKR NB 1500

They are made for Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) communication used for low-power uses and come with long-range connectivity in different applications. Used in energy-efficient and long-range communications

Arduino Nano RP2040 Connect

is based on the Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller and comes with this board Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections.

Portenta H7

The Portenta H7 is a powerful board have dual-core ARM Cortex-M7 and Cortex-M4 microcontrollers. The Circuit Operating Voltage is 3.3V and time is 22x timers and watchdogs. It also has 4x ports of UART

Arduino nano vs uno

Arduino uno vs nano

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Arduino boards comparison

Here comparison of different types of Arduino boards has explained

Arduino uno rev3 vs r3

The difference between Arduino uno and esp32

Arduino Board features

Arduino applications

• Home automation: Arduino is used for automated operations in homes in homes like on the light when entering in room, watering plants, and adjusting temperature
• Wearable devices: It is also used to make wearable devices like fitness trackers, health monitors, and smartwatches.
• Internet of Things (IoT) devices: It is used to make IoT-based projects that get and send data through the internet.
• Robotics: It is also used to make robots that are also used for controlling the motor's motion, sensors, and other related components.
• LED matrix display: It is used to make an LED matrix display that can be employed to display text and animations. or images
• Musical instruments: It is used for the creation of musical instruments, like drum machines, synthesizers,  and guitars.
• Line follower robot: It is also employed to make a line follower robot that can navigate a maze or follow a line on the ground
• Weather station: it is also used for the creation of weather stations that can measure humidity, temperature,  wind speed, and other weather conditions.

Conclusion

In conclusion, discussing the complicated world of Arduino boards and making comparisons in their features offers details for both beginners and professional engineers of electronics. Through these features, we can learn that Arduino has revolutionized the world with electronic projects and applications.

The Arduino Uno which comes with a user-friendly design and community support works as the best entry-level component for the fundamentals of microcontroller programming.   Arduino Mega works as a powerhouse for complicated projects providing different numbers of pins and is used for large-scale projects needing different connections and functionalities. To handle projects that need space parameters compact Arduino Nano is the best option providing the innovation within confined dimensions. There are some advanced levels of boards like Arduino Due and Arduino Zero employed by professionals and engineers to get high-performance applications, increasing the uses and boundaries of Arduino technology

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