SparkFun SAMD21 Dev Breakout

The SparkFun SAMD21 Dev Breakout is a powerful tool for anyone looking to upgrade from older 8-bit/16MHz microcontrollers. It's built around the Atmel ATSAMD21G18, a 32-bit ARM Cortex-M0+ processor with 256KB flash, 32KB SRAM, and an operating speed of up to 48MHz. This device is designed to solve the issues of low storage limits and dynamic memory stack overflows that have been a challenge with previous Arduino family iterations. The SparkFun SAMD21 Dev Breakout is also fully supported in the Arduino IDE and libraries for the Arduino Zero.

The SparkFun SAMD21 Dev Breakout features a USB interface for programming and power, an RTC crystal, and a 600mA 3.3V regulator. It also includes extra GPIO pins and an integrated LiPo charger, thanks to the extra PCB real-estate of the Pro R3. Powering the SAMD21 Breakout board is easy - simply plug it into a USB port on your computer via the micro-B port on the breakout. It also comes with a LiPo Battery connector for a single-cell 3.7-4.2V lithium-polymer battery, and an unpopulated supply input to solder on your own PTH Barrel Jack. The pinout is consistent with previous Arduino models, meeting the Arduino 1.0 footprint standard, including a separate SPI header and additional I²C header.

What sets the SAMD21 apart is SERCOM – a set of six configurable serial interfaces that can be transformed into a UART, I²C master, I²C slave, SPI master, or SPI slave. SERCOM offers flexibility as the ports can be multiplexed, allowing you to choose which task each pin is assigned.

The SparkFun SAMD21 Dev Breakout comes with a comprehensive online hookup guide containing step-by-step instructions on how to connect your device, as well as circuit examples to test out. The guide includes full example code, explanations, and troubleshooting tips to ensure a smooth setup process.

Please note: The breakout does not come with headers or a 2.1mm barrel jack installed. These will need to be purchased and soldered on separately.

Key Features:

• ATSAMD21G18 32-bit/48MHz ARM Cortex-M0+
• 256KB Flash Memory
• 32KB SRAM
• 32KB of EEPROM (emulated in Flash)
• 30 GPIO Count
• 14 ADC Channels at 12-bit Resolution
• Analog-to-Digital and Digital-to-Analog Converters (ADC & DAC)
• Vin: 4.2V-6.0V for charger - otherwise 3.5V-6.0V
• VBATT: 3.7V Lipo
• VCC: 600mA @3.3V
• Arduino R3 Layout
• Integrated USB Controller

Supporting Documents:

• Schematic
• Eagle Files
• Hookup Guide
• Graphical Datasheet
• Datasheet (ATSAMD21G18)
• GitHub (Design Files)