Which Arduino?

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andymessier
 
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Which Arduino?

Post by andymessier »

I'm wondering if someone could recommend which Arduino I should use as a replacement for the Arduino Zero or Arduino M0 Pro. The problem I'm having with the Metro is that the dedicated serial port is used for the USB connection and I'd like to use it for a peripheral. Is there a readability available replacement for the native USB-capable Arduino boards that leave the serial port free? Thanks!!

Andy

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dastels
 
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Re: Which Arduino?

Post by dastels »

What are your requirements? Size? Performance? memory? etc.

As for the serial port, any of the newer MCUs have dedicated, builtin USB support leaving the serial port free for your use. I don't have experience with recent Arduino branded boards, but I expect the same comment applies.

I generally advise something with a SAMD51 or nRF52840 MCU (depending on your needs). For hobbyist use there's not much point getting anything less capable. If you are going into mass production then minimizing the cost makes sense.

Dave

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andymessier
 
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Re: Which Arduino?

Post by andymessier »

Thanks. In terms of requirements I's using these two sheilds:
  • Adafruit 1.8" Color TFT Shield w/microSD and Joystick - v 2
  • Adafruit Ultimate GPS Logger Shield - Includes GPS Module
I tried using a Metro but it seemed incompatible with the hardware UART. I know the GPS sheild can use a soft UART .. but I'd prefer to use the hardware one since I plan on subscribing to some of the higher rate NMEA messages. My application currently is running on an M0 Pro .. but they appear to be discontinued. From what I can tell the Zero would work but it is also not readily available.

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dastels
 
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Re: Which Arduino?

Post by dastels »

There are various Metros... which one do you try?

Dave

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westfw
 
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Re: Which Arduino?

Post by westfw »

"Metro M0 Express" is pretty similar to the Arduino Zero, except it doesn't have the mEDBG chip and uses a direct USB connection for upload and "Serial.xxx" (Serial1 on pins 0/1 is fully separate, and there are additional pins that can also be set up to implement hardware serial ports.)

Metro M4 likewise, with a bigger and beefier CPU.

Don't let the "designed for circuitPython" fool you; that mostly means that they also have an additional SPI flash chip for storing python libraries (or, anything you want, really), but that doesn't mean that they aren't usable as Arduino boards.

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dastels
 
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Re: Which Arduino?

Post by dastels »

"designed for circuitPython" means it will run CircuitPython which is, itself, a C++ program just like any Arduino sketch (albeit significantly more complex that the typical Arduino sketch).

Dave

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andymessier
 
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Re: Which Arduino?

Post by andymessier »

Thank you all! The METRO M0 Express will indeed do the job. I'm not sure how I missed it (I have the standard Metro, but I'll put that board to some other good use and buy some M0's).

Much appreciated!

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