Arduino Due AT91SAM3X8E ARM Cortex-M3 Dev Board w/ USB

Description

The Arduino Due is a robust microcontroller board built around the Atmel SAM3X8E ARM Cortex-M3 CPU, delivering significantly enhanced processing power compared to traditional 8-bit Arduino boards. It boasts 54 digital input/output pins, including 12 capable of PWM output, along with 12 analog inputs, 4 hardware UARTs, and an 84 MHz clock speed. Connectivity options include a USB OTG capable port, 2 DACs (digital to analog converters), 2 TWI interfaces, an SPI header, and a JTAG header for advanced debugging.

Memory architecture includes 512KB of flash memory for program storage, arranged in two 256KB blocks, and 96KB of SRAM, split into 64KB and 32KB banks. The bootloader is factory pre-burned into a dedicated ROM. A convenient onboard erase button allows for quick clearing of the SAM3X’s flash memory, removing the currently loaded sketch. To erase, simply press and hold the Erase button for a few seconds while the board is powered.

The Due adheres to the Arduino 1.0 pinout, ensuring compatibility with many existing Arduino shields that operate at 3.3V. It incorporates TWI pins (SDA and SCL) near the AREF pin and an IOREF pin, which enables connected shields to adapt to the board’s voltage, supporting both 3.3V (Due) and 5V (AVR-based) boards. Crucially, the Due operates at 3.3V; supplying higher voltages like 5V to any I/O pin can permanently damage the board.