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Arduino Buyers Guide

Introduction

This is a guide on all the different Arduinos available to help you choose the right board for your project.

Arduino Uno

The Arduino Uno is the most common Arduino because it has a normal amount of I/O. Also, there is no need to solder.

Arduino Leonardo

The Leonardo has the same form-factor as the Uno but can be used as an HID device, like a gamepad or "button box" and such.

Arduino Mega 2560

The Mega 2560 is extremely common. It has over three times I/O than the Uno. If you need a lot of LEDs, or pins to use, the Mega is a good choice for this.

Arduino Due

The Due also has a lot of I/O, has more memory than the Mega 2560 which also makes it a great starter board.

Arduino Micro

The Micro is good to use on a breadboard. It's also compact and has the same chip as the Leonardo.

Arduino Nano

The Nano has the same chip as the Uno so can be used in a final product. Many times it's easiest to prototype on an Uno, then when all the debugging is done, use the Nano for the final product.

Arduino Zero

The Zero uses 3.3V instead of the normal 5V. Also it is a 32-bit board so it can process a lot faster.

Arduino Board Comparison

Below is a chart of the more common Arduino boards with their key specifications and use cases.

NameUnoLeonardoMega 2560MicroDueNanoZero
MICROCONTROLLERATmega328PATmega32u4ATmega2560ATmega32U4AT91SAM3X8EATmega328ATSAMD21G18
OPERATING VOLTAGE5V5V5V5V3.3V5V3.3V
INPUT VOLTAGE (RECOMMENDED)7-12V7-12V7-12V7-12V7-12V7-12V6-12V
INPUT VOLTAGE (LIMIT)6-20V6-20V6-20VN/A6-16V8V6-12V
DIGITAL I/O PINS14205420542220
PWM DIGITAL I/O PINS6716712610
ANALOG INPUT PINS6126121266 (12-bit)
DC CURRENT PER I/O PIN20 mA40 mA20 mA20 mA22 mA40 mA16 mA
DC CURRENT FOR 3.3V PIN50 mA50 mA50 mA50 mA800 mA7 mA
FLASH MEMORY32 KB32 KB256 KB32 KB512 KB32 KB256 KB
SRAM2 KB2.5 KB8 KB2.5 KB96 KB2 KB32 KB
EEPROM1 KB1 KB4 KB1 KB512 KB1 KB
CLOCK SPEED16 MHz16 MHz16 MHz16 MHz84 MHz16 MHz48 MHz
LED_BUILTIN13131313131313
LENGTH68.6 mm68.6 mm101.52 mm48 mm101.52 mm18 mm68 mm
WIDTH53.4 mm53.3 mm53.3 mm18 mm53.3 mm45 mm53 mm
WEIGHT25 g20 g37 g13 g36 g7 g12 g

Released under the MIT License.