Speaking of little things making a big difference, I just got this little board called “Teensy” to try things on.
Here are some basic specs as compared to some popular Arduino models:
Board | Teensy 3.1 | Arduino Uno R3 | Arduino Micro | Arduino Nano 3.x | Arduino Due |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Processor | Freescale K20 (Kinetis) Cortex-M4 (ARM) 72MHz | Atmel ATmega328 16MHz | Atmel ATmega32u4 16MHz | Atmel ATmega328 16MHz | Atmel SAM3X8E (ARM) Cortex-M3 84MHz |
Flash | 256kB | 32kB | 32kB | 32kB | 512kB |
SRAM | 64kB | 2kB | 1.5kB | 2KB | 96kB |
EEPROM | 2kB | 1kB | 1kB | 1kB | |
Digital I/O | 34 (12 PWM) 3.3V (5V tolerant!) | 14 (6 PWM) 5V | 20 (7 PWM) 5V | 14 (6 PWM) 5V | 54 (12 PWM) 3.3V |
Analog In (ADC) | 21 (13-bit) | 6 (10-bit) | 12 (10-bit) | 8 (10-bit) | 12 (12-bit) |
Analog Out (DAC) | 1 (12-bit) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 (12-bit) |
Cost | $20 | $25 | $25 | $35 | $50 |
With its 256kB of Flash, 64kB of RAM, and 72MHz processor, it fits between an Arduino Uno and Arduino Due in capabilities, although closer to the Arduino Due, which has 512kB of RAM. It is roughly the cost of the Arduino Uno, with almost all the capabilities of the Arduino Due!
And all that in a roughly 13mm x 36mm size board!
I see great things coming…
Yummy, yummy!
(Above: 5 Teensies in a box of gum. Wonder what I’ll do with them??)