When we reported about ATMegaZero, an Arduino Leonardo compatible board following Raspberry Pi Zero form factor last July it was not available for sale just yet.
The good news is that the Microchip ATmega32U4 board is now available on GroupGets for $24.99 plus shipping. The group buying campaign is expected to end around September 30th, and the boards will ship right after that.
Here’s a reminder about ATMegaZero specifications:
- MCU – Microchip ATmega32U4 microcontroller running at 16MHz with 32KB Flash, 2.5KB SRAM, 1KB EEPROM (Arduino Leonardo compatible)
- Storage – MicroSD card
- Display – 32-pin OLED display port compatible with 30-pin SSD1306 and SSD1331 based displays
- Wireless Connectivity – 8-pin header for optional ESP8266 ESP-01(s) WiFi module
- Expansion – 40-pin Raspberry Pi-inspired GPIO header with UART, SPI, I2C, analog input signals
- Debugging & Programming – Micro USB port, 6-pin ICSP header
- Misc – 4x LEDs, reset push-button
- Power Supply – 5V via micro USB port
- Dimensions – 65 x 30mm
- Weight – Around 43 grams
The board works out of the box with the Arduino IDE for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Last time around, I could not find any documentation, but a website has now been launched with more technical details and the resources to get started including the pinout diagram.
There are also a few options and add-ons on the GroupGets page including a 2.54mm pitch 2×20 dual male header ($2.95), and the ATMegaZero Protoboard ($4.95) that’s basically a breadboard that can be plugged on top of the board via the 40-pin GPIO header. Note if you need WiFi, you’ll need to purchase ESP-01 or ESP-01s module separately for a little over $1 shipped.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
Support CNX Software! Donate via cryptocurrencies, become a Patron on Patreon, or purchase goods on Amazon or Aliexpress
You can usually get an ATmega32U4 board for 4 – 7 US$, so you pay almost 20 US$ for the Raspberry Pi Zero form factor. Great idea!
Not exactly. I totally understand your point of view as a consumer looking at cheap Arduino clones in aliexpress. However, it is a different calculation for makers manufacturing low-volumes like the guys who created ATMegaZero. Right now mouser sells ATMEGA32U4-AU chip at $4.03 per single unit and for $3.34 if you buy 100 of them. So for a low-volume manufacturing of this board just the bill of materials is way more than $7.
You’re not listening to what Boris said. You can get ATmega32U4 boards for 4-7 US$. That’s a fact. Those boards are generally in the Leonardo or Pro-micro form factors. The ATMegaZero only differs from them in form factor. So, the question that Boris raises is “is the form factor really worth nearly $20?”
Trying to justify the low volume BOM problems is completely missing the point.
I read it very carefully and I understand the point of view although I don’t agree with it. At the official Arduino store Leonardo costs €18.00 (tax not included) and in aliexpress you can find a clone for $4 (with shipping). Exactly the same form factor and bill of materials. So… is it worth nearly $15 to buy an Arduino? Are the materials the same? Is the quality the same?
10 years ago Sparkfun wrote very interesting blog posts about counterfeit ATMega328. Now, a decade later counterfeit parts remain an issue, especially when buying a no-name item for significantly lower price.
Anyway, just trying to say that most probably it is NOT just the rpi zero form factor that you get with this board for nearly $20 more than a no-name Arduino Leonardo clone.
>At the official Arduino store Leonardo costs €18.00 (tax not included)
>and in aliexpress you can find a clone for $4 (with shipping).
This isn’t an Arduino though. With an Arduino you are paying for the brand. If this was an official dev kit you would be paying presumably for support..
But this is just another microcontroller board in a niche form factor.
Basically the form factor is the only “unique selling proposition” that this offers over any old board you can get on taobao and the question is does the form factor justify the increased price?
>Exactly the same form factor and bill of materials.
>So… is it worth nearly $15 to buy an Arduino?
No. The arduino is for suckers at this point. If you really want the IDE there are tons of cheaper and more capable things that’ll work with it.
>Are the materials the same? Is the quality the same?
Even the worst manufacturer in China can get a simple 2 layer PCB with a single QFN on it right.
>10 years ago Sparkfun wrote very interesting blog posts
>about counterfeit ATMega328. Now, a decade later counterfeit
>parts remain an issue, especially when buying a no-name item for >significantly lower price.
I seem to remember the counterfeits sparkfun showed were empty chip packages which wouldn’t have worked at all.
Arduino is not just the brand. By buying Arduino you support their R&D and potential new innovation. By buying a no-name Arduino clone board from ebay/aliexpress you support only commercial multiplication.
Yes, I think you are correct about the counterfeits sparkfun showed back then. Now a decade later most counterfeits work perfectly well and it is very hard to make the difference from original parts 🙂 Speaking about quality I doubt that any of the Arduino clones from ebay/aliexpress in the price range $4-$7 are with gold-plated PCBs.
To make my point clear: the price is reasonable considering that ATMegaZero is a niche developer board. In the calculations you need to include not only the BOM but also the cost for engineering work. At the end of the day it makes sense for certain very specific use cases when someone wants to put a Raspberry Pi HAT on Arduino-compatible 32U4.
Is that the same SparkFun that sold 1.2GHz TV transmitters as ‘unlicensed’? I pointed out to them that 1.2Ghz was most definatly a licensed band. They neither pulled the product nor changed the description.
So, I don’t take much of what they say as having any weight.
>However, it is a different calculation for makers manufacturing
>low-volumes like the guys who created ATMegaZero.
If you are working in low volumes don’t try to make something that is already being mass produced and sold at rock bottom.
>Right now mouser sells ATMEGA32U4-AU chip at $4.03 per single
>unit and for $3.34 if you buy 100 of them.
I bought 100 QFN 1.2GHz Cortex A7s with 64MB of memory integrated for $160 a few weeks back. Technology has moved on so much from 8 bit AVRs it’s unfunny.
If you’re considering making something like this and you find there are thousands and thousands of equivalent items on ebay to buy for less than you can source the main component maybe that’s a sign that the product isn’t economically viable?
>So for a low-volume manufacturing of this board just the bill of
>materials is way more than $7.
If you’re working in 100s just get your boards made in China, have them source the components and pay the extra for “more real real parts”.
$25 for this?!? People can instead buy the Raspberry Pi Zero W from Adafruit for $10!