Arduino Uno R4

Hello makers, today we’re going to examine the new member of the Arduino Uno family. Arduino is an open source hardware and software platform. The platform is used in hobby projects, robotics, embedded systems, games and many more. Latest version of the Uno series, the Arduino Uno R4. According to information from the official website, the Arduino Uno R4 is expected to be released in late May with two different versions. These are ‘’UNO R4 WiFi’’ and ‘’UNO R4 Minima’’.

With the Renesas RA4M1 32-bit Cortex®-M4 processor on the board, Arduino Uno R4 provides a significant increase in processing power, memory, and functionality. We’ll discuss this in detail later on. Now let’s talk about these two different versions and the differences between the two of them. Arduino Uno R4 also includes 14 digital input/output pins, 6 analog input pins, 6 PWM outputs and 1 internal oscillator. Arduino Uno R4 works with 5V processor voltage and has a 16 MHz crystal oscillator. The board can be connected to computer or other devices via USB connection. The card can also be charged using a USB charger.Arduino Uno R4 can be used with many sensors, LCD displays, motor drivers, LEDs and other components. In addition, the card has expansion slots and additional cards can be installed for different projects. Arduino Uno R4 can be programmed based on Arduino software and programming language. Arduino software is open source and free. The programming language is based on C++ and is easy to learn. Programming with the Arduino Uno R4 requires a computer, Arduino software and a USB cable. Arduino Uno R4 is an excellent choice for hobby projects, prototyping and embedded systems. Suitable for both novice and experienced users, the card is supported by a user-friendly interface and a large community. 

Uno R4 WiFi and R4 Minima

At the beginning of this paper, we mentioned two versions of Arduino UNO R4. Let’s start with the UNO R4 WiFi board. As you can understand from the name, a WiFi module is on the board. With the Espressif S3 WiFi module on the UNO R4 WiFi, Arduino has provided a broader and more creative range of projects for makers. Let’s continue with the other board called R4 Minima. UNO R4 Minima doesn’t offer any additional features for users. It’s a cost-effective option. To sum up, R4 WiFi comes with a WiFi module. Since R4 Minima is wanted to be cost-effective, R4 Minima doesn’t have any additional features.

UNO R4, designed for maximum compatibility, maintains the shield compatibility, form factor, and 5V operating voltage as its predecessor. On the software side, the official Arduino website says that a significant effort has been made to ensure that existing libraries and examples can work seamlessly on the new board. This means that libraries and example source code can be used directly most of the time. However, some libraries optimized for the architecture of AVR used in UNO R3 will need to be ported. For instance, if the function for R3 is specific to the AVR architecture, they need to be replaced with common functions in the Arduino library.

With the Renesas RA4M1 Arm Cortex®-M4 processor running at 48 MHz, UNO R4 provides three times more performance improvement than UNO R3. In addition to this, the SRAM (Static Random-Access Memory) has been upgraded from 2 kB to 32kB and the flash memory from 32kB to 256kB to support more complex projects. Unlike the USB Type-B Port in UNO R3, UNO R4 has a USB-C port input. The maximum power supply voltage has been increased to 24V thanks to thermal design improvements. UNO R4 Board also includes a CAN bus and an SPI port. The contribution is to reduce the number of cables and provide efficient communication between components respectively. Another feature this board offers is a 12-bit analog DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter). To understand the differences between R4 and R3, I highly recommend you check the comparison below.

R4 vs R3

I think we’ve learned enough about R4. We have learned about its versions and observed the differences between R3 and R4. The superiority of R4 over R3 is obvious. What will happen to R3, then? Arduino has briefly explained R3 on its official page, stating that Arduino UNO R3 will be available and supported.

Our article about Arduino UNO R4 ends here. It’s impossible to have lots of information and images related to the product now. As the release day approaches, new knowledge and photos will be shared. Thanks for your time.