Which Arduino boards includes wifi? Arduino Giga Wifi
Earlier this year, Arduino unveiled a new board: the Arduino Giga R1 WiFi. This board, designed in the same form factor as the widely popular Arduino Mega 2560, increases the number of GPIOs and includes new functionalities while maintaining full compatibility with the Arduino Mega Shields and its accessories.
This makes it an excelent choice for the most ambitious projects. Let's see what it offers.
Main properties of Arduino Giga R1 Wifi:
Here's a comprehensive look at the specifications of the Arduino WiFi shield:
- MCU: this board features the STM32H747XI, a dual core 32-bits microcontroller, the same one included in the Portenta H7 boards. This dual core not only is much more powerful than its predecessors in the Arduino Mega and the Due, but also more versatile. For example, an advantage of having two cores is that you can run two applications at the same time. You can even run MicroPython on one core and Arduino in the other.
- Pinout: the Arduino Giga expands the pinout capabilities of the Mega, increasing the number of GPIO to 76 (compared to the 54 of the Mega). It also includes a 20 pin Arducam camera connector, a JTAG connector and a 3.5mm input-output TRRS jack. This jack can be used with the new DAC capabilities (also connected to pins DAC0 and DAC1).
- Communications. the GIGA R1 WiFi has 4 UARTs (hardware serial ports), 3 I2C ports (1 more
than its predecessors), 2 SPI ports (1 more than its predecessors) and 1
FDCAN (although it needs an external transceiver). It also supports WiFi 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth thanks to the incorporated Murata 1DX radio module. This communication can be secure by virtue of the ATECC608A. Finally, it has a USB C and a USB A connector.
- Power: the circuit operating voltage for this board is 3.3V. It can be powered through the USB C connector (which uses 5V) or the Vin pin, which accepts a 6-24V voltage range.
What components does this Arduino wifi board have?
The Arduino Giga shares the same form factor as the Mega, which makes it compatible with any shield with the UNO, Mega or Due form factor that supports 3.3V. For example, the Arduino Ethernet Shield Rev2 or the Arduino Motor Shield Rev3 are compatible.
However, this new board has a new accessory specially designed for its caabilities: the GIGA Display Shield. This new shield includes:
- A 480x800 resoluction touch screen, designed to effortlessly deploy graphic interfaces in your projects. It support up to 5 simultaneous touch points.
- A digital microphone.
- A 6-axis IMU.
- 1 Arducam connector.
This Shield makes use of the new pin header available in the middle of the Arduino GIGA and attaches from the bottom, which leaves the other 54 pins on the top side available.
With the GIGA Display Shield, you can quickly add a GUI to you project, without the need of extra wiring to pair a display.
Conclusions about Arduino Giga
In summary, the Arduino Giga represents a significant advancement in the Arduino family. With increased processing power, memory, and compatibility with existing accessories, it's poised to facilitate more ambitious and complex projects. Additionally, the integration of the Giga Display and other shields adds another layer of versatility and user-friendliness.
New Arduino Giga R1 Wifi