Arduino Due – AT91SAM3X8E ARM Cortex-M3 Microcontroller Board

Arduino Due – AT91SAM3X8E ARM Cortex-M3 Microcontroller Board

The Arduino Due is the first Arduino board based on a 32-bit ARM Cortex-M3 microcontroller — the Atmel AT91SAM3X8E. Running at 84MHz with 512KB of flash and 96KB of SRAM, it is the most powerful board in the classic Arduino family and is designed for applications that demand high computational performance, large memory, and multiple hardware peripherals. Note that the Due operates at 3.3V logic — applying 5V to its I/O pins will damage the board.

Key Features

• Microcontroller: Atmel AT91SAM3X8E (ARM Cortex-M3, 32-bit)
• Operating Voltage: 3.3V (I/O pins are NOT 5V tolerant)
• Clock Speed: 84MHz
• Flash Memory: 512KB (no bootloader storage overhead)
• SRAM: 96KB (two banks: 64KB + 32KB)
• 54 digital I/O pins (12 PWM outputs)
• 12 analog input pins (12-bit ADC — 4096 levels)
• 2 DAC outputs (12-bit, true analog output)
• 4 hardware UART ports
• 2 TWI (I2C) interfaces
• SPI interface (header + ICSP)
• USB OTG support via Native USB port
• Programming USB port (SAM-BA bootloader) + Native USB port
• CAN bus interface (2×)
• Input voltage: 7–12V via DC jack
• Uno/Mega shield-compatible form factor (with 3.3V caveat)

Pin Highlights

• Digital I/O: D0–D53
• PWM: D2–D13 (12 pins, 12-bit resolution)
• Analog In: A0–A11 (12-bit ADC)
• DAC: DAC0, DAC1 (true 12-bit analog output)
• UART: Serial, Serial1, Serial2, Serial3 (4 hardware UARTs)
• SPI: ICSP header + pin 10 SS
• I2C: SDA1/SCL1 (pins 20/21) + SDA/SCL header
• CAN: CANRX0/CANTX0, CANRX1/CANTX1

Typical Applications

• High-speed signal processing and FFT analysis
• Multi-axis CNC and motion control with high step rates
• Audio synthesis and real-time audio processing
• Industrial automation with CAN bus communication
• Advanced robotics requiring fast computation
• Large display driving and graphics processing
• Data acquisition systems requiring high-resolution ADC/DAC

Important Notes

• 3.3V logic only: All I/O pins are 3.3V. Do NOT connect 5V signals directly — use a logic level shifter.
• Two USB ports: Use the Programming port (SAM-BA) for uploading sketches; the Native port supports USB OTG and HID emulation.
• Shield compatibility: Most Arduino Uno/Mega shields physically fit but may not be electrically compatible due to 3.3V logic. Verify shield voltage requirements before use.
• In Arduino IDE, select "Arduino Due (Programming Port)" when uploading via the programming USB port.