Evaluation Boards - Embedded

Evaluation Boards - Embedded - MCU, DSP

Part Number	Description / PDF	Quantity
A000066 Genuino (Arduino)	ARDUINO UNO R3 ATMEGA328P EVAL	10844
A000093 Genuino (Arduino)	ARDUINO MICRO W/OUT HDRS ATMEGA3	400
ABX00035 Genuino (Arduino)	ARDUINO NANO 33 BLE SENSE W/ HDR	1975
A000057 Genuino (Arduino)	ARDUINO LEONARDO W/ HDRS ATMEGA3	871
A000005 Genuino (Arduino)	ARDUINO NANO ATMEGA328 EVAL BRD	8989
ABX00012 Genuino (Arduino)	ARDUINO MKR ZERO W/ HDR ATSAMD21	819
ABX00033 Genuino (Arduino)	ARDUINO NANO EVERY WITH HEADERS	868
GBX00053 Genuino (Arduino)	GENUINO MICRO ATMEGA32U4 EVAL BD	0
A000067 Genuino (Arduino)	ARDUINO MEGA2560 ATMEGA2560	6966
A000095 Genuino (Arduino)	ARDUINO ESPLORA ATMEGA32U4 EVAL	1
ABX00032 Genuino (Arduino)	ARDUINO NANO 33 IOT WITH HEADERS	153
ABX00030 Genuino (Arduino)	ARDUINO NANO 33 BLE	0
ABX00034 Genuino (Arduino)	ARDUINO NANO 33 BLE WITH HEADERS	387
A000056 Genuino (Arduino)	ARDUINO DUE W/OUT HDRS ATSAM3X8E	319
ABX00027 Genuino (Arduino)	ARDUINO NANO 33 IOT	291
A000052 Genuino (Arduino)	ARDUINO LEONARDO W/OUT HDRS	95
ABX00028 Genuino (Arduino)	ARDUINO NANO EVERY	391
A000053 Genuino (Arduino)	ARDUINO MICRO ATMEGA32U4 EVAL BD	223
A000073 Genuino (Arduino)	ARDUINO UNO SMD R3 ATMEGA328	6930
ABX00031 Genuino (Arduino)	ARDUINO NANO 33 BLE SENSE	141

Evaluation Boards - Embedded - MCU, DSP

1. Overview

Evaluation Boards (Dev Boards) for Embedded MCUs (Microcontroller Units) and DSPs (Digital Signal Processors) are specialized hardware platforms designed to facilitate the development, testing, and prototyping of embedded systems. These boards provide a physical environment to validate processor capabilities, peripheral integration, and software algorithms before final product deployment. They play a critical role in accelerating development cycles for applications ranging from IoT devices to industrial automation systems.

2. Major Types and Functional Classification

Type	Functional Features	Application Examples
MCU Evaluation Boards	ARM Cortex-M series, integrated peripherals (UART, SPI, I2C), low-power modes	Smart sensors, wearables, home automation
DSP Development Kits	High-speed floating-point processing, SIMD instructions, real-time signal analysis	Audio processing, radar systems, motor control
SoC Embedded Boards	Integrated CPU+GPU+FPGA, multimedia acceleration, OS support	Edge computing, robotics, automotive infotainment
FPGA-based Prototyping Boards	Reconfigurable logic, hardware-software co-design, high-speed I/O	5G communication, AI inference accelerators

3. Structure and Components

Typical evaluation boards consist of:

PCB base with processor/microcontroller soldered onboard
Memory modules (SRAM, Flash, DDR)
Debugging interfaces (JTAG, SWD, UART)
Power management unit (voltage regulators, PMICs)
Peripheral connectors (GPIO, ADC/DAC, Ethernet)
Expansion headers for add-on modules (shields, PMODs)
Onboard sensors/actuators (depending on application focus)

4. Key Technical Specifications

Parameter	Importance
Processor Architecture	Determines computational capabilities and software ecosystem compatibility
Maximum Clock Frequency	Impacts processing speed and real-time performance
Memory Bandwidth	Affects data throughput for signal processing applications
Peripheral Integration	Reduces external component requirements and system complexity
Power Consumption	Critical for battery-powered and thermal-constrained applications
Debugging Capabilities	Enables efficient firmware development and hardware verification

5. Application Fields

Key industries utilizing evaluation boards:

Industrial Automation: PLCs, motor drives, predictive maintenance systems
Consumer Electronics: Smart home devices, AR/VR headsets
Automotive: ADAS prototyping, ECU development
Medical: Portable diagnostic equipment, wearable health monitors
Communications: 5G baseband processing, software-defined radios
Energy: Smart grid controllers, solar inverters

6. Leading Manufacturers and Representative Products

Manufacturer	Product Series	Key Features
STMicroelectronics	STM32 Nucleo Series	ARM Cortex-M cores, Arduino compatibility, mbed OS support
Texas Instruments	TMDX Series	C2000 DSPs for power electronics, Code Composer Studio integration
NXP Semiconductors	i.MX RT Series	ARM Cortex-M7 based crossover processors, LCD interface support
Xilinx	Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC	ARM Cortex-A53 + FPGA fabric, AI acceleration with DPU

7. Selection Guidelines

Key considerations when choosing evaluation boards:

Match processor architecture to target application requirements (e.g., ARM for general-purpose, DSP for signal processing)
Verify peripheral compatibility with system design (number of timers, communication interfaces)
Assess expansion capabilities for future upgrades
Evaluate software toolchain maturity (IDE, compilers, RTOS support)
Consider power consumption specifications for end-application scenarios
Check available community resources and technical documentation

8. Industry Trend Analysis

Emerging trends shaping evaluation board development:

Increased integration of AI acceleration cores (e.g., Google Edge TPU integration)
Rise of RISC-V based evaluation platforms for customizable computing
Enhanced security features (trusted execution environments, hardware encryption)
Development of low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) enabled boards for IoT
Adoption of heterogeneous computing architectures (CPU+GPU+DSP+FPGA)
Cloud-connected evaluation platforms for remote testing and collaboration