Introduction: SAM 15x15 Arduino Compatible Development Board 15x15mm With SAMD21G18

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About: During the development of the Maxun One solar bike, I constantly needed special equipment, parts and software, and so I rolled from one project to another. In September 2010, I started this website where I sha…

The SAM 15x15 is an Arduino development board of just 15 x 15mm, with the same powerful controller as the Arduino Zero: the SAMD21G18. Despite the small size, it has more I/O pins than the Arduino Zero: 34 instead of 20. Due to the very small dimensions it will fit easily into all embedded electronic projects.The SAMD21 is a fast microcontroller that in 2015 was added to the list of controllers that can be been programmed in c++ by the Arduino software.

See the whole article and how to buy here: article SAM 15x15

See the video HERE

SAM 15x15 features

  • Controller: Atmel ATSAMD21G18, 32-bit, 48MHz, ARM Cortex-M0+
  • Digital I/O pins: 34
  • PWM outputs: 24 (PWM DAC)
  • Analog inputs (ADC): 14
  • ADC resolution: 12-bit
  • One 10-bit DAC
  • Flash memory: 256 kbyte
  • SRAM: 32 kbyte
  • EEPROM: 32 kbyte (emulated in Flash)
  • Preprogrammed customized bootloader
  • Programming and debugging through the integrated USB port

The SAM 15x15 board contains also:

  • One free LED
  • Combined RX/TX LED
  • Voltage regulator 3.3V for the USB powering
  • Power supply reverse polarity protection
  • High voltage protection for the USB

SAMD21G18 with pins

For hobbyists, the drawback of the SAMD21 is that it is only available in SMD. When blown up, it is pretty tough to replace it because no IC socket can be used. This can be solved with the SAM 15x15 board, which transforms the SAMD21G into a pin version.

Three embodiments

The SAM 15x15 has three embodiments combined into one PCB:

  • 28 x 28mm This board fits on a standard breadboard; it has 40 pins with 2.54mm pitch.
  • 22 x 22mm This board is a smaller version of the 28 x 28mm board; it has 28 pins instead of 40. We may reduce the board size by sawing off the excess area.
  • 15 x 15mm This board has 40 pins with 1.27mm pitch. Due to the very small dimensions it will fit easily into all embedded electronic projects. Note that there are 1.27mm breadboards too.

Step 1: Connect the SAM 15x15 to the PC

The SAM 15x15 is compatible with the Arduino Zero. Inside the Arduino IDE, install and select the board Arduino Zero.
For the connection to the PC we need a standard USB motherboard cable which fits to the 4 pin header, see the picture. We also need a USB male to male cable. Now we can program the SAM 15x15 board.

Step 2: How to Use All SAMD21G Pins

In order to make all SAMD21G pins available, several files have to be changed. See the article HERE.

Step 3: Example YouTube LED Program

See for the c++ program HERE.