Introduction

Hello once again! We are back with yet another review. This time around we are reviewing the Seeedstudio Seeeduino MEGA. This is an arduino compatible board loaded with expansion. Basically everything we can come to appreciate about the "MEGA" branded arduino boards.

In a nutshell, this board has a small footprint with a TON of expansion. Moreover, it is customizable to your liking. Its great when a manufacturer recognizes the need to customize your board how you see fit. Especially when these boards are meant to target a broad audience. An audience that ranges from robotics to electronic gadget builders. This board take it on!

Overview

To begin, this is an Arduino compatible board. That means that you can download the Arduino IDE and start coding right away with skipping a heart beat. Its completely shield compatible. Which means that you can pick just about any shield you need to slap it on this board.

Best yet - these shields do not need to come from Seeedstudio - they can come from any number of manufactuers (i.e. DFRobot). For our own tests, tutorials and review processes we used both Seeedstudio and DFRobot's shields and had no problems whats so ever!

Seeedstudio Seeeduino MEGA Features

• ATmega 1280 Microcontroller
• 5v/3.3v Operating Voltage
• 7-12V input voltage - recommended
• 6-20V input voltage - range
• 70x Digital I/O Pins
• 16x Analog Input Pins
• 40mA DC Current / I/O pin
• 500mA DC current / 3.3v pin
• 128KB flash memory (4kb used for bootloader)
• 8KB SRAM
• 4KB EEPROM
• 16MHz Clock Speed
• 3x UART Ports
• 1x I2C Port
• 71mm x 53mm x 11.3mm
• 2.54mm JST 2pin Power Jack
• Compatible with most arduino shields and Seeedstudio accessories
• Automatic EXT/USB Power Select

Highlights

The following image shows the Seeedstudio Seeeduino MEGA up close and personal. You can see what it looks like before we start annotating the image with key points.



The following image shows the Seeedstudio Seeeduino MEGA up close and personal. To make simple and easy we have highlight the primary components that can be found on the board.



The following image shows the Seeedstudio Seeeduino MEGA up close and personal. To make simple and easy we have highlight the primary ports that can be found on the board.



The following image shows the Seeedstudio Seeeduino MEGA up close and personal. To make simple and easy we have highlight the pads that can be found on the board. These pads allow you to customize the board to your projects requirements.



Lastly, we show here the bottom side of the Seeedstudio Seeeduino MEGA. This just shows you the under belly in case any of you are interersted.

Pro's & Con's

Here we will attempt to narrow in on some key points that make or break this controller.

Pro's

 

• Arduino Compatible
• Small Footprint
• Shield Ready
• Fully Customizable
• Tons of Expansion
• Multiple Serial Ports

 

Con's

 

• No Real Time Clock (RTC)
• No Micro SD Card Slot
• Requires Soldering

 

Compatibility

 

There are no complains here in this department. The board is fully compatible with all Arduino opens ource software including libraries, IDE and many of the publicly available sketches found online.

 

Support

 

Seeedstudio always makes sure to put all the information you need right at your fingertips. Complete with sketches, schematics, data sheets, sample code and much more. Everything is freely available on the SeeedStudio Website. If you cant find what you are looking for there - trust you me - you will find it in the forums either on their website or on Arduino's Website.

 

Conclusion

To sum this up. This board is a great choice if you require tons of expansion and customization for your project. Don't fret if you are new to the game of Arduino. You can easily start out with this board and build your knowledge up little by little. No need to customize it right away. Customize it as you need to.

Where to Buy?

SeeedStudio Website
DIYbin.com

Additional Information

Using an LCD with Arduino
Arduino Push Buttons
Buzzer on the Arduino
Rotaton/Pentometer with the Arduino
Measuring Temperature with an Arduino
Ambient Light readings with Arduino
Orientation detection with Arduino