Pololu A-Star 32U4 Micro Pololu

The Pololu A-Star 32U4 Micro is a general-purpose programmable module based on Atmel’s ATmega32U4 AVR microcontroller, which has 32 KB of flash program memory, 2.5 KB of RAM, and built-in USB functionality. Onboard features of the A-Star (abbreviated A*) include a 16 MHz resonator, a USB Micro-B connector, an in-system programming (ISP) header, and a pair of indicator LEDs. A voltage regulator and power selection circuit allow the board to be powered from either USB or an external 5.5 V to 15 V source, while a resettable PTC fuse on the USB VBUS supply and reverse protection on VIN help protect it from accidental damage.

The A-Star 32U4 Micro breaks out 15 general-purpose I/O lines along two rows of pins, including 7 usable as PWM outputs and 8 usable as analog inputs; another three GPIO pins can be accessed through the 6-pin ISP header. It fits all this into a 20-pin dual in-line package (DIP) measuring only 1″ × 0.6″ (even smaller than competing ATmega32U4 boards like the Teensy 2.0 and Pro Micro), and its 0.1″ pin spacing makes the A* easy to use with solderless breadboards, perfboards, and 0.1″-pitch connectors.

This product requires a USB A to Micro-B cable(not included) to connect to a computer.

Features

• Dimensions: 1″ × 0.6″ (1.05″ × 0.6″ including USB Micro-B connector)
• Programmable 16 MHz Atmel ATmega32U4 AVR microcontroller
  • 32 KB flash (4 KB used by bootloader, leaving 28 KB available for user program by default)
  • 2.5 KB SRAM
  • 1 KB EEPROM
  • Native full-speed USB (12 Mbps)
• Preloaded with Arduino-compatible bootloader (no external programmer required)
• Many I/O lines in a small package
  • 15 general-purpose I/O pins available along the sides of the board
  • 3 additional I/O pins available on ISP header
  • 7 pins can be configured as hardware PWM outputs
  • 8 pins can be configured as analog inputs
• 2 user-controllable LEDs
• Can be powered from USB or external 5.5 V to 15 V source on VIN
• PTC fuse on VBUS supply
• Reverse-voltage protection on VIN supply
• 6-pin ISP header for use with an external programmer
• Comprehensive user’s guide

Arduino compatibility

The A-Star 32U4 ships with a preloaded Arduino-compatible bootloader (which uses 4 KB of flash memory, leaving 28 KB available for the user program). We provide a software add-on that enables the board to be easily programmed from the Arduino environment.

The A-Star 32U4 uses the same microcontroller as the Arduino Leonardo and Arduino Micro and runs at the same frequency, making it just as powerful. Although the larger boards offer a few more I/O pins, the A-Star 32U4 Micro fits in an area half that of the Arduino Micro, and it takes up only 11% as much area as a standard full-size Arduino!