
Arduino DUE (32 bit) Now Available - bencevans
http://store.arduino.cc/eu/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=11&products_id=243
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jrockway
You might also consider a STM32F4DISCOVERY board:

<http://www.st.com/internet/evalboard/product/252419.jsp>

This is also a ARM Cortex board but it's $15 and in stock everywhere. (I think
it's more powerful and has more features than the Due, but I haven't checked
in detail. At $15, though, it can't be beat. And there are less powerful
boards in the series that are even cheaper!)

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anigbrowl
I've been looking at several uCs, in particular the Cypress Semi PSoC5 system
for the system-on-chip functionality and the great toolchain, but also the
very cheap TI Stellaris series. But there are so many highly capable products
out there these days, it's hard to know which one is the best; I feel like a
first-time computer buyer trying to choose between Mac and Windows without
really knowing much about either.

Are there any resources you'd recommend for people trying to choose their
development platform? I have specific reasons for liking the cypress system-
on-chips (massive i/o, extensive software config capabilities, toolchain
support for my intended application of audio/MIDI), but it's hard to size up
all the different options.

~~~
jrockway
I'd just say: try them. I learned microcontrollers with Basic stamps (many
years ago), bought a Teensy a few years ago and learned AVR (avoiding Arduino
for various reasons), and am now learning the STM ARM stuff.

My biggest takeaway is that teaching hardware people about unit tests would
make humanity as a whole about 93% more productive :)

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Alekanekelo
I am new to Arduino but very interested in starting. So far I have read that
the Uno R3 is the best for beginners but now that the new Due is out will this
be preferable for a beginner?

From what I've read, the Due is faster and able to handle more things. But is
it easier to use compared to the Uno?

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crusso
Start with the Uno. You'll cut your teeth on all the same conceptual ground
you'll encounter with the Due, but you'll have a simpler platform under you
with a great deal of supporting information available on the Internet.

When you grow out of the Uno, the Due will be there waiting for you.

Personally, I'm going to avoid getting a Due until I need the extra
horsepower. The simplicity of the AT family of microcontrollers is very
appealing. Once you have a prototype working on the Uno, creating the
deployable version using an ATTiny85 or whatever is not that difficult.

Compare hooking up an 8 pin ATTiny85 and a few supporting components vs the
soldering wire-wrapping nightmare of using a AT91SAM3X8E or some near
equivalent.

~~~
Alekanekelo
Thank you all for the answers. Yes I suspect that I was a bit quick to jump on
the appeal of the faster microcontroller on the Due while I wont really need
it at all, especially in the beginning.

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agl
€60 for shipping to US seems a little much for shipping 60 grams taking a
week.

Sadly none of the distributors seem to have it yet. Seems like we'll have to
wait a little while longer still.

~~~
bencevans
I'm sure SparkFun or some other American based company will import in bulk so
you can get it cheaper from them.

~~~
ImprovedSilence
Ture. I'll probably wait a few months and buy it from Amazon...

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nixterrimus
This is really exciting- the Arduino DUE is the board used in the Android
ADK2012[1]. I can't wait to start building hardware to talk to my android
devices.

[1]: <http://arduino.cc/blog/2012/06/28/android-adk2012-is-here/>

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alexchamberlain
Which version of ARM does this use?

~~~
bencevans
Atmel SAM3X8E ARM Cortex-M3 CPU

Datasheet: <http://www.atmel.com/Images/doc11057.pdf>

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unwind
Seeing that the SAM3X has on-board Ethernet, but the Due doesn't have a port,
I hope someone either builds a clone that does, or builds a simple (compared
to current Ethernet shields) shield that adds the port.

This should really help lower the entry cost of using Ethernet in DIY devices,
which I think is cool.

~~~
jrockway
The Ethernet PHY is actually rather expensive, around $20. That's why the
cheap dev boards don't have it.

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unwind
That's true, of course. So, all I can hope for is that something like this
([http://www.seeedstudio.com/depot/ethernet-
shield-p-518.html?...](http://www.seeedstudio.com/depot/ethernet-
shield-p-518.html?cPath=132)) drops in price by $5 then (the price of their
on-board Ethernet controller). :)

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alexchamberlain
So... can I run Linux on it?

~~~
bencevans
Linux requires more resources, but if it's a small board you want to roll
Linux checkout the Raspberry Pi!

<http://www.raspberrypi.org/>

