You may have heard the news about the upcoming Arduino UNO R4 (expected in May 2023).
If not, here is the article on the Arduino website.
The Arduino UNO R4 has the same shape as the R3, and retains hardware and (mostly) software compatibility with the R3.
However, practically all on-board hardware is new:
- A new processor (Renesas RA4M1, 32-bit Cortex®-M4 processor).
- Wireless (Espressif S3 WiFi module) – You can also get a cheaper version without Wifi.
- More static RAM (32 kB).
- More flash memory (256 kB).
- USB-C.
- Power supply tolerance up to 24V.
- CAN bus + SPI port.
- 12-bit DAC.
As an UNO, the new R4 will build on its legacy. So:
- Arduino Uno shields will work.
- 5V logic is maintained.
- R4 is promised to be as hard to “break” as the R3.
- Arduino promises to maintain software compatibility with the R3 so that existing Uno code and libraries will continue to work in the R4 (some libraries will need porting to the ARM architecture).
Thankfully, the Arduino UNO R3 will still be available and supported. The R3 is still the perfect entry-level microcontroller.
Here is the Arduino UNO R4 product page.
I’ll aim to do a hands-on review as soon as I can get an R4.