ATMEGA324PB-XPRO - ATmega324PB Xplained Pro Eval Kit | Microchip
MPN: ATMEGA324PB-XPRO ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
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| 1 | $0 | $0.00 |
| 10 | $0 | $0.00 |
| 100 | $0 | $0.00 |
| 500 | $0 | $0.00 |
| 1,000 | $0 | $0.00 |
ATMEGA324PB-XPRO Overview
An MCU evaluation board is a hardware development platform that exposes a microcontroller's peripherals, GPIO, and debug interfaces so engineers can prototype firmware and validate system behavior before committing to custom PCB design. Evaluation boards sit within the broader development-tool hierarchy: microcontroller -> evaluation kit -> embedded development ecosystem, and the Xplained Pro family integrates natively with Atmel Studio (Microchip Studio) for one-click programming and debugging.
Key features of the ATMEGA324PB-XPRO include an embedded debugger (EDBG) with CMSIS-DAP support for programming, debugging, and virtual COM port operation; three Xplained Pro extension headers (XPRO connectors) supporting more than 20 extension boards covering wired and wireless connectivity, crypto authentication, and QTouch capacitive touch; and onboard sensors and user interfaces for immediate out-of-the-box evaluation. The target ATmega324PB device is Functional Safety (FuSa) ready and features the QTouch Peripheral Touch Controller (PTC).
The ATmega324PB itself is a low-power CMOS 8-bit AVR microcontroller executing powerful instructions in a single clock cycle, delivering throughput up to 20 MIPS at 20 MHz. Its PTC supports 32 buttons in self-capacitance mode or up to 256 buttons in mutual-capacitance mode, and is supported by the QTouch Composer development tool including the QTouch Library project builder and QTouch Analyzer for faster, simpler capacitive touch implementations.
Typical applications for the kit include capacitive touch HMI prototyping, low-power embedded system evaluation, peripheral driver development for the five timers and multiple USART/SPI/I2C interfaces of the ATmega324PB, and education in AVR RISC architecture.
A key design consideration: the kit does not include extension boards, which must be purchased individually - plan your bill of materials accordingly, and verify extension board compatibility via the Xplained Pro header specification.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, platform alternatives, and practical design notes not found in the manufacturer product page.
Drop-in alternatives for ATMEGA324PB-XPRO — same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
Variants in this series
Same-series models that are drop-in compatible with ATMEGA324PB-XPRO (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Product Type, Target MCU, Core Architecture, EEPROM, Flash Memory.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
ATMEGA1284P-XPLD
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
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View Datasheet →ATMEGA328PB-XMINI
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$18.79 / Unit
View Datasheet →ATMEGA328P-XMINI
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View Datasheet →ATMEGA324PB-XPRO Specifications (manufacturer-published)
| Product Type | Evaluation Board - Embedded MCU, DSP |
| Series | AVR (Xplained Pro) |
| Board Type | Evaluation Platform |
| Target MCU | ATmega324PB |
| Core Processor | AVR 8-Bit |
| Architecture | AVR enhanced RISC |
| Core Size | 8-Bit |
| Flash Memory | 32 KB |
| SRAM | 2 KB |
| EEPROM | 1 KB |
| Max CPU Frequency | 20 MHz |
| Debug Interface | Embedded Debugger (EDBG), debugWIRE |
| Extension Headers | 3 x Xplained Pro (XPRO) headers |
| Touch Support | QTouch PTC: 32 buttons self-cap / 256 buttons mutual-cap |
| IDE Support | Atmel Studio / Microchip Studio |
| Power Source | USB |
| Safety Qualification | Functional Safety (FuSa) supported target |
| Extension Boards Included | No (purchased individually) |
ATMEGA324PB-XPRO Interfaces & Connectors
No manufacturer-published interface list is available for ATMEGA324PB-XPRO. Refer to the manufacturer documentation for connector and header details.
Refer to the manufacturer documentation for the full expansion header pinout and connector pin numbering.
Typical Applications
ATMEGA324PB-XPRO is suitable for 6 applications: Capacitive Touch HMI Prototyping, Low-Power Embedded System Evaluation, Peripheral Driver and Firmware Development, Functional Safety (FuSa) Pre-Development, IoT Node Prototyping, Education and AVR Architecture Training.
Capacitive Touch HMI Prototyping
The ATMEGA324PB-XPRO is the reference platform for evaluating the ATmega324PB's QTouch Peripheral Touch Controller, which acquires signals from capacitive sensors supporting 32 buttons in self-capacitance mode or up to 256 buttons in mutual-capacitance mode. Engineers use QTouch Composer, including the QTouch Library project builder and QTouch Analyzer, to generate, tune, and debug touch configurations far faster than software-only scanning implementations. On the kit, touch channels can be exercised via the XPRO extension headers, and the integrated EDBG debugger enables live variable watch during tuning. The single-cycle AVR core at up to 20 MHz leaves ample CPU headroom for touch acquisition plus application logic, making the platform a direct precursor to production HMI designs.
Recommended
Low-Power Embedded System Evaluation
The ATmega324PB is a low-power CMOS 8-bit microcontroller based on the AVR enhanced RISC architecture, and the XPRO kit exposes its sleep modes, power-reduction registers, and peripheral gating for bench characterization. With the EDBG debugger's virtual COM port and current-measurement hooks, engineers can benchmark active, idle, and power-down currents across the 1.8V-5.5V operating range before committing to a custom PCB. Executing powerful single-clock-cycle instructions yields up to 20 MIPS at 20 MHz, allowing lower clock frequencies - and therefore lower power - for a given workload. This makes the kit well suited to battery-powered metering, sensor-node, and portable-instrument feasibility studies where every microamp of the power budget must be validated empirically.
Recommended
Peripheral Driver and Firmware Development
With five timers, multiple USARTs, SPI, and TWI interfaces on the ATmega324PB, the XPRO board serves as the firmware sandbox for drivers destined for production firmware. The three Xplained Pro extension connectors break out these peripherals to standard header positions, so engineers can attach wired or wireless connectivity, crypto authentication, or display extension boards - more than 20 are supported - without any custom hardware. Debugging is immediate through the EDBG: breakpoints, watchpoints, and live peripheral register inspection inside Atmel/Microchip Studio. Because the same silicon revision used in production is on the board, errata discovered during driver bring-up transfer directly to the end design, de-risking schedule and silicon-behavior assumptions before layout begins.
Recommended
Functional Safety (FuSa) Pre-Development
DigiKey categorizes the ATmega324PB target as a Functional Safety (FuSa) ready AVR MCU, and the XPRO kit lets safety engineers explore the device's diagnostics - clock monitoring, watchdog, and memory self-check capabilities - early in a safety-critical project. Firmware for self-test routines, fault-injection experiments, and watchdog timeout validation can be iterated quickly on the evaluation board before being ported into the certified design flow with its supporting safety documentation. The single-cycle RISC core simplifies worst-case-execution-time analysis, an important input to safety scheduling. While the kit itself is not a safety-certified component, using it during concept phase shortens the path from feasibility to a documented, evidence-backed safety architecture on the production ATmega324PB.
Recommended
IoT Node Prototyping
The Xplained Pro ecosystem's 20-plus extension boards - wired and wireless connectivity, crypto authentication, and sensing - convert the ATMEGA324PB-XPRO into a complete IoT node prototype without custom PCBs. A typical build pairs the board's free USART/SPI/TWI ports with a wireless connectivity XPRO card and a crypto authentication device such as an ATSHA204A-class extension, letting teams validate secure-provisioning flows and message latency on real hardware. The ATmega324PB's 32 KB flash and 2 KB SRAM bound the protocol stack, which is itself a valuable early finding: if the stack does not fit here, the production MCU selection must change. USB power and the EDBG virtual COM port make long-duration field-trial logging straightforward.
Recommended
Education and AVR Architecture Training
Because the ATmega324PB executes powerful instructions in a single clock cycle and the kit integrates seamlessly with Atmel Studio, the ATMEGA324PB-XPRO is an effective teaching platform for 8-bit RISC architecture, embedded C, and peripheral programming. Students can observe register-level behavior through the EDBG debugger in real time, and the onboard user interface elements provide immediate visual feedback for timer, interrupt, and GPIO experiments. The three XPRO headers extend exercises into displays, sensors, and connectivity without soldering. Compared with Xplained Mini boards, the richer peripheral set - five timers and multiple communication interfaces - supports a full semester of progressively complex laboratories, from blinking LEDs through multi-UART communication and capacitive-touch capstone projects.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for ATMEGA324PB-XPRO — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | ATMEGA1284P-XPLD | ATMEGA328PB-XMINI | ATMEGA328P-XMINI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platform / Package | Xplained Pro (XPRO) | Xplained Pro (XPRO) - same | Xplained Mini (XMINI) | Xplained Mini (XMINI) |
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Target MCU | ATmega324PB (8-bit AVR) | ATmega1284P (8-bit AVR) | ATmega328PB (8-bit AVR) | ATmega328P (8-bit AVR) |
| Flash Memory | 32 KB | 128 KB | 32 KB | 32 KB |
| Extension Headers | 3 x XPRO headers | 3 x XPRO headers | Xplained Mini header (1) | Xplained Mini header (1) |
| Debugger | EDBG (Xplained Pro) | EDBG (Xplained Pro) | mEDBG (Xplained Mini) | mEDBG (Xplained Mini) |
| QTouch PTC on Target | Yes (32 self-cap / 256 mutual-cap) | No | Yes (limited channels) | No |
| IDE Support | Atmel Studio / Microchip Studio | Atmel Studio / Microchip Studio | Atmel Studio / Microchip Studio | Atmel Studio / Microchip Studio |
Key Differentiators
- Only official Xplained Pro kit for the ATmega324PB target (vs ATMEGA1284P-XPLD)
- More memory than same-flash-class alternative (vs ATMEGA328PB-XMINI)
- Full-size debugger and extension ecosystem (vs ATMEGA328P-XMINI)
Design Notes
The ATMEGA324PB-XPRO does not include extension boards - Microchip's product page states explicitly that these are purchased individually. Before starting prototyping, verify which XPRO extension cards (connectivity, crypto, display, touch) your test plan requires and order them with the kit, since lead times on extension boards can exceed the kit's ship-today stock. Also confirm your PC's USB current budget: the board is USB powered, and some extension boards add load that unpowered hubs may not supply reliably.
When transferring measurements from the kit to a custom ATmega324PB design, account for board-level overhead: the XPRO board's EDBG chip, LDOs, LEDs, and pull resistors add quiescent current not present on a production PCB. For accurate sleep-mode current data, measure at the target MCU domain or use a dedicated socket board. Validate clock-source choices early - the 20 MHz maximum CPU frequency of the ATmega324PB allows calibrating your workload-to-frequency mapping on the kit before committing to a crystal or internal RC on production hardware.
Use the XPRO kit's schematic (in the user guide downloadable from the Microchip development-tool page) as the layout template for your production ATmega324PB board: mirror the decoupling capacitor placement per VCC/AVCC pin, the reset/debugWIRE routing to the programming header, and the QTouch sensor trace guidance if using the PTC. Keeping production layout consistent with the validated evaluation layout avoids re-qualifying touch sensitivity and debug connectivity after the PCB respin.
Compliance Information
Compliance data for the evaluation kit was not present in the provided verified data. The target ATmega324PB is noted as Functional Safety (FuSa) supported per DigiKey listing.