ATSAM3U-EK - SAM3U Cortex-M3 Evaluation Kit | Microchip
MPN: ATSAM3U-EK β Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $119.4 | $119.40 |
| 10 | $119.4 | $1,194.00 |
| 100 | $119.4 | $11,940.00 |
| 500 | $119.4 | $59,700.00 |
| 1,000 | $119.4 | $119,400.00 |
ATSAM3U-EK Overview
An evaluation kit (EVK) or development board is a printed circuit board assembly that carries the target microcontroller together with the supporting hardware - power regulation, clocks, debug interface, memories, and peripherals - needed to exercise every on-chip feature without designing a custom PCB first. Development boards sit at the top of the embedded-tools hierarchy: silicon -> MPU/MCU -> evaluation kit -> custom end-product design.
Key features of the ATSAM3U-EK center on the SAM3U4E device: the ARM Cortex-M3 core at 96 MHz, an integrated high-speed USB transceiver for fast data up/downloading with robust EMI behavior, 48 KB of SRAM, 16 KB of ROM, and support for 256 KB NAND flash. On-board 32.768 kHz and 12 MHz crystals provide accurate clocking for the RTC and main oscillator, and the board exposes JTAG/SWD debugging for Atmel Studio-based workflows.
Architecturally, the SAM3U family was one of the first Cortex-M3 families to integrate high-speed USB Device capability directly on the microcontroller, making it well suited to data-acquisition and mass-storage-class applications where USB bandwidth matters. The kit allows designers to quickly evaluate and develop code for applications running on SAM3U microcontrollers, per the official Microchip product page.
Typical applications include USB device development (mass storage, audio, communications device class), high-speed data logging, industrial control prototypes, and embedded systems education.
One design consideration: the SAM3U family is mature; for new designs, evaluate the newer SAM4 or SAME70 families unless high-speed USB on Cortex-M3 is a hard requirement.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, family alternatives, and practical design notes not found in the manufacturer datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for ATSAM3U-EK β 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 ATSAM3U-EK (same form factor and footprint) β differing in Product Type.
Quick Comparison Tool β Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
ATSAM3U-EB
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
AT91SAM3U-SK
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
ATSAM3X-EK
β Drop-Inβ In Stock
$75.9 / Unit
View Datasheet βATSAM3S-EK
β Drop-In β οΈ εζ°εΎ ιͺθ―β In Stock
Contact for price
View Datasheet βATSAM4S-EK
β Drop-In β οΈ εζ°εΎ ιͺθ―π Reference alternative (not in catalog)
ATSAM3U-EK Specifications (manufacturer-published)
| Product Type | Evaluation Kit / Development Board |
| Target MCU | SAM3U4E (AT91SAM3 family) |
| Core | 32-bit ARM Cortex-M3 |
| Core Speed | 96 MHz |
| SRAM | 48 KB |
| ROM | 16 KB |
| NAND Flash Support | 256 KB |
| Crystals On Board | 32.768 kHz and 12 MHz |
| USB | High-Speed USB with integrated transceiver |
| Debug Interface | JTAG/SWD |
| Supported IDE | Atmel Studio 7 / Microchip Studio |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
| Unit Price | USD 119.40 (as of 2026-09-20) |
ATSAM3U-EK Interfaces & Connectors
ATSAM3U-EK exposes the following interfaces and connectors as published by the manufacturer: USB. Expansion header pinout, connector pin numbering, and electrical limits are defined in the manufacturer documentation.
| USB | High-Speed USB with integrated transceiver |
Refer to the manufacturer documentation for the full expansion header pinout and connector pin numbering.
Typical Applications
ATSAM3U-EK is suitable for 6 applications: High-Speed USB Device Development, Data Acquisition and Logging Systems, Industrial Control Prototyping, Embedded Systems Education and Training, Firmware Migration and Legacy Code Validation, Audio and Human Interface Prototyping.
High-Speed USB Device Development
The ATSAM3U-EK is purpose-built for USB device prototyping because the SAM3U4E microcontroller integrates a high-speed USB transceiver directly on-chip - a rare feature in the Cortex-M3 class at its release. Per Atmel documentation, this integrated transceiver supports fast data up/downloading with robust EMI behavior, enabling mass-storage, CDC, and audio-class device development without an external PHY. Engineers use the kit's 12 MHz main crystal to clock the USB PLL and validate enumeration, throughput, and suspend/resume behavior under Atmel Studio 7 with ASF3 USB stack examples. Unlike bit-banged full-speed solutions, the SAM3U high-speed path sustains 480 Mbps signaling, making the kit ideal for data-logger front-ends and USB flash-device reference designs where sustained transfer bandwidth directly impacts system performance.
Recommended
Data Acquisition and Logging Systems
Data-acquisition designs benefit from the ATSAM3U-EK's combination of a 96 MHz Cortex-M3 core, 48 KB SRAM, and 256 KB NAND flash support on the SAM3U4E. The generous SRAM buffer allows burst capture from ADCs or sensors, while the NAND flash interface provides persistent storage between USB offload sessions - a classic store-and-forward logging architecture. The 32.768 kHz crystal drives the real-time clock for time-stamped records with low standby power. In a typical workflow, firmware written against ASF3 drivers streams samples into SRAM ring buffers, pages them to NAND flash, and flushes over high-speed USB at up to 480 Mbps signaling rate. The kit lets designers validate this pipeline end-to-end before committing to a custom PCB, de-risking buffer sizing and USB throughput assumptions early.
Recommended
Industrial Control Prototyping
For industrial control prototypes, the ATSAM3U-EK provides a deterministic 32-bit ARM Cortex-M3 core at 96 MHz with mature Atmel peripheral drivers through ASF3, shortening time-to-first-prototype. The SAM3U4E's interrupt latency and NVIC-based priority handling suit motor sequencing, valve control, and sensor-polling loops, while 48 KB SRAM accommodates modest control state machines plus communication buffers. The kit's JTAG/SWD debug access allows step-level validation of timing-critical ISRs, something production firmware teams rely on before hardening code. Robust EMI behavior of the integrated USB transceiver, noted in Atmel's family documentation, matters in electrically noisy factory environments. Using the evaluation kit first lets engineers confirm peripheral allocation - timers, UARTs, and GPIO budgets - before designing the custom control PCB around the SAM3U4E device.
Recommended
Embedded Systems Education and Training
The ATSAM3U-EK is a strong teaching platform because it exposes a complete ARM Cortex-M3 system - 96 MHz core, 48 KB SRAM, 16 KB ROM, crystals at 32.768 kHz and 12 MHz, and USB - on one accessible board. Students progress from register-level blinking LEDs through interrupt-driven UART labs to USB device-class projects, all within the free Atmel Studio 7 IDE and ASF3 library. The published kit documentation and long-standing community resources (including the element14 SAM3U starter-kit guides) provide lab-ready material. JTAG/SWD debugging gives learners visibility into registers, call stacks, and peripheral state - an advantage over bootloader-only boards. Because the SAM3U architecture underlies widely deployed industrial firmware, skills built on this kit transfer directly to professional AT91SAM3 codebases and legacy product maintenance.
Recommended
Firmware Migration and Legacy Code Validation
Teams maintaining legacy AT91SAM3U products use the ATSAM3U-EK as a golden reference platform for regression-testing firmware against real silicon. Because the board carries the exact SAM3U4E used in many production designs - with its 96 MHz Cortex-M3 core, 48 KB SRAM, and integrated high-speed USB transceiver - engineers can reproduce field behavior, validate patches, and benchmark timing before OTA or field updates. The kit's JTAG/SWD access supports flashing and debugging released binaries unmodified, unlike custom boards where debug access may be restricted. Per Microchip's tool page, the kit is intended to quickly evaluate and develop code for SAM3U applications, which includes maintaining them. Stocking one kit per firmware team is a common, inexpensive hedge against end-of-life uncertainty in this mature Atmel family.
Recommended
Audio and Human Interface Prototyping
USB audio-class and human-interface prototypes run well on the ATSAM3U-EK because the SAM3U4E couples its high-speed USB device controller with enough 96 MHz Cortex-M3 processing headroom for isochronous audio streaming and HID processing concurrently. The 48 KB SRAM holds multiple USB endpoint buffers plus an audio ring buffer, and the 32.768 kHz crystal keeps wall-clock-accurate timestamps for logging user interactions. Using the kit, developers validate enumeration descriptors, latency, and clock-synchronization behavior with host analysis tools before porting to the final board, where ASF3 USB drivers carry over unchanged. The robust EMI performance of the integrated transceiver, highlighted in Atmel family documentation, reduces audible glitches caused by radiated noise - a practical advantage over designs that route high-speed USB traces to an external PHY on two-layer prototype boards.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for ATSAM3U-EK β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | ATSAM3U-EB | AT91SAM3U-SK | ATSAM3X-EK | ATSAM4S-EK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | Development board (evaluation kit) | Development board - same family | Development board - same family | Development board - different MCU family | Development board - different MCU family |
| Brand | Microchip Technology (Atmel) | Microchip Technology (Atmel) | Microchip Technology (Embest-built) | Microchip Technology (Atmel) | Microchip Technology (Atmel) |
| Target MCU | SAM3U4E Cortex-M3 | SAM3U Cortex-M3 | SAM3U Cortex-M3 | SAM3X Cortex-M3 | SAM4S Cortex-M4 |
| Core Speed | 96 MHz | 96 MHz | 96 MHz | 84 MHz | 120 MHz |
| High-Speed USB | Yes (integrated transceiver) | Yes | Yes | No (USB full-speed/device) | No (full-speed device) |
Key Differentiators
- Integrated high-speed USB transceiver on the MCU (vs ATSAM3X-EK)
- Complete full-featured evaluation kit (vs AT91SAM3U-SK)
- Exact-legacy-silicon fidelity (vs ATSAM4S-EK)
Design Notes
The SAM3U family is a mature Atmel-era product line. Verify software support assumptions early: ASF3 is the matching library framework and is configured through the ASF Wizard in Atmel Studio 7 or available as a standalone zip. Newer Microchip toolchains prioritize SAM4/SAME70, so lock your tool versions (Atmel Studio 7 + ASF3) at project start to avoid mid-project migration surprises. For new designs not tied to SAM3U silicon, evaluate the SAM4S family first.
Power the kit only through its designated power input (per the kit user guide); do not back-drive the 3.3 V rail from external sources while USB is connected, since multiple supply paths can contend. The SAM3U4E operates at 3.3 V logic, so any external peripheral attached to the expansion headers must be 3.3 V tolerant - 5 V TTL signals can damage I/O banks. Always common-ground external test equipment with the board before connecting probes to the JTAG or expansion headers.
The SAM3U4E's headline feature is the integrated high-speed USB transceiver (480 Mbps). When prototyping USB device firmware on this kit, keep USB cables short (under 2 m) and avoid unshielded cables, since high-speed signaling is sensitive to impedance discontinuities. Atmel's family documentation notes the integrated transceiver provides robust EMI behavior compared with external-PHY designs, but long ribbon connections to custom front-ends on the expansion headers can still degrade USB eye diagrams. Validate with a USB analyzer before releasing descriptors and endpoints.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliance per distributor listing conventions for Microchip development tools; formal REACH/halogen declarations not found in provided data.