ATSAM4L-XSTK - SAM4L Xplained Pro Cortex-M4 Kit | Microchip
MPN: ATSAM4L-XSTK β Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $0 | $0.00 |
| 10 | $0 | $0.00 |
| 100 | $0 | $0.00 |
| 500 | $0 | $0.00 |
| 1,000 | $0 | $0.00 |
ATSAM4L-XSTK Overview
An MCU evaluation board is a printed-circuit hardware platform that exposes a microcontroller's peripherals to engineers for prototyping, firmware development, and benchmarking; within the development-tools hierarchy it sits as evaluation board -> starter kit -> embedded development system -> semiconductor development ecosystem. The ATSAM4L-XSTK is the entry point for evaluating the SAM4L family before committing to custom PCB design.
The kit's headline value is the ultra-low-power SAM4L silicon: the Cortex-M4 core with FPU executes at up to 48 MHz while the event system, SleepWalking peripherals, and low-leakage process let applications stay asleep for extended periods. The SAM4L series also integrates an LCD controller, making the kit directly relevant to segment-LCD metering and battery-powered UI designs. Atmel (now Microchip) designed the Xplained Pro ecosystem around this board.
The Xplained Pro platform includes an embedded debugger (EDBG) with CMSIS-DAP, Virtual COM port, and data gateway functionality, plus Xplained Pro extension headers that accept add-on boards for sensors, displays, and connectivity. Atmel Studio / Microchip Studio and Atmel START provide out-of-the-box project creation, code examples, and graphical peripheral configuration, so a firmware build can be flashed within minutes of unboxing.
Typical applications include low-power sensor nodes, battery-powered metering with segment LCDs, industrial human-machine interfaces, and general ARM Cortex-M4 learning and evaluation.
Design consideration: budget the target application's current consumption against the SAM4L's 90 uA/MHz active figure using the board's current-measurement hooks rather than relying on typical values at room temperature.
This page synthesizes distributor availability, kit contents, comparable Microchip starter kits, and practical evaluation guidance not consolidated on any single manufacturer page.
Drop-in alternatives for ATSAM4L-XSTK 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 ATSAM4L-XSTK (same form factor and footprint) β differing in Active Mode Current, Product Type, Sleep Mode, Supported IDE.
Quick Comparison Tool β Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
ATSAM4S-XSTK
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
ATSAMC21N-XPRO
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
ATSAMA5D36-EK
β Drop-Inπ Reference alternative (not in catalog)
ATSAM4L-XSTK Specifications (manufacturer-published)
| Product Type | MCU 32-bit Embedded Evaluation Board (Starter Kit) |
| Kit Family | SAM4L Xplained Pro Starter Kit |
| Target MCU Family | ATSAM4L (AT91SAM4 / SAM4L series) |
| Core Processor | ARM Cortex-M4, 32-bit |
| Core Frequency | up to 48 MHz |
| Active Mode Current | down to 90 uA/MHz (SAM4L MCU) |
| Sleep Mode | Full RAM retention (SAM4L MCU) |
| Display Controller | Segment LCD controller (SAM4L series) |
| On-board Debugger | EDBG (CMSIS-DAP, Virtual COM, Data Gateway) |
| Expansion | Xplained Pro extension headers |
| Supported IDE | Atmel Studio / Microchip Studio, Atmel START |
| Instruction Set | ARM (Thumb-2) |
| Mounting Type | Standalone benchtop development board |
ATSAM4L-XSTK Interfaces & Connectors
No manufacturer-published interface list is available for ATSAM4L-XSTK. 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
ATSAM4L-XSTK is suitable for 6 applications: Low-Power Sensor Node Prototyping, Battery-Powered Metering with Segment LCD, ARM Cortex-M4 Education and Training, Industrial HMI and Control Interface Development, Migration Path Evaluation from SAM3 to SAM4, Wireless-Attached Low-Power Controller Prototyping.
Low-Power Sensor Node Prototyping
The ATSAM4L-XSTK fits battery-powered sensor-node development because the SAM4L MCU it hosts achieves active-mode current as low as 90 uA/MHz, among the best figures for any Cortex-M4 device, and its sleep modes retain full RAM contents so a duty-cycled node resumes instantly without state reinitialization. On the board, engineers connect external sensors via the Xplained Pro extension headers and use the EDBG data gateway to profile current consumption and GPIO timing in real time. This profiling loop is what converts the datasheet's 90 uA/MHz headline into an application-specific battery-life estimate, and it typically shortens power-optimization iterations by allowing firmware changes to be flashed and re-measured within seconds over the CMSIS-DAP USB link.
Recommended
Battery-Powered Metering with Segment LCD
Metering products - utility meters, thermostats, and energy monitors - pair multi-year batteries with segment-LCD user interfaces, and this is precisely the SAM4L family's design center: the series integrates a segment-LCD controller alongside the 48 MHz Cortex-M4 core, and the ATSAM4L-XSTK exposes both for evaluation. The kit lets firmware teams validate LCD drive waveforms, contrast scheduling, and the SleepWalking peripheral architecture that lets the CPU stay asleep while peripherals service events, directly reducing average current. A metering design validated on the XSTK migrates to production silicon such as the ATSAM4LS8BA-AUR with the same codebase, because the board carries genuine SAM4L die rather than an emulation, so timing and power behavior measured on the kit transfer to the final PCB.
Recommended
ARM Cortex-M4 Education and Training
The ATSAM4L-XSTK is an effective platform for teaching 32-bit embedded development because it needs no external tools: the on-board EDBG debugger provides CMSIS-DAP debugging and a Virtual COM port over a single USB cable, and Atmel Studio / Microchip Studio supplies a free IDE with worked SAM4L examples, while Atmel START generates peripheral-init code graphically. Students progress from blinking LEDs to configuring the event system and low-power modes without ever touching a schematic. Because the CMSIS-DAP interface is an ARM standard, the same board also works with GCC and OpenOCD open-source flows, letting curricula avoid vendor lock-in. The 90 uA/MHz active current additionally makes power-measurement labs practical, an increasingly required topic in modern embedded courses.
Recommended
Industrial HMI and Control Interface Development
Industrial human-machine interfaces demand responsive computation with a local display and robust peripherals, and the ATSAM4L-XSTK supports this development by pairing a 48 MHz Cortex-M4 with hardware Floating-Point Unit and a segment-LCD controller on the SAM4L silicon. Engineers prototype button scanning, display refresh scheduling, and sensor polling on the kit's extension headers before committing to a custom PCB. The SleepWalking architecture is particularly relevant in HMI designs that must wake on touch or rotary-encoder input while keeping average current within a shared 24V-system budget, because peripherals can pre-process input events without waking the CPU. Firmware validated on the kit ports directly to ATSAM4L production devices with no silicon-behavior surprises.
Recommended
Migration Path Evaluation from SAM3 to SAM4
Microchip documents that SAM4 Cortex-M4 devices are pin-to-pin and software compatible with SAM3 Cortex-M3 devices, providing a smooth migration path for performance and memory upgrades. The ATSAM4L-XSTK serves as the validation vehicle for this migration: teams recompile existing SAM3 firmware for the SAM4L, run regression tests on the kit, and measure whether the Cortex-M4's DSP instructions and FPU deliver the expected throughput gains at 48 MHz. Because the board hosts real SAM4L silicon with the EDBG debugger, cycle-count comparisons against legacy SAM3 hardware are straightforward using the debugger's trace and profiling features. This de-risks the BOM transition before any custom hardware is built, typically saving a full PCB spin.
Recommended
Wireless-Attached Low-Power Controller Prototyping
Many IoT products delegate radio duties to a separate module and keep main-logic current draw minimal; the ATSAM4L-XSTK supports prototyping such split architectures because the SAM4L's 90 uA/MHz active and RAM-retentive sleep behavior matches a duty-cycled controller that wakes briefly to service a radio module over UART, SPI, or I2C. Developers attach connectivity add-on boards through the Xplained Pro headers, implement protocol handlers, and use the EDBG Virtual COM plus data gateway to observe inter-chip traffic and wake latency. The measurement insight here is wake latency from RAM-retention sleep - often the dominant energy cost in radio-gated designs - which can be quantified directly on the kit before the production MCU, such as the ATSAM4LS8BA-AUR, is designed into the final wireless product PCB.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for ATSAM4L-XSTK β comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | ATSAM4S-XSTK | ATSAMC21N-XPRO | ATSAMA5D36-EK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Package / Form Factor | Xplained Pro evaluation board (benchtop) | Xplained Pro evaluation board - same form factor | Xplained Pro evaluation board - same form factor | Large evaluation kit board (different form factor) |
| Target MCU Family | ATSAM4L (Cortex-M4, low-power LCD series) | ATSAM4S (Cortex-M4, general purpose) | ATSAMC21 (Cortex-M0+, CAN-FD) | ATSAMA5D36 (Cortex-A5 MPU) |
| Core | ARM Cortex-M4 up to 48 MHz | ARM Cortex-M4 | ARM Cortex-M0+ | ARM Cortex-A5 |
| LCD Controller | Yes (SAM4L segment LCD series) | No (SAM4S has no segment LCD) | No | TFT/LCD controller (different class) |
| Expansion Interface | Xplained Pro extension headers | Xplained Pro extension headers - same | Xplained Pro extension headers - same | Expansion connectors (kit-specific) |
Key Differentiators
- Lowest-power Cortex-M4 evaluation platform (vs ATSAM4S-XSTK)
- Integrated segment-LCD controller evaluation (vs ATSAMC21N-XPRO)
- Right-sized embedded evaluation versus MPU kit (vs ATSAMA5D36-EK)
Design Notes
Remember that this MPN is an evaluation board, not a component: it cannot be 'drop-in replaced' in a production BOM the way an MCU or regulator can. Alternatives such as the ATSAM4S-XSTK host different silicon (SAM4S, no segment-LCD controller), so firmware written against SAM4L peripherals such as the LCD driver and event system will not run unmodified. Before ordering a substitute kit, list which SAM4L-specific peripherals your firmware actually uses and verify each exists on the substitute die. Source: Microchip SAM4 product family documentation.
When benchmarking power on the kit, measure the MCU rail only, excluding the EDBG debugger and extension-board loads, or your readings will far exceed the SAM4L's 90 uA/MHz active figure. Datasheet low-power numbers assume specific clock sources, voltage ranges, and flash wait-states; reproduce those conditions in your test firmware. For production estimates, validate the sleep-mode RAM-retention current at your intended operating temperature, since leakage rises with temperature and the datasheet headline value is measured under controlled conditions.
Design the production board in parallel with kit evaluation rather than after it. The Xplained Pro headers map SAM4L peripherals to standard positions, so capture your final peripheral pin assignments early and confirm availability on production packages such as the ATSAM4LS8BA-AUR or ATSAM4LC8BA-UUR. Follow Microchip layout guidance for the LCD segment lines and analog references: keep LCD drive traces away from high-speed signals, and provide clean decoupling per the SAM4L datasheet's power-integrity recommendations to preserve the low-leakage behavior the family is known for.
Compliance Information
Compliance data for the ATSAM4L-XSTK evaluation board was not present in the verified web data. Consult the Microchip product page compliance documents or request a certificate of conformity from the distributor.