ATSAMA5D3-XPLD - SAMA5D3 Cortex-A5 MPU Evaluation Kit | Microchip
MPN: ATSAMA5D3-XPLD ⚠ Last Time Buy| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $136.5 | $136.50 |
| 10 | $124.5 | $1,245.00 |
| 25 | $117.8 | $2,945.00 |
| 50 | $112.2 | $5,610.00 |
| 100 | $105.9 | $10,590.00 |
ATSAMA5D3-XPLD Overview
An embedded evaluation board is a populated PCB that exposes the pins, peripherals, and reference circuitry of a target microprocessor or microcontroller so that firmware engineers can validate system-level behavior, benchmark peripherals, and prototype end-product designs before committing to a custom PCB layout. The ATSAMA5D3-XPLD belongs to Microchip's Xplained family of evaluation kits, which sit in the broader product hierarchy: evaluation kit → development platform → prototyping hardware → embedded engineering toolchain, all designed to shorten time-to-prototype for ARM-based microprocessor designs.
Key features of the SAMA5D3 Xplained kit include the ATSAMA5D36 MPU with hardware floating-point unit, dual Ethernet GMACs, dual CAN controllers, an LCD/HDMI graphics output, high-speed USB 2.0 device and host ports, SD card interface, audio codec input/output, JTAG and serial debug, and Arduino R3-compatible + Xplained extension headers. The kit ships with a Linux image based on Linux Mainline plus Yocto Project support, and Atmel provides a complete bare-metal C software package with sample code for users who prefer not to use an operating system.
Typical applications include industrial HMI prototyping, IoT gateway evaluation, Linux kernel bring-up on ARM Cortex-A5, secure-boot and TrustZone demonstration, low-power fanless embedded appliances, and proof-of-concept builds where HDMI graphics, dual Ethernet, and CAN connectivity are required. The board's peripherals mirror many industrial SBC requirements, so it is often used as a software-evaluation platform even when the production hardware is a custom design.
When ordering, engineers should verify the variant because the Xplained kit uses the SAMA5D36 die. The board is supplied with a micro-AB to Type-A USB cable for power and debug; users supply their own USB-to-serial or external JTAG probe only if they want to bypass the on-board debugger. This page synthesizes distributor pricing, key pin/feature data from the manufacturer user guide, and practical design considerations not found in the datasheet alone.
Drop-in alternatives for ATSAMA5D3-XPLD — 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 ATSAMA5D3-XPLD (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Ethernet, Product Type, Operating Temperature, USB, Maximum CPU Clock.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
ATSAMA5D35-EK
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$629 / Unit
View Datasheet →ATSAMA5D2-XULT
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$72 / Unit
View Datasheet →ATSAMA5D2B-XULT
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$142.5 / Unit
View Datasheet →ATSAMA5D28C-LD1G-CUR
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$19.4 / Unit
View Datasheet →ATSAMA5D27C-D1G-CU
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
$19.1 / Unit
View Datasheet →ATSAMA5D3-XPLD Specifications (manufacturer-published)
| Product Type | Embedded Evaluation Board (Xplained Kit) |
| Target MPU | ATSAMA5D36 (ARM Cortex-A5) |
| Core | ARM Cortex-A5 with FPU |
| Maximum CPU Clock | 536 MHz |
| On-chip SRAM | 128 KB |
| Cache (I/D) | 32 KB each |
| External Memory Interface | DDR2 / LPDDR / LPDDR2 + NAND Flash + QSPI |
| Graphics Output | HDMI + parallel LCD |
| Ethernet | 2x 10/100/1000 GMAC |
| USB | 1x USB 2.0 Device, 2x USB 2.0 Host |
| CAN | 2x CAN 2.0B |
| Storage | microSD slot + NAND Flash on-board |
| Expansion Headers | Arduino R3 + Xplained extension header |
| Debug Interface | On-board J-Link-OB (JTAG + SWD) + serial console |
| Operating System Support | Linux Mainline, Yocto Project, bare-metal C examples |
| Included Accessories | micro-AB to Type-A USB cable |
| Operating Temperature | 0C to +70C (commercial evaluation use) |
| Compliance | RoHS Compliant |
ATSAMA5D3-XPLD Interfaces & Connectors
ATSAMA5D3-XPLD exposes the following interfaces and connectors as published by the manufacturer: Ethernet, USB, Expansion / Buses, GPIO. Expansion header pinout, connector pin numbering, and electrical limits are defined in the manufacturer documentation.
| Ethernet | 2x 10/100/1000 GMAC |
| USB | 1x USB 2.0 Device, 2x USB 2.0 Host |
| Expansion / Buses | 2x CAN 2.0B |
| GPIO | Arduino R3 + Xplained extension header |
Refer to the manufacturer documentation for the full expansion header pinout and connector pin numbering.
Power & Thermal Characteristics
| Operating Temperature | 0C to +70C (commercial evaluation use) |
Power input and thermal parameters for ATSAMA5D3-XPLD as published by the manufacturer.
Typical Applications
ATSAMA5D3-XPLD is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial HMI Prototyping with HDMI, Linux Kernel Bring-Up on ARM Cortex-A5, IoT Gateway and Edge Connectivity, Secure-Boot and TrustZone Demonstration, Low-Power Fanless Embedded Appliance, Bare-Metal Driver Development Without OS.
Industrial HMI Prototyping with HDMI
The ATSAMA5D3-XPLD's SAMA5D36 Cortex-A5 MPU with integrated LCD controller and HDMI output targets industrial HMI prototyping where engineers need a graphics-capable Linux environment without a custom PCB layout. At up to 536 MHz with a hardware FPU, the board has enough compute headroom to drive Qt, LVGL, or WebKit-based interfaces at typical 480p to 720p resolutions, while dual Gigabit Ethernet and dual CAN let engineers prototype industrial gateways alongside the touchscreen UI. The Arduino R3 + Xplained headers expose I2C, SPI, and UART for sensor and keypad expansion, and the on-board J-Link-OB debugger allows fast bring-up without a separate probe.
Recommended
Linux Kernel Bring-Up on ARM Cortex-A5
Embedded Linux engineers use the ATSAMA5D3-XPLD as a reference platform for kernel, device-tree, and bootloader bring-up on Cortex-A5 silicon because the kit exposes the SAMA5D36's full peripheral set (DDR2, GMAC, USB, CAN, HDMI) for early-stage driver work. The board ships with a working Linux Mainline image from the linux4sam community, plus Yocto Project build configurations for fast custom BSP creation, allowing teams to validate patches against a known-good hardware baseline before committing to a custom PCB layout. The Arduino and Xplained headers additionally let engineers prototype sensor and peripheral drivers with off-the-shelf click boards.
Recommended
IoT Gateway and Edge Connectivity
The ATSAMA5D3-XPLD is well-suited for IoT gateway prototyping because the SAMA5D36 integrates dual Gigabit Ethernet, dual CAN bus controllers, USB host, SDIO for Wi-Fi modules, and UARTs for cellular modems - all the interfaces needed to bridge Ethernet, fieldbus, and radio connectivity on a single board. Combined with Cortex-A5's virtualization-friendly MMU and Linux Mainline support, the kit can run containerized edge workloads such as MQTT brokers, OPC-UA servers, or lightweight analytics. The Arduino R3 headers allow quick prototyping of sensor front-ends, while the Xplained headers support Microchip click boards for additional radios.
Recommended
Secure-Boot and TrustZone Demonstration
Engineers evaluating secure-boot flows, TrustZone isolation, and encrypted-storage designs use the ATSAMA5D3-XPLD because the SAMA5D36 silicon (which is part of the Atmel Secure Boot Solution framework) supports secure monitor calls, encrypted LPDDR, and tamper pins. The on-board J-Link-OB debugger plus Atmel's SAM-BA utility allow secure firmware update demonstrations directly from the host PC, while the on-board NAND Flash and microSD slot provide practical locations to test encrypted image storage. The Linux Mainline tree's secure-boot and OP-TEE support layers make the kit a practical reference for embedded security research on production MPU silicon.
Recommended
Low-Power Fanless Embedded Appliance
Fanless appliance prototypes benefit from the SAMA5D3 Xplained kit because the SAMA5D36 supports deep low-power modes, allowing standby current well below typical ARM Cortex-A5 platforms when the application is idle. The kit exposes multiple wake sources (GPIO, RTC, Ethernet) accessible via Arduino and Xplained headers, which is critical for industrial controllers and battery-backed appliances that must respond to wake events within milliseconds. A real Linux distribution such as Yocto can be tuned to put the MPU into ULP/standby states while still providing rapid wake to full CPU clock when the wake event fires.
Recommended
Bare-Metal Driver Development Without OS
The ATSAMA5D3-XPLD is a practical platform for teams that prefer to write drivers without an operating system because Atmel/Microchip publishes a full bare-metal C software package with examples for every peripheral on the SAMA5D36 die. Engineers can compile, flash, and step through code on the on-board J-Link-OB debugger, allowing quick iteration on register-level drivers, interrupt service routines, and DMA pipelines without the indirection of a Linux kernel. This makes the kit a useful training and reference platform for both ASIC bring-up engineers and university courses on microprocessor design.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for ATSAMA5D3-XPLD — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | ATSAMA5D35-EK | ATSAMA5D2-XULT | ATSAMA5D2B-XULT | ATSAMA5D28C-LD1G-CUR | ATSAMA5D27C-D1G-CU |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Package | SAMA5D3 Xplained Kit (Arduino R3 + Xplained headers) | SAMA5D3 Xplained Kit (same headers) | SAMA5D2 Xplained-Ultra Kit (same headers) | SAMA5D2 Xplained-Ultra Kit (same headers) | SAMA5D2 Xplained-Ultra Kit (silicon-targeted) | SAMA5D2 Xplained-Ultra Kit (silicon-targeted) |
| Target MPU | SAMA5D36 | SAMA5D35 | SAMA5D2 family | SAMA5D2B family | SAMA5D28 silicon | SAMA5D27 silicon |
| Core | Cortex-A5 @ 536 MHz | Cortex-A5 @ 536 MHz | Cortex-A5 @ 500 MHz | Cortex-A5 @ 500 MHz | Cortex-A5 @ 500 MHz | Cortex-A5 @ 500 MHz |
| On-board Debug | J-Link-OB (JTAG + SWD) | External J-Link only | J-Link-OB | J-Link-OB | J-Link-OB (SAMA5D2 board target) | J-Link-OB (SAMA5D2 board target) |
| Linux BSP | Linux Mainline + Yocto | Linux Mainline + Yocto | Linux Mainline + Yocto (LTS supported) | Linux Mainline + Yocto (LTS supported) | Linux Mainline + Yocto (LTS) | Linux Mainline + Yocto (LTS) |
| Lifecycle Status | Last-time-buy | Obsolete | Active | Active | Active | Active |
| Unit Price (1 pc, USD) | 136.50 | approx. 110-130 (distributor dependent) | approx. 95-115 | approx. 99-119 | approx. 18 (silicon only) | approx. 15 (silicon only) |
Key Differentiators
- SAMA5D3 Xplained kit pairs SAMA5D36 with HDMI + dual Gigabit Ethernet (vs ATSAMA5D2-XULT)
- Fully Arduino R3 + Xplained compatible expansion (vs ATSAMA5D35-EK)
- linux4sam + Yocto Mainline support out of the box (vs ATSAMA5D2-XULT)
Design Notes
The SAMA5D3 Xplained kit is powered through the micro-AB USB connector. According to the Atmel/Microchip user guide, the board includes an on-board 3.3 V regulator that supplies the MPU and peripherals; if the engineer adds a high-current daughter card through the Arduino R3 headers, supply current must stay within the USB 2.0 500 mA budget or an external 5 V supply must be injected on the appropriate header pin. Voltage rails accessible on the headers (5 V, 3.3 V, GND) are documented in the user guide schematic.
Estimated: at full 536 MHz operation with both GMACs active and HDMI driving a 720p display, the SAMA5D36 die draws approximately 200-300 mW; the kit ships without a heatsink and is rated for 0 C to +70 C only. Engineers who need higher ambient operating temperature or sustained full-load CPU benchmarking should add airflow or a small stick-on heatsink on the MPU package and ensure the enclosure does not impede convection around the SoC.
Do not confuse the ATSAMA5D3-XPLD Xplained kit with the older ATSAMA5D35-EK or with the SAMA5D2 Xplained-Ultra boards. Software images and Linux device trees are NOT interchangeable across these kits because the on-board peripherals, debug, and PMIC configuration differ. Reuse firmware and device trees only when Microchip/linux4sam explicitly lists your board revision as supported. Many software bring-up issues on this kit stem from flashing the wrong SD card image meant for a different SAMA5D Xplained board.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliance per Microchip product page. Evaluation boards are not AEC-Q100 qualified; that qualification belongs to the on-board SAMA5D36 MPU silicon.