ATSAM4L-XPRO - SAM4L Xplained Pro ARM Cortex-M4 Eval Kit | Microchip
MPN: ATSAM4L-XPRO ✓ NakahandaATSAM4L-XPRO Ulas
An MCU evaluation board is a hardware development platform that exposes all of a microcontroller's key peripherals, debug interfaces, and extension connectors so engineers can prototype firmware and validate designs before committing to custom PCBs. Evaluation boards sit within the broader hierarchy of development tools: MCU -> development board -> evaluation kit -> embedded system prototyping ecosystem.
Key features include the ultra-low-power SAM4L family MCU delivering active-mode consumption down to 90 uA/MHz, sleep modes with full RAM retention, integrated Embedded Debugger (EDBG) for in-circuit programming and debugging, and three Xplained Pro extension headers that accept a ecosystem of add-on boards for sensors, displays, and connectivity.
The platform integrates seamlessly with Atmel Studio (now Microchip Studio) and ships with Atmel Software Framework (ASF) drivers and demo code, dramatically shortening time-to-first-blink. The on-board EDBG provides CMSIS-DAP debug, a virtual COM port, and a data gateway interface, so no external programmer or debugger is required.
Typical applications include low-power IoT node firmware development, battery-powered metering and sensing prototypes, LCD-driving application development leveraging the SAM4L's LCD controller, and embedded security research (the SAM4L target is also used on ChipWhisperer CW308T-SAM4L attack boards).
Design consideration: power-measurement experiments should use the board's current-measurement provisions and remove demo-specific loads, since extension boards and LEDs can mask the MCU's true sub-90 uA/MHz consumption profile.
This page synthesizes distributor availability, family cross-references, and practical development notes not found in the manufacturer user guide.
Mga alternatibo na pwedeng ilagay na ATSAM4L-XPRO — parehas na package, pin-to-pin na katugmang. Hindi kasama ang mga bahagi ng iba't-ibang package na nangangailangan ng pagpapaayos ng PCB.
Variante sa Seri na ito
Katulad na modelo sa serye na katugma sa pagpasok ATSAM4L-XPRO (parehas na form factor at footprint) — pagkakaiba sa Product Type, Target MCU, Debug Interface, Core Architecture, Core.
ATSAM4L8-XPRO
✅ Drop-InMagkontak para sa presyo
Tingnan ang Datasheet →ATSAM4L-XSTK
✅ Drop-InMagkontak para sa presyo
Tingnan ang Datasheet →ATSAMHA1G16A-XPRO
✅ Drop-InMagkontak para sa presyo
Tingnan ang Datasheet →ATSAMA5D4-XULT
✅ Drop-InMagkontak para sa presyo
Tingnan ang Datasheet →CW308T-SAM4L
✅ Drop-In📋 Alternatibo na Reference (hindi sa katalogo)
ATSAM4L-XPRO Mga Talaan (nai-publish ng manilya)
| Product Type | MCU Evaluation Board (Xplained Pro) |
| Target MCU | ATSAM4LC4C |
| Core Architecture | 32-bit ARM Cortex-M4 |
| Core Frequency | up to 48 MHz |
| Active Mode Current | down to 90 uA/MHz (SAM4L family) |
| On-board Crystals | 32.768 kHz and 12 MHz |
| Debug Interface | Embedded Debugger (EDBG), in-circuit programming and debugging |
| Extension Headers | Xplained Pro extension headers |
| Supported IDE | Atmel Studio (Win 7 / Win XP) |
| Software Framework | Atmel Software Framework (ASF) drivers and demo code |
| Family Series | ATSAM4L (Atmel SAM4L, ARM-based Flash MCU) |
| Starter Kit Variant | ATSAM4L-XSTK (companion starter kit ordering code) |
| Kategorya | Evaluation Boards - Embedded - MCU, DSP |
| Sleep Mode | Sleep modes with full RAM retention |
ATSAM4L-XPRO Interfaces at Connectors
Walang available na listahan ng interface na inilathala ng manufacturer para sa ATSAM4L-XPRO. Sumangguni sa dokumentasyon ng manufacturer para sa mga detalye ng connector at header.
Sumangguni sa dokumentasyon ng tagagawa para sa buong expansion header pinout at pin numbering ng konektor.
Tipikal na mga Gamit
ATSAM4L-XPRO ay nararapat para sa 6 aplikasyons: Low-Power IoT Node Development, LCD-Based Metering and Display Prototyping, Firmware Development with Atmel Studio and ASF, Embedded Security Research, Sensor and Extension Board Ecosystem Evaluation, Industrial and Portable Instrument Prototyping.
Low-Power IoT Node Development
The ATSAM4L-XPRO is a natural fit for battery-powered IoT node prototyping because its host SAM4L MCU family defines the low-power benchmark for Cortex-M4 devices, drawing down to 90 uA/MHz in active mode while retaining full RAM contents in sleep modes. The onboard 32.768 kHz crystal supports low-power RTC-driven wake-up schemes, and the 12 MHz source covers standard serial clocking. Developers profile real current consumption through the EDBG interface and validate sleep/wake firmware before designing custom hardware. The key performance consideration is to unplug demo loads (LEDs, extension boards) during current measurements, since board-level leakage can mask the MCU's microamp-scale sleep currents.
Inirekomenda
LCD-Based Metering and Display Prototyping
The SAM4L family integrates an LCD controller, and the ATSAM4L-XPRO platform (marketed as the SAM4L Low-Power LCD evaluation platform per Microchip document Atmel-42023) is aimed squarely at segment-LCD metering and display applications such as utility meters and battery-powered instruments. Engineers drive glass panels using the MCU's integrated LCD driver, eliminating an external LCD controller and its associated quiescent current. The Xplained Pro extension headers accept display add-on boards for rapid iteration. When evaluating, verify the LC4C's available segment/com multiplexing against your glass specification, and budget the LCD bias generation current into the total power budget, since it can dominate the sleep-mode profile in extreme low-power designs.
Inirekomenda
Firmware Development with Atmel Studio and ASF
As a development vehicle, the ATSAM4L-XPRO integrates directly with Atmel Studio (Win 7/Win XP supported) and ships with Atmel Software Framework (ASF) drivers and demo code, letting teams move from unboxing to running examples in minutes. The onboard Embedded Debugger provides in-circuit programming and debugging, a virtual COM port, and a data gateway interface over a single USB cable, so no separate J-Link or programmer purchase is required. This makes the board ideal for training, university labs, and early firmware bring-up. Teams should note that ASF examples target the exact onboard MCU (ATSAM4LC4C); when migrating to a different SAM4L memory variant in production, device-specific configuration headers and linker scripts must be updated.
Inirekomenda
Embedded Security Research
The SAM4L target is widely used in embedded security education and research: NewAE's ChipWhisperer ecosystem offers the CW308T-SAM4L target board, which by default carries an ATSAM4LC2AA-AU with 128 KB flash and 32 KB SRAM. Researchers use SAM4L parts to study side-channel power analysis and glitching attacks because the family's well-characterized power modes and public documentation make measurements reproducible. Owning an ATSAM4L-XPRO complements this workflow by providing a standard Atmel Studio development path for building and validating the firmware images before deploying them to the ChipWhisperer target. Ensure clock and supply configurations match between platforms to keep measurement traces comparable across boards.
Inirekomenda
Sensor and Extension Board Ecosystem Evaluation
The standardized Xplained Pro extension headers let engineers snap together sensor, display, and connectivity add-on boards without soldering, making the ATSAM4L-XPRO an efficient platform for evaluating peripheral ICs before committing them to a design. Each extension board is automatically detected by Atmel Studio through an I2C identification EEPROM, which auto-configures ASF examples and reduces integration effort. Because the SAM4L exposes multiple SERCOM-based I2C/SPI/UART instances, several extension boards can be stacked, subject to address conflicts and total bus capacitance limits. Validate that the 3.3 V rail budget of the base board is not exceeded when stacking multiple powered extension modules.
Inirekomenda
Industrial and Portable Instrument Prototyping
Industrial sensors, handheld instruments, and portable data loggers benefit from the SAM4L's balance of Cortex-M4 DSP capability (hardware multiply, low-power accelerator) and microamp-scale sleep currents. The ATSAM4L-XPRO lets instrument developers prototype signal acquisition chains, validate the 12 MHz main clock timing budget, and exercise the SAM4L's sleep modes with RAM retention so that logged data survives intermittent power gating. Firmware developed here ports directly to SAM4L production parts such as the ATSAM4LS8BA or ATSAM4LC8BA. In industrial environments, remember that the evaluation board is not EMC-hardened; final designs need proper filtering, conformal protection, and transient immunity beyond what the dev kit provides.
Inirekomenda
Buod ng mga Inirekomendang Produkto
Impormasyon ng Talumpati sa Engineering for ATSAM4L-XPRO — ikabit, gabay sa disenyo, at impormasyon ng pagsunod sa kautusan.
Paunawang Hanapin
Ikabit sa Mga Alternatibo
| Parametro | Ito ang Producto | ATSAM4L8-XPRO | ATSAM4L-XSTK | ATSAMHA1G16A-XPRO | CW308T-SAM4L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package / Form Factor | Xplained Pro evaluation board | Xplained Pro evaluation board - same | Starter kit board - different form factor | Xplained Pro evaluation board - same | CW308 target board - different |
| Brand | Microchip Technology (Atmel) | Microchip Technology (Atmel) | Microchip Technology (Atmel) | Microchip Technology (Atmel) | NewAE Technology (ChipWhisperer) |
| Target MCU | ATSAM4LC4C (Cortex-M4, 48 MHz) | ATSAM4L8 (Cortex-M4, larger memory) | SAM4L family MCU | ATSAMHA1G16A (Cortex-M0+) | ATSAM4LC2AA-AU (128KB flash / 32KB SRAM) |
| On-board Debugger | EDBG (in-circuit programming/debugging) | EDBG - same | Embedded debugger | EDBG (Cortex-M0+ target) | None (hosted by ChipWhisperer platform) |
| IDE / Toolchain | Atmel Studio + ASF (Win 7/Win XP) | Atmel Studio + ASF | Atmel Studio + ASF | Atmel/Microchip Studio + ASF | ChipWhisperer toolchain |
Pangunahing mga Pagkakaiba
- Lowest-power Cortex-M4 platform (kumpara saATSAMHA1G16A-XPRO)
- Larger-memory option within the same board (kumpara saATSAM4L-XSTK)
- Production-representative development (kumpara saCW308T-SAM4L)
Talaan ng Disenyo
When validating the SAM4L's headline 90 uA/MHz active current on the ATSAM4L-XPRO, isolate the MCU supply from board overhead. LEDs, pull-ups, the EDBG front end, and any attached Xplained Pro extension board each contribute leakage that can exceed the MCU's sleep-mode draw by an order of magnitude. Remove or disable demo loads, measure at the current-measurement provisions, and confirm the 32.768 kHz RTC and RAM-retention sleep configuration in ASF before comparing figures against the datasheet.
The onboard MCU is the ATSAM4LC4C; production designs frequently target other SAM4L memory variants (ATSAM4LS8BA, ATSAM4LC8BA). Firmware porting requires updating the device-specific ASF configuration, linker script, and flash/SRAM sizes - code rarely ports with zero changes. Additionally, Atmel Studio's official OS support was Win 7/Win XP era; on modern Windows versions, verify toolchain compatibility or plan for Microchip Studio / MPLAB X migration.
The Xplained Pro extension connectors follow a fixed signal map (I2C, SERCOM, analog, and power rails) defined in user guide 60001414B. When designing a custom carrier or stacking extension boards, respect the fixed 3.3 V rail and I2C address allocation to avoid bus conflicts; each XPRO extension board carries an identification EEPROM on the dedicated ID I2C bus, and address collisions on the shared buses are the most common stacking failure.
Impormasyon ng Pagsunod sa Kautusan
Compliance data not present in the provided web data; consult the official Microchip product page for RoHS/REACH declarations.