Arduino UNO R3

The Arduino UNO R3 is the third revision of the original Arduino UNO, and is the result of years of refinement from multiple manufacturers and involved suppliers. It has many minor differences, as well as a few major differences, such as the upgrade of the microcontroller from an ATmega8U2 to the ATmega16U2, as well as an IOREF pin to allow Arduino Shields to adapt the voltage from the board.

Some of the minor differences between the UNO R3 and the original UNO include solder pads connecting to pins PB4 up to PB7 of the USB, header pins for the ICSP header rather than solder pads, a 10-pin connector which includes the AD4/SDA and AD5/SCL for I2C, as well as some extra pull-up resistors and other small Electronics Components. These changes have made the board more both more powerful and accessible, making it a good successor to the standard version of the Arduino UNO.

The UNO R3 runs at a clock speed of 16 MHz, and has a total of 14 digital I/O pins. It has 6 analog input channels and 6 PWM channels, with a flash memory of 32 KB, which is ample space for many small to medium scope projects.

Typical Applications for the Arduino UNO R3:

The Arduino UNO R3 is part of the Arduino Range, which is open-source hardware designed to make experimentation more accessible. This means that there is a plethora of coding, software and other resources available on the net that beginner and advanced makers alike can utilize – in order to experiment with or practice creating interactive stand-alone objects or software-based automations.

Some basic – but certainly not boring – projects involving the Arduino UNO R3 include:

• Integrating Bluetooth into a remote controlled car – controllable from your mobile device
• Creating an alarm system that monitors the opening and closing of doors or windows
• Building a Lego pet feeder that dispenses food at specific times of the day
• Making a solar-powered desalination facility – converting salt water into pure potable water

Some makers, however, just can’t help but take their projects further, and some of the more advanced projects include:

• Creating a motion detector that reacts according to the height of the intruder (or cat)
• Bringing life (metaphorically of course) to a voice-controlled robot
• Building a robot arm to pick up and move objects on your desk – or to dunk Oreos and teabags when you’re having a lazy day
• Integrating gesture-controlled automation  to lock and unlock doors or turn on the coffee machine when you walk through the front door

As you can see, the open-source nature of Arduino allows inventors, makers and tinkerers to truly explore the possibilities of simple and easy-to-use microcontrollers. And with the Arduino UNO R3 being the third revision, you can be sure that this board is not only easy to use, but also powerful enough to cater to most basic to intermediate projects.

*Note: This is not supplied by Arduino, although it is manufactured to the same specs and quality controlled locally to ensure it functions exactly as expected - while saving you money.

When it comes to building unique electronics projects, there are few better ways to do it than with Arduino. Founded with the intent to make electronics prototyping accessible to all, regardless of age, culture, sex or any other factors, Arduino is one of the world’s leading designers and manufacturers of open-source hardware and software.

Some of the leading microcontroller boards that Arduino has produced include the classic Arduino UNO, as well as many variations with different specialisations and specifications. Some of the most popular Arduino boards – which we stock of course – are the Arduino Mega, Leonardo, Due, Micro, Nano, Mini, as well as the unique Arduino LilyPad. And with these boards at hand, as well as a Shield or two, you can craft thousands of different projects, with each one being tailored to your specific needs, wants and personal tastes.