Seeeduino XIAO Expansion Board

With the introduction of the Seeeduino XIAO Microcontroller and all of its awesome functionality in a tiny package, we’re reminded once again just how much we love getting in new Development Platforms, especially when they support multiple development environments like the XIAO does. However, as powerful as some microcontrollers may be, it can be quite disappointing when there is little support or further development on such platforms, but that’s why we’ve been quite impressed with Seeed Studio, as they have brought out a small range of handy XIAO Shields, with the Seeeduino XIAO Expansion Board being one of the most versatile functionality expanders so far.

To begin, the Seeeduino XIAO Expansion Board makes working with the XIAO easy, removing the need for soldering and jumper cable management when you want to prototype. With simple dual headers onboard that the Seeeduino XIAO can simply plug into, you can have instant connectivity with up to four modules, with two I2C ports, a UART Port and an analogue port broken out with easy Grove Series connectors, while the spring pins situated between the dual headers conveniently line up and connect with the SWD pins on the XIAO. This is further enhanced with broken out SWD pins for easy debugging, a JST2.0 connector so you can use a battery to power portable projects, as well as the broken out reset button that makes it far easier to reset than with the original solder pads.

But of course, we’re not here to get excited only about Connectors, and the onboard features are also certainly something worth taking interest in. The first of these is a very useful onboard battery power management chip, which can handle charging and safe operations Lithium Batteries that can be used to power the XIAO and expander board, as well as a battery switch to swap between charging and usage for the battery as well. Additionally, this expander board also features a 5V Servo or Sensor set of male pins, a user button that can be configured for custom actions in your code, an Mini SD Card slot on the back to store data, log readings or maintain an audio playlist, as well as an onboard passive buzzer for easy prototyping too. These features are all complemented with a beautiful little 0.96” OLED Display situated right in the centre of the board, and to top it all off there is even an RTC chip that can be powered via the CR1220Coin Cell battery holder on the back, ensuring that this expansion board is ready to take on almost any basic to intermediate prototyping challenges without you ever having to lift your soldering iron from its stand.

Additional Resources:

• To find out more about this awesome XIAO Expansion Board, check out the official Seeeduino XIAO Expansion Board Wiki from Seeed Studio, which covers all of the details and offers handy extra resources to get you started.