Arduino Uno Gets Its BIGGEST Upgrade In 12 Years

[@vadimm6432]

You never compared it to esp32?!

[@tamask001]

...not even to the pi pico w...

[@rockosgaminglogic]

It has an ESP32 on board lol

[@KelleyJay]

the esp32 especially the s2 or s3 are MUCH faster and still offers many more features. but the R4 will fill a very nice middle ground between the slower arduinos and the rippin fast esp's

[@JonathanDeWitt1988]

@@rockosgaminglogic the minima doesn't, only the WiFi version.

[@jeffschroeder4805]

This didn't sell me on the R4. The improved memory, speed, and ADC DAC resolution are great but the low current specs. would make it difficult to use for the type of projects I like. Providing WIFI with a competing chip just suggests using that chip directly. Arduino seems to be moving toward an industrial market which is probably a wise business decision on their part. They cost of the Arduino boards is a significant factor as well.

[@alainmilette6460]

To be fair forcing devs to use transistors to isolate outputs is a very defendable move.

[@jeffschroeder4805]

@@alainmilette6460 How do you feel about city governments forcing you to quit using plastic grocery bags? It certainly makes sense but many people don't like it.

[@Anticitizen666]

@@jeffschroeder4805 You're actually proving his point. Not using plastic bags is good for the environment. Not powering things from a GPIO is good for the MCU. When you move to other MCUs, like STM32, Nordic, Espressi etc, you'll find you also have similar current restrictions - some even less than 8mA. GPIOs are supposed to be used to send and receive signals, not to drive current through other devices (excepting very low current devices like LEDs). Additionally, if you connect a GPIO directly to something, then short it out, you're likely going to destroy the GPIO pin (at the least). If it's connected via a transistor, then at most you'll pop the transistor.

[@jeffschroeder4805]

@@Anticitizen666 I am not actually proving his point. I didn't hear him say that low current gpios were better, just that the limitations could be addressed with transistors. I ask you, "would he have found fault with the Arduino R4 if it had gpio output capacities greater than or equal to older Arduinos?" I doubt it! My preference for hobby projects is simplicity, the fewer components required the better. Having to incorporate a transistor to simply light up an indicator led is a waste of my time and requires more components. Given a choice I will purchase MCUs that don't force me to add additional circuitry for simple applications. I have already "moved to ESP32 (my current favorite is the S3), STM32, Nordic....and and haven't run into such severe current restrictions on GPIOs as presented by the R4.

[@Anticitizen666]

@ you did prove his point and you continue to prove it. Maybe you should learn how to use a resistor to limit current through an LED. It’s VERY unlikely you need more than 8mA anyway, since LEDs are non linear. You can light most standard LEDs with 1mA and they’re easily visible. I understand you’re just a hobbyist so it doesn’t matter if you screw things up but there is a professional way to do things and a half-assed solution to try to cut costs and time by overstressing components. I also use MCUs from a lot of other manufacturers in my designs and I know that Nordic 52/53 series can only source around 15mA, STM32 slightly more, but I use transistors anyway, to protect the outputs in case of damage or shorts from a failed LED, and ensure longevity. I have hardware out in the field (in some cases literally out in fields) for industrial applications that have been running for years. Just because a GPIO CAN source 20mA, it doesn't mean you should run it at capacity all the time. Just like having a car that can hit 8500RPM doesn't mean you should red-line it everywhere. But you clearly just want something to moan about so, you go off...

[@vvatashi4259]

When the capabilities of good old Arduino UNO R3 became too low for me, I just ordered a bunch of Raspberry Pi Pico RP2040 clones from China for about $2 each, and I'm very happy with it. I think they have a several times more powerful MCU than this UNO R4 thing

[@eng3d]

Yes, but they are for different markets.

[@Anticitizen666]

Different markets - one benefit of the R4 is the wide voltage range - GPIOs can handle just over 5V. I use all kinds of MCUs, there is no one "best" MCU for all tasks.

[@alejandroperez5368]

@@Anticitizen666 There is. It's called ESP32S3 xD

[@Anticitizen666]

@@alejandroperez5368 hardly 🤣

[@RoidDroidVoid]

You should drop the extended intro for 2025. Time is of the essence. Thanks for the great vids!

[@jeremiahbullfrog9288]

get sponsorblock fam

[@spokehedz]

I predict that there will be a shield that will have a bunch of tiny transistors/mosfets that will let every single pin source/switch much larger currents.

[@PiDsPagePrototypes]

That would make a lot of sense, handing off the high loads to a dedicated board with it's own power, and probably versions with a couple of relays or motor drives built in.

[@bkucenski]

That's a good project for learning Eagle or another program and getting the boards made by PCB Way. Only a handful of components. I made one that used 2 pin connectors to make it easy to plug in the various devices being turned on by the Arduino pins. It was about 4.50 USD in parts to build with 16 MOSFETS to turn on and off 16 devices. "The outputs of your IO pins go to the Inputs on the bottom of this board. Your 12V or 5V high wattage power supply goes to the VCC1 and you can chain these boards together by connecting VCC2 of one to VCC1 of the next."

[@NigelTolley]

​​@@bkucenskiAdd a (physical pin layout) servo controller, a few high powered mosfets, and you've got a product.

[@atlasz911]

With such external board you are loosing at least one of these flexibilitis: a) Speed b) Programmatically changing between input/output, enabling internal pullups, using output as pull down/float (OC)

[@TheMcKing_]

if you program the atmega328p in C using the Registers (DDRB, DDRD, PORTD, etc...) it can get pretty fast. It is the wohle arduino framework that makes it slow.

[@jeremiahbullfrog9288]

Can vouch.. the arduino framework is completely unusable for pretty much any real-world product. We use 8-bit ATMEGAs and ATTINYs all the time, but only ever in native C code (with some assembly for critical sections).

[@Positive_Altitude]

True, but it doesn't have DMA, and it is a huge limiting factor for many applications.

[@paulstubbs7678]

True, however it's nice to have for the times when speed don't matter that much.

[@TheUtuber999]

What makes you say that the V3 was "way too slow?" It served its purpose. It's an experimenter board and if you were learning electronic theory and just wanted to blink some LEDs or control a relay or motor, it was just fine for the task. This constant race for bigger/faster is such a bore.

[@crono331]

Agree. For many projects the 328p is plenty, and force to use efficient code.

[@arvetemecha]

It's also nice to try to stick to what we already have in a drawer and do our best to get the most out of it. Sometimes we learn more by trying to overcome a problem with efficient and well designed rather than ordering more powerful devices.

[@propheteyebert7063]

Only for mickey mouse stuff. Stm32 and ESP32 does a lot more for a lot less.

[@crono331]

@@propheteyebert7063 whats the point of using a ESP32 if i just need to blink a led? And btw, just the libraries and other sw to compile for ESP32 is GBs of stuff. I always try to use the minimum required to do a certain task, not the maximum. I have built aviation instruments and 328P were always more than adequate.

[@propheteyebert7063]

@@crono331 I use to favor programming the AVR chips in assembly, but I don't see the point today, when the 32 bit boards are cheaper and easier. Even for blinking a led. =)

[@nkronert]

Happy New Year! Honestly, I don't see the advantage of using a board that is 4 times more expensive than common ESP32 boards, with lesser specs. Unless you need a faster drop-in with more memory for your existing projects, or for projects that require 5 volts, without using level shifters.

[@citer5574]

There is no point in using it, the esp32 is miles better.

[@Anticitizen666]

@@citer5574 Try connecting the ESP32 to a 5V peripheral with no level shifter and let us know how you get on...

[@citer5574]

@@Anticitizen666 Well using a level shifter is very simple so the esp32 still makes more sense

[@Anticitizen666]

@@citer5574 How about running an LCD matrix with dedicated hardware? Or having 84 GPIO pins? Or having multiple 14bit ADC channels? (the ESP32 ADC is pretty terrible, honestly) Or running up to 4 hardware UARTS, 6x hardware i2C peripherals and up to 6x hardware SPI devices all with DMA? How about 4x hardware OpAmps and 2 comparators built in? Or a 12 bit DAC + 2x8 bit DACs? Or having all of the above running at the same time, PLUS hardware supported capacitive touch matrix inputs? Oh yes, and a hardware encryption engine. The chip itself has all of these features, plus self diagnoses for industrial use, much lower power usage than the ESP32, and security locking for the flash. The arduino board doesn't expose all of these, but the core has them all. Still think your ESP32 with a level shifter is better for all of these features? I also use the ESP32 and I know what it lacks... Don't be a fanboy - pick the right chip for the job.

[@Anticitizen666]

@@citer5574 If you look at the datasheet for the chip on the R4, it has a HUGE number of peripherals the ESP32 lacks. The bare chip can also have 84 GPIO pins. So as a dev board for people looking to use the chip on a custom board it makes sense.

[@Jenny_Digital]

Back in 1983, when I was small in fact, the BBC Micro had a user port (think digital GPIO), and the logic pins on that could source only a fraction of a milliamp. You kids have it good really. Also, the BBC Micro was _really_ expensive.

[@SB-qm5wg]

Glad to see Arduino lives on.

[@jp-hh9xq]

Thanks. I use the esp32 almost exclusively. This video was very informative.

[@cferrarini]

Uno and Mega and Leonardo were projected to use shields. They are separate boards to stack on top of each other, so even a kid can use it without having to solder or prototype anything. Which is amazing, but otherwise, it is clumsy if you want to work with a protoboard, in this case you want one that can be plugged to it...

[@blazini]

Yeah but they're great if you're making your own PCB. KiCAD and probably most other EDAs include footprints, you turn the Arduino upside down and plug it in like a module. I can't remember the last time I messed with a breadboard. PCBs are so cheap now if you screw something up it's still less costly than the time wasted monkeying around with jumper wires. Of course, you need some basic PCB skills but it's pretty simple to get going. Of course you can pretty much do about the same with any breadboard but Arduino's always seem to fit better, despite being larger.

[@santosh1802]

ADC 1024 (R3) not 256

[@Rob_III]

Another way to (much) better explain it: Every added bit DOUBLES the amount of values that can be represented. So it doubled, then doubled, then doubled and then doubled again.

[@magicsmokeescapist4069]

Besides that, I'm in disbelieve that 14bit ADC is usable in a real world application because of noise and interference, on such a board...

[@georhodiumgeo9827]

​@@magicsmokeescapist4069I agree with this 100%. 10 bit ADC on the ATMega328 was sketchy unless you started with a good board design and put most of the chip to sleep during the ADC. I would be very curious how quiet the power on this board is. At least the LDO on the R3 was quiet. My bet is that the chip can technically do 14 bit under perfect conditions but the board would never allow that to make meaningful data.

[@caffeinatedinsanity2324]

I have migrated since then to STM32 and later PIC for whenever I want a final project. Don't get me wrong, the arduino platform and ide is awesome and fast for prototyping. But if we want to talk about hardware and capabilities, STM32 and PICs are on a whole other level. Plus they often come with internal RTCs, though I have never checked their reliability.

[@moeburn]

Not sure a buck converter is a great upgrade either - it's more efficient, but it induces noise, which can be problematic when measuring sensitive signals.

[@Anticitizen666]

They're fine so long as the bypass caps are used sensibly (something the original Pico design didn't do!) I use them on PCB designs all the time, as do pretty much all modern designers. LDOs are used to keep the price down, generally. If you need really low noise you can of course use the buck regulator to drop most of the input voltage, then an LDO after it to smooth out any noise while avoiding overheating. The design looks like it's kept all of the regulator well away from the MCU though, so I doubt noise is an issue. If you want to see a REALLY bad ADC, the ESP32 is a shining example. It's god-awful, with a non-linear curve, and needs to be calibrated on a per-chip basis to be even slightly useful.

[@YoutubeBorkedMyOldHandle_why]

You're getting all excited about the 'amazing' improvements over the R3, but it's not really a fair comparison. Most people are already using ESP32, Pi Pico, STM32, CH32V etc. which have similar features and performance at a much lower cost. I'm currently working with an ESP32-S3 mini with 512k SRAM, 4MB flash, dual core, 240MHz etc. etc., I'm using the Arduino framework to program it, and I only paid around $6/each for a bunch of them. It seems more like Arduino was way behind and is finally trying to catch up. Now, if they could just drop their prices substantially, I might be interested.

[@mikkan39]

@@KZbinBorkedMyOldHandle_why yeah their prices are way out of touch

[@goku445]

they can't challenge the prices of the ESP, no one can

[@chesshooligan1282]

I've been buying the ESP32-S3 mini for just over $3 lately.

[@mikkan39]

@@chesshooligan1282to be fair id say that the $1 rp2040 is a bargain IF you don't need wifi/ble, because multicore and PIO really come in handy sometimes. I've had a project recently where 2 PIO blocks send images to 2 separate SPI displays at full clock speed, while leaving the CPU cores free to to other stuff - one core draws the image in a buffer to be read by PIOs, other core handles communications

[@isaacclark9825]

@@mikkan39 Well, somebody will clone it and you can buy the clone. Arduino folks usually buy clones anyway.

[@martandrmc]

Thanks for the breakdown! It's been a hot minute since I went mainly into the FPGA space and stopped doing that much embedded software. However, not that high of a chance I'll be getting one. Programming the AVR was always a charm and I feel like some spirit was lost when it moved to ARM.

[@johntoe6127]

You know, Esspressif has made it really hard to beat the ESP32. With 4-16MB memory, wifi, bt, dual core, 26 GPIO, multiple I2C, SPI, UART. All this, and I get the clones for around $3.00. I don't know why the other companies can't seem to compete (at price). Even Rpi fell short with their RP2040 and 2350, and they started out knowing who they had to beat. The only way Arduino can come close to ESP32 is by...you guessed it... adding an ESP32.

[@blazini]

Arduino makes an ESP32 board, the Nano ESP32. Of course it costs more than a clone devkit but it's not too bad, like $20

[@chiparooo]

Very interesting! I’m concerned about the low current capability though. I would be interested in seeing how to power a project that requires more current than the 80 milliamps. Thanks for sharing!

[@paulchamberlain7942]

As a fellow beginner, the seemingly overly generous current limits of previous version just held us back from the reality that MCU's aren't designed for powering circuits. Welcome to the wonderful new world of transistors!

[@SoundsLikeOdie]

I really want to support Arduino... but the price! Just about every competitor costs a fraction of what they do.

[@superdau]

Wow! So Arduino caught up to the competition ... of a decade ago. The ESP32 is a no-brainer if you need connectivity. It's also way ahead in clock speed, flash and RAM size. But hey, you could get the R4 Wifi and then use the more powerful ESP on it. The STM32 series offers way more in peripherals (ADCs, DACs, timers, UARTs, I2C, SPI, CAN, USB), starts at comparable flash/RAM (with chips that have been out for 15 years and longer), while they aren't even in the same ballpark with the performance line of the chips. The DMA makes STM32 really good at everything that makes use of the mentioned peripherals at high speeds. We are talking about ADC usage in the several MSPS (mega samples per second) range here. Power saving modes are also among the best with the STM32.

[@Anticitizen666]

The R4 chip on this board has FAR more perihperals than the ESP32 for the same price. Not all are exposed on this board, but it has up to 84 GPIOs, 6x UARTs, 6x SPI, 6x i2C etc. It also has industrial level self-testing etc. Not to mention the ADC on the ESP32 is pretty bad, honestly. I use a variety of makes and model of chips on my boards, the amount of people here thinking the ESP32 is the best for everything is, franky, depressing. Oh, the R4 has DMA, by the way. Nordic has better power consumption than the average STM32 in my experience. Depending on what you actually need, even a cheap Attiny 8-bit can have MUCH lower power consumption to perform a task - less transistors on the chip=less power.

[@fluiditynz]

Ouch! I barely use Arduino(I have one in my CNC machine I use with ESTLCAM software) but all those new features have been around for a couple of decades on many popular chips. And then you don't get any wireless. For those who haven't played with wireless on the ESP32 chips, the real beauty of them is ease of use and pre-written Espressif code for high level radio functions. Seems like a real loss of direction for Arduino only now being addressed which is what usually happens when a company looses a key team member.

[@patchbyte6856]

I like wch riscv chips, I designed my custom boards works pretty good they also have integrated CAN and ethernet, you just need to design your own board

[@Positive_Altitude]

They look interesting. Is the documentation good? Reference manuals? Like registers, hardware features etc?

[@patchbyte6856]

@Positive_Altitude not really, but they have a lot of examples

[@brettb.345]

I like them as well, particularly the CH32X033 at just over 20 cents a piece.

[@XciterD]

At first sight I thought it was a microUSB and nearly lost my mind. Thank goodness it's USB-C!!!

[@brettb.345]

Same here. The Raspberry Pi Pico 2 already threw me for a loop with micro USB. I started thinking, “not another one.”

[@zaprodk]

6:49 Nah, you cannot just plug it into your car's CAN interface(s). You need a PHY (Transciever) for that to work.

[@headbanger1428]

What about controlling robots? Is that possible without a PHY? I was thinking that's the reason they added it.

[@SLLabsKamilion]

@@headbanger1428 no, the phy/tranceiver is what sits between the digital pins on the MCU, and the analog pair of wires that carry the CAN medium. The MCU has a CAN MAC like the ESP32's TWAI MAC, which goes through the phy/tranceiver, a discrete chip for safety and ease of replacement when isolation fails. Generally the PHY will go pop before anything else, *and* it's also typically made with a different lithography feature size than the rest of the ICs, in order to tolerate much higher voltage spikes in automotive applications... my understanding is that automotive DC12V can have extremely brief excursions to over a hundred volts depending on certain factors including back EMF spikes, and car audio capacitor swings. The LDO/Buck protects the power rail of the MCU from short spikes. The PHY protects the data pins of the MCU. Doesn't matter if the bus is as short as 5 inches of bell wire in a robot or 117 feet of automotive snakery in a 15 foot long vehicle. And if the PHY is put in place, the pins cease to be GPIO, having lost their generalness. They're just specific Purpouse Input Output at that point... *grin* :)

[@bobby9568]

Been subbed since the start 🎉

[@SnakebitSTI]

It's a lot more powerful than the Uno R3, but it's still over priced and under performing compared to the competition. Did you only compare the R4 to the R3 because that's the only way to make it sound appealing?

[@GeeEmJay]

Sadly Arduino is way behind the competition these days. They've become the Apple of the dev board industry. Fancy packaging, slight changes to design but not much else.

[@marcuswilliams3455]

Great content. Well, at least the I/O lines of the UNO R4 Minima still operate at 5v. I suppose, one could utilize PNP transistors connected the the Arduino as to control higher currents. But I thought when Arduino first introduced the UNO series with the ARM chip, they went down to 3.3v. That is apparently, one one main difference distinguishing Arduino from esp32 is the 5v vs 3.3v.

[@filetdelumiere5037]

Happy to see good contents that I am interesting in:)

[@nrdgrrrl]

The buck converter is amazing, but that pin current limit is going to be rough. I'd love to see some videos where you work with in real examples.

[@berinslaptop]

it would be nice to see GRBL compiled for the R4

[@leehewitt9559]

Great video. Maybe do some videos with projects and modules driven from this new Arduino. Maybe display projects using graphics libraries or LVGL? Design?

[@chrismayer8990]

Nice overview! Thanks

[@jdscott20101]

if im not mistaken your comment about the led using 8 mA current hard wired to a pin making that pin unusable is incorrect. If a circuit has 8 mA passing through it, it will pass 8 mA through every component in that circuit so it isn't as if that LED makes anything else connected to that pin circuit not work or have less current capable of being used.

[@TofuInc]

Using a side actuated tactile switch for the reset button would be a better idea. They also keep using the tallest barrel jack they can for the power connect. Why? Low profile ones exist. I can't tell you the last time I used the 12v jack anyway. USB C is a welcome change and personally I'm a fan of moving away from chips that require an additional FTDI chip. In most cases that also means you get USB host mode which is also handy. For everyone saying "The ESP32 is better", not everything needs Bluetooth and WiFi. The 'ole 328p is still pretty powerful. What about the CH552? 20¢ microcontroller with USB, you can do a lot with that.

[@RamBrosWorkshop]

I like Espressif chips. WCH looks promising, the CH32V203 has good support for Arduino core

[@gregmark1688]

Yeah, the (relatively) high current and voltage specs, along wit nh the sturdiness of the DIP that was unlikely to burn out and easy to replace if it did -- those are the primary advantages of the Uno over stuff like the Pi. You might as well use a Pico instead; it's a _lot_ more powerful. I bet the R4 won't sell nearly as well as they think.

[@zaprodk]

The CAN module shown at 7:59 negates the use of the CAN peripheral in the new chip as it has its own.

[@crazymaths23]

What is the impact of lower current per pin compared to that of the r3. Since r3 has a huge set of projects to be tried and learnt ; will there also be more number of prijects to try on r4

[@simp-slayer]

ESP32s have spoiled us too much to even give this a thought. But the built-in buck converter and rtc are very nice additions, thanks for pointing those out!

[@smartups1]

New year new music wow!

[@joemwangi5813]

Your content is awesome

[@christian_oz]

Would be nice to see how it compares power consumption wise with the R3.

[@rockosgaminglogic]

Simply wild that a 48MHz microcontroller is using a 240MHz microcontroller just for WiFi access.

[@DannyBackx]

Reminds me of Microsoft, trying forever not to break compatibility and hence not doing anything new for ages

[@PiDsPagePrototypes]

It'll be interesting to see how the Speeduino fuel injection folks react to the extra capabilities, it should be able to run larger fuel maps and react to sensor inputs faster.. The peeps using Arduino's for flight controllers will sure be interested, by they, like the 3D printer users, will need an add-on board with higher power outputs, such as servo motor drives or relays .

[@jarkkoaitti287]

esp32 is about 4€, this is 35€. Also esp32 has probably more of everything and is faster, no need to dig any further..

[@craftymulligar]

How many cores does it have.? How much better than the quick start.?

[@dzee9481]

Finally Arduino moved upwards but a little too late. They should have made the same board in the sizes of the ESP32 boards. The question I have is the foot print is the same as the Arduino R3, will the software such as a CNC G-Code with a CNC shield work with it, without having to make massive changes to the software?

[@TT-it9gg]

Thanks for the great in-depth video! Will still stick with ESP32-S3 N16R8 or RP2350A..... For AI, will use K210, AMB82 for now. Looking forward to the new STM and NXP chips. Will you be interested in RV1106G3, SG2002 or K230?

[@satria4195]

Should upped the frequency to beat STM and ESP, but good to be used for Automotive ECM, Many ECM uses Renesas(Keihin, Shindengen)

[@drsproc]

Low power is great. Need to try out how low can it go for projects that need to conserve battery life... sleep modes?

[@sergetheijspartner2005]

So how do we up the current? extra card?

[@henrybest4057]

Will the R4 work with R3 shields, seeing that some may take more current than the pins can supply? I'm particularly thinking of the motor shield.

[@Anticitizen666]

A motor shield should use at least a half-bridge driver chip. I can't imagine any shield would just connect the GPIO pins directly to a motor?!

[@SkruxLabs-vq4ho]

ESP32 is cheaper and more powerful, more flexible and better and every way. Too little too late. Arduino is great if you need to program your MC and imbed it into a separate circuit for specific applications.

[@fredrikbergquist5734]

I think the original Uno was wonderful for what it was designed for: a teaching aid for low level software and electronics. The importance for the emerging Maker culture can’t be overestimated. Open hardware and Chinese clones are a discussion on it’s own. But now a lot of Makers want to go further and there are so many alternatives. We learned from the Arduino IDE, went to VS Code, learned much from that. AdaFruit was sucessfully competing in the Maker arena. Arduino has become a profit thing and the Makers don’t like it. I think that Arduino should return to it’s role as teaching stuff, selling it as a package to schools and universities. It was ultimately developed at the university at Bologna so it is there it has it’s roots.

[@paulstubbs7678]

Nice upgrade, shame about the current limit. However what a lot of blank board, I'll be waiting for a Nano version - 99% of my builds use the nano, so finding extra realestate for a bigger board is a bummer to me. Mind you the WiFi version looks way better, making full use of the realestate, just a pity about the LED matrix, it would kind of be better on the back side as that would make it easier to display through a window on a project box, unless they release a matching light-pipe assembly to suit.

[@younginventors399]

@electronoobs please when will you finish building the stm32 receiver ,i have been waiting for long I have built the stm32 transmitter as you built We would be waiting for stm32 receiver Please very soon

[@FreeCircuitLab]

Arduino needs 10 more generations to provide 4MB Flash.

[@Designbuildguy1]

Did you steal content? 99% same content in the same order and with same jokes as @playduino who posted 6 weeks earlier...

[@chrisheaps9893]

It’s a review of a products new features, if it wasn’t the same it would be concerning. If you don’t like it. Don’t watch it.

[@bobbyqritikol4688]

happy new year

[@DesertVox]

It all comes down to price and size. ESPs are still more competitive.

[@KelikakuCoutin]

Subscribed. It is only a bit difficult to understand the accent, good content and well organized. Great job. Thanks for the content. Keep up the good work. בס'ד

[@LouiseBrooksBob]

The R3 could be used to programme chips to use in other boards. Doesn't look as though this would be possible with this new board.

[@campbellmorrison8540]

Its surprising they didn't put a battery socket on the board, there appears to be enough room for it. The current of the I/O is a pest but the advantages well out way that in my opinion.

[@TrickyNekro]

The arduino should have switched to the STM32WB series, which is also used by flipper zero. A lot of connectivity with the onboard BT and LORA and an already very big support by the community. Sorry but this feels like a failure. It´s not like STM doesn´t have a tone of arduino pinout compatible development boards. Thanks for the video!

[@Kmnri]

STM32WB isnt great, its not bad as renesas unknown mcu that nobody knew before but there is nRF52.

[@TrickyNekro]

@Kmnri I worked a bit with them and I also have a bit of mixed feelings, especially with the closed source radio code, but it has support and community and from what I've seen for open source, this is what counts more. Or else Arduino wouldn't have been as used as it is, the Atmega328 is also just a middle of the road 8bit microcontroller and rather limited that is. Renensas is not bad, they have some great products, but sure they are much less used. And using just a middle of the range STM would have been another dead end, as STM has its own dev boards, for very very competitive prices. The problem is that the Arduino platform doesn't offer something special right now, as it did when it first came out. And to be honest, I don't know how they would do it. But the STM would have been the better choice. The code creation for STM is a mess, they could have really made a difference there. And everyone is using them, from 3D printers to the most idiotic IOT device. But hey, that's just my opinion.

[@lucdrouin2625]

Well, the new Arduino UNO R4 WiFi version has an on board ESP32 ... I think that says it all. I do not want dump on Arduino, they created a great movement of makers, the IDE was amazing, but R4 UNO took too long, when ESP8266 precursor to ESP32 was already ahead of the game an usable with the ESPRESSIF IDF. The true genius of Massimo and Arduino might shine again with something new in Arduino R5, and personally, I think we should all purchase R4s to encourage the next R5 chip which will likely have next gen Bluetooth replacement and some fascinating DSP with integrated AI capabilities. I hope they put onboard high current drivers, min 100 mA for at least 8 pins.

[@davidjackson2115]

They should do another board with mosfets on it for the pin outs that can hard switch Mosfets - even go mosfet drivers to be really practical feed from the buck converter. And if WIFI {I dont use it} but should in my view have pins so the wifi can be hard connected or disconnected as we are in the age of exploding pagers and cars / planes connected to the net is as good as a vineral disease.

[@stefano.a]

5:52 ... it pass from 1024 points (=2^10) to 16 384 (=2^14)

[@Soupie62]

3.3V or 5V logic levels? I'm assuming 5V due to the power supply, but it's nice to be sure. A full on move to 3.3V logic will eventually happen. I just hope the header pins change as well, both to avoid conflict AND support higher speed. Maybe balanced pairs?

[@unspeakableoaf]

They've more or less given it BBC micro::bit specs. I've mostly been using Arm Arduino clones anyway, because I looked at the actual power draw. The old Atmels aren't as great for battery-powered builds. A place I worked at was building some weird devices where this came up a lot, and the difference at the use we were looking at was 6 months for one and 2 years for the other. Arm is lovely.

[@mark879]

Was just gonna say I love the video and Kudos! But now.. Hot dang! I love the comments too! Good people here.

[@WarrenPostma]

Can you DEBUG WITH THE ARDUINO IDE AND THE UNO R4?

[@PatchworxStudios]

Yeah but it will cost much more and we have esp 32. What is it good for?

[@stepannovotny4291]

What took them so long?

[@chesshooligan1282]

They had to go to the corner shop and run some errands.

[@johntoe6127]

Actually, they still haven't done anything significant. So it's actually going to take them longer...

[@JIMMYSBN]

could you bring back the light dimmer project on the R4 Wifi? I'm struggling with it a lot! Using the RobotDyn AC dimmer is impossible as it is not supported on Renesans ARCH and I don't have an oscilloscope to help me build from scratch

[@m_a_s6069]

I cannot think of the last time I got an Arduino Uno. After all, you can just but the IC that is most appropriate and program it yourself. But it's nice to finally have one with a USB-C connector. But since you mentioned an ESP32, why not compare them? Oh, and didn't this come out in 2023?

[@Abednego-v2r]

Analog out!? Does that mean this can be used as a signal generator?

[@_ishan.06]

same question

[@ELECTRONOOBS]

@@Abednego-v2r yes

[@Abednego-v2r]

@@ELECTRONOOBS awesome future video

[@daicarft1765]

6:28 that is fire

[@JarkkoHautakorpi]

Renesas must of done lots of lobbying (paid mountain of money) at Arduino headquaters to get their not-so-popular ARM MCU into Arduino board 😄

[@mikeonthebox]

Starts 4:42

[@mikeseba7817]

Thanks!

[@trotyl1432]

The CPU and memory is worse than ESP32, raspberry pi pico and even the older ESP8266, the ADC and DAC are nice but if it will cost as much as the R3 I'm not ever buying it.

[@obsoquasi]

I still prefer the R3 because a lot of the libraries are still incompatible with the R4.

[@Oh-ou4lp]

can it run doom? if not its not upgraded

[@stark_energy]

The most important question next is the PRICE compared to ESP32. If the price of this new R4 Arduino is half of ESP32 then sure. BUT right now at the launch, the price of Arduino R4 is SIX times the price of ESP32. It is silly to compare to ESP32 with this price, ESP32 is the clear winner here. Arduino R4 with price nearing $50 on launch has price level nearing older version of microcomputer (e.g. Rasberry Pi 3) instead, and we know the winner if we put Ardunio in same page with microcomputer.

[@atlasz911]

My first thought was: Where did they find a more powerful MCU with 20-40mA/pin? They didn't! The wifi is provided by a competing MCU with higher specs. Great! Btw, you could do pin interrupts on every pin of those old AVR MCUs also. What are the benefits of this board? Who is the target customer?

[@SystemsPlanet]

Power requirements?

[@Zarundo]

The upgrades are great, but the downside is that the R4 is not a drop-in replasement for the R3. Both the restrictions on current and the fact that you can't use the R3 code on the R4 directly.. :(

[@bertram-raven]

No BLE. No WiFi. No native USB HID support. No native USB-OTG support. No memory partition support. Even Infineon do not recommend this line as an MCU testbed; they have other products for that.

[@Anticitizen666]

Yeah, my Intel i9 CPU doesn't have bluetooth, wifi or USB support either. I should change it for an ESP32... #4head

[@azyfloof]

@@Anticitizen666 A CPU is not a MCU :)

[@Anticitizen666]

@@azyfloof yeah good point, so not even a CPU either. That makes it even more crap, thanks!

[@moeburn]

What about sampling rate for the ADC? I use the ATMEGA328 to measure AC sine wave to measure power factor, because ADS1115 isn't fast enough. ATMEGA328's ADC runs at 10khz, ADS1115 only at 900hz. So if the upgraded ADC loses that 10khz sampling rate it will be a downgrade for my project.

[@objection_your_honor]

Arduino got cocky and over-confident like Basic Stamp and PIC did before them. ESP32 came along and kicked it to the curb. Now, too little too late. ESP32 is still the king of the hill for a long time to come... I wouldn't be surprised if they came out with ESP64 next month!!

[@bubbabillybob-c7v]

Disappointed on the 8ma pin current and the SMD factor. Lot of improvements with some backsteps.😢😢😢 PS it didn't sell me on the R4 as well.😢😢😢

Arduino uno is great for super simple stuff.

[@BitSmythe]

2:00 *Info starts here. And it’s excellent info at that!*

[@BastetFurry]

Renesas? Nah, i skip. RP2040 and RP2350 are so easy to use, even with the official API, no need for any other chip in the hobby and semi-professional area. Even for professional use i would first check the RP if it fits the bill, if not my next go to would be the ESPs and after that i would check out Padauks stuff. Just checked out LCSC, the R4FA4M1 is 4.27$ single and 1.57$ in bulk. An RP2350 costs you 2$ single and 1.28$ in bulk, the RP2040 is even cheaper with 1.03$ and 0.66$ respectively. Sure, you need some serial flash, but that is pennies, add 0.20$ or 0.13$ respectively for a 4 MBit/512 KByte chip. In other words, the RP is cheaper AND has better documentation and tooling and you can debug it with a second RP2040. Why should i use the R4FA?

[@Kmnri]

Same with exception of RP2350 which has silicon bug. So my list is ESP32, RP2040 and nrf52, if i need a lots of ADCs, maybe STM32.

[@alibaba-q8h7d]

we need some test on this board

[@matthews4159]

I rather think the esp32 is a completely different League to the Arduino and maybe that's an advantage depending on what you wanting to do

[@antagonth]

By description, it's still nowhere close to RPI pico2-w. I just don't see why I would use one. Also, pico2-w is much cheaper.

[@UtkuDeniz123]

Let me compare r4 with esp32-s3-devkitc. Pros: Operates at 5V Consumes less energy Has better analog read Usb-C(esp has usb-c on other boards like c6) Cons: Slower(esp operates at 240mhz) Less memory Less flash Cost a lot more Has less pins Bigger Has less current cap(esp has 500mA) No built in wifi No built in bluetooth No sleep option

[@Anticitizen666]

You're missing the point. This is a dev board. If you then design your own PCB using the Renesas' RA4M1 32-bit microcontroller with ALL the pins broken out etc, it can have up to 84 GPIOs (FAR more than any ESP32), 4 hardware SCI's (each can be used as UART, i2C or SPI) plus 2xSPI, plus 2xi2C, plus CAN, plus SSIE sound interface. Also full hardware debugging, 14bit ADCs, 12bit DACs, LCD matrix controller, AES128/256 encryption engine, 4 DMA channels etc etc - there's a huge list, including a lot of security and self-diagnoses used in industrial applications. Not to mention much better low power operation. All for the same price as an ESP32 per-chip. Obviously Arduino is mostly for learners, tinkering with simpler boards, but they can take the knowledge further by using custom PCBs. I have no particular preference for manufacturers, I use everything from Microchip, Nordic, STM, TI, NXP, Espressif and other manufacturers in my designs. It depends on what's best for the task. If I don't need WiFi I'm very unlikely to use an ESP32 as it's compromised in several other ways. There's also the fact that governments are now blocking the use of cheap Chinese parts from designs used in industrial applications where govt funding is involved. The WiFi/BT stacks on the ESP32 (and other manus in China) are "black boxes". So they're seen as potential security threats. Real or imagined, I've faced this myself when pitching for new work as a designer.