Members of the Mechatronics Club at ENSA Kenitra and I have conducted case studies on every Arduino Mega board. I covered specifications from Arduino’s official page. Additionally, I included recommendations on use cases and difficulty levels, ranging from Beginners to Professionals. For more insights, I have discussed on Nano boards, Classic boards and MKR Boards as well.
Arduino Mega 2560 Rev3
Specification
Details
Microcontroller
ATmega2560
Clock Speed
16 MHz
Digital I/O Pins
54 (15 PWM)
Analog Input Pins
16
PWM Channels
15
Flash Memory
256 KB
SRAM
8 KB
EEPROM
4 KB
Operating Voltage
5V
Connectivity
None
USB Ports
1
Special Features
ICSP header, Reset button
Shield Compatibility
Yes
Price (Europe/Africa)
€42.00
Price (America/Asia/Oceania)
$48.40
Use Case
Description
Recommendation
Simple Projects
Basic LED blinking, button-controlled lights, or simple sensor readings.
Yes – Ideal for beginners with ample I/O.
IoT Projects
Home automation systems, weather stations, or remote monitoring with Wi-Fi.
Yes – Supports Wi-Fi/Ethernet shields.
Robotics
Robot arms, autonomous vehicles, or line-following robots.
Yes – High processing power and multiple I/O.
Wearables
Fitness trackers or smart clothing.
No – Too large and power-hungry.
Data Logging
Environmental monitoring or logging temperature/humidity.
Yes – Good memory and I/O for sensors.
Advanced Prototyping
Smart home systems or advanced robotics.
Yes – Excellent for complex projects.
User Profile
Description
Beginners
Yes
Intermediate Users
Yes
Advanced Users
Yes
Professionals
Yes
Arduino Due
Specification
Details
Microcontroller
AT91SAM3X8E
Clock Speed
84 MHz
Digital I/O Pins
54 (12 PWM)
Analog Input Pins
12
PWM Channels
12
Flash Memory
512 KB
SRAM
96 KB
EEPROM
None
Operating Voltage
3.3V
Connectivity
None
USB Ports
2
Special Features
Dual DAC, CAN interface
Shield Compatibility
Yes
Price (Europe/Africa)
€42.00
Price (America/Asia/Oceania)
$48.40
Use Case
Description
Recommendation
Simple Projects
Basic LED blinking, button-controlled lights, or simple sensor readings.
Yes – Suitable for beginners with many I/O options.
IoT Projects
Home automation, remote monitoring, or smart devices using Wi-Fi.
Yes – Supports USB host and various communication protocols.
Robotics
Advanced robotics projects, such as robotic arms or drones.
Yes – High processing power and multiple I/O for sensors and motors.
Wearables
Fitness trackers or smart clothing.
No – Size and power consumption are not ideal for wearables.
Data Logging
Environmental data collection, logging temperature, humidity, etc..
Yes – Ample memory and I/O for various sensors.
Advanced Prototyping
Complex systems like smart home setups or multi-sensor networks.
Yes – Excellent for projects requiring extensive I/O and processing capabilities.
User Profile
Description
Beginners
Yes
Intermediate Users
Yes
Advanced Users
Yes
Professionals
Yes
Arduino GIGA R1 WiFi
Specification
Details
Microcontroller
STM32H747XI dual-core Cortex®-M7 + M4
Clock Speed
480 MHz (M7), 240 MHz (M4)
Digital I/O Pins
70 (12 PWM)
Analog Input Pins
18
PWM Channels
12
Flash Memory
2 MB
SRAM
1 MB
EEPROM
None
Operating Voltage
3.3V
Connectivity
WiFi, Bluetooth
USB Ports
1 (Type-C)
Special Features
Dual-core, built-in IMU, secure element
Shield Compatibility
Yes
Price (Europe/Africa)
€68.70
Price (America/Asia/Oceania)
$72.82
Use Case
Description
Recommendation
Simple Projects
Basic LED blinking, button-controlled lights, or simple sensor readings.
Yes – Suitable for beginners with many I/O options.
IoT Projects
Home automation, remote monitoring, or smart devices using Wi-Fi.
Yes – Onboard Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support.
Robotics
Advanced robotics projects, such as robotic arms or drones.
Yes – High processing power and multiple I/O for sensors and motors.
Wearables
Fitness trackers or smart clothing.
No – Size and power consumption are not ideal for wearables.
Data Logging
Environmental data collection, logging temperature, humidity, etc.
Yes – Ample memory and I/O for various sensors.
Advanced Prototyping
Complex systems like smart home setups or multi-sensor networks.
Yes – Excellent for projects requiring extensive I/O and processing capabilities.
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