Arduino Esplora
The Arduino Esplora is a microcontroller board derived from the Arduino Leonardo, designed for people who want to get up and running with Arduino without learning about electronics first. It comes with a collection of built-in sensors and outputs ready to use straight out of the box — no wiring or breadboarding required.
Onboard sensors include a joystick, slider, temperature sensor, three-axis accelerometer, microphone, and light sensor, while outputs include a buzzer and RGB LED. Two TinkerKit connectors and a socket for a colour TFT LCD screen allow you to expand its capabilities further. Like the Leonardo, it uses the ATmega32U4 microcontroller and can appear to a connected computer as a mouse or keyboard.
Key Features
- Built-In Sensors – Joystick, slider, temperature sensor, three-axis accelerometer, microphone, and light sensor
- Sound and Light Outputs – Onboard buzzer and RGB LED for immediate feedback
- ATmega32U4 Microcontroller – 32 KB flash (4 KB bootloader), 2.5 KB SRAM, 1 KB EEPROM at 16 MHz
- Native USB – Appears as a mouse, keyboard, or virtual serial port to your computer
- TinkerKit Connectors – Two input and two output connectors for expansion
- TFT LCD Socket – Add a colour display for visual output
- 5V Operating Voltage – Powered via micro USB
- Dimensions – 164 × 60 mm, 53 g
Onboard Inputs and Outputs
- Analog Joystick – Two-axis (X and Y) with centre push-button
- 4 Push-Buttons – Laid out in a diamond pattern
- Linear Potentiometer Slider – Near the bottom of the board
- Microphone – Measures amplitude of surrounding sound
- Light Sensor – Reads ambient brightness
- Temperature Sensor – Reads ambient temperature
- Three-Axis Accelerometer – Measures the board's relation to gravity on X, Y, and Z axes
- Buzzer – Produces square waves for sound output
- RGB LED – Full colour mixing with red, green, and blue elements
Ideal For
- Learning programming with instant sensor feedback
- Building game controllers and remote controls
- USB HID projects (keyboard and mouse emulation)
- Interactive art and music installations
Resources
The Arduino Esplora appears in the following collections:
