Pololu
A-Star 32U4 Micro
The Pololu A-Star 32U4 Micro is a general-purpose programmable module based on the ATmega32U4 AVR microcontroller from Microchip. It packs 32 KB of flash, 2....
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The Pololu A-Star 32U4 Micro is a general-purpose programmable module based on the ATmega32U4 AVR microcontroller from Microchip. It packs 32 KB of flash, 2.5 KB of RAM, and built-in USB into a tiny 1″ × 0.6″ DIP package — even smaller than competing ATmega32U4 boards like the Teensy 2.0 and Pro Micro.
Its 0.1″ pin spacing makes the A-Star easy to use with solderless breadboards, perfboards, and standard connectors. A voltage regulator and power selection circuit allow it to run from USB or an external 5.5–15 V source.
Key Features
- ATmega32U4 MCU – 32 KB flash, 2.5 KB RAM, built-in USB
- 16 MHz Resonator – Stable clock source
- 15 GPIO Pins – Including 7 PWM outputs and 8 analogue inputs; 3 more via ISP header
- USB Micro-B – For programming and power
- Flexible Power – USB or external 5.5–15 V with reverse protection
- PTC Fuse – Resettable fuse on USB VBUS for accidental damage protection
- Compact – Only 1″ × 0.6″ in a 20-pin DIP form factor
- ISP Header – 6-pin header for in-system programming
- Indicator LEDs – Two onboard status LEDs
Resources
Package Contents
- 1× A-Star 32U4 Micro
Jargon buster
Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.
- AVR
- AVR is a family of 8-bit microcontrollers (made by Microchip, formerly Atmel) used in many classic Arduino-style boards such as the Uno and Nano. They are widely supported but older, which can be a limit for memory- or speed-intensive tasks.
- GPIO
- General-purpose input/output pins are microcontroller pins you can set in software to read signals, switch devices on and off, or connect to peripherals. The number of GPIO pins matters because it limits how many buttons, LEDs, sensors, and other parts you can wire directly to the board.
- ISP
- In electronics, ISP usually means In-System Programming, a way to load firmware onto a microcontroller while it stays on the board (often via an ICSP header), or an Image Signal Processor, hardware that turns raw camera sensor data into usable images and offloads the main CPU. The surrounding context shows which meaning applies.
- microcontroller
- A microcontroller is a small computer on a single chip that runs a stored program and controls connected inputs and outputs such as buttons, sensors, displays and communication interfaces. In a device built around one, it is the part that executes the code and coordinates the device's behaviour.
- PTC fuse
- A resettable fuse that increases its resistance when too much current flows, helping protect the board from short circuits or overloads. It matters because it can recover after a fault instead of needing replacement like a traditional fuse.
- PWM
- Pulse Width Modulation is a way for a digital pin to simulate variable output power by switching on and off very quickly. It matters for controlling things like LED brightness, motor speed, or servo-style signals from a microcontroller pin.
- RAM
- RAM (random-access memory) is fast, temporary memory a device uses for working data while it is running; in its common volatile form, its contents are lost when power is removed. Some devices offer a mode that applies settings to RAM only, which is handy for testing changes temporarily because they are not stored permanently and disappear at power-off.
- VBUS
- VBUS is a label for a bus or supply voltage. Most commonly it is the +5V power line carried over USB, though on power-monitoring hardware it instead marks the bus-voltage input being measured, so check which sense applies before connecting power or a measurement point.
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