3.
Xplained Pro
Xplained Pro is an evaluation platform that provides the full Atmel microcontroller experience. The
platform consists of a series of Microcontroller (MCU) boards and extension boards, which are integrated
with Atmel Studio, have Atmel Software Framework (ASF) drivers and demo code, support data
streaming, and more. Xplained Pro MCU boards support a wide range of Xplained Pro extension boards,
which are connected through a set of standardized headers and connectors. Each extension board has
an identification (ID) chip to uniquely identify which boards are connected to an Xplained Pro MCU board.
This information is used to present relevant user guides, application notes, datasheets, and example
code through Atmel Studio.
3.1.
Hardware Identification System
All Xplained Pro compatible extension boards have an Atmel ATSHA204 CryptoAuthentication
™
chip
mounted. This chip contains information that identifies the extension with its name and some extra data.
When an Xplained Pro extension is connected to an Xplained Pro MCU board the information is read and
sent to Atmel Studio. The Atmel Kits extension, installed with Atmel Studio, will give relevant information,
code examples, and links to relevant documents. The table below shows the data fields stored in the ID
chip with example content.
Table 3-1. Xplained Pro ID Chip Content
Data field
Data type
Example content
Manufacturer
ASCII string
Atmel'\0'
Product Name
ASCII string
Segment LCD1 Xplained Pro'\0'
Product Revision
ASCII string
02'\0'
Product Serial Number
ASCII string
1774020200000010’\0’
Minimum Voltage [mV]
uint16_t
3000
Maximum Voltage [mV]
uint16_t
3600
Maximum Current [mA]
uint16_t
30
3.2.
Xplained Pro Standard Extension Header
All Xplained Pro kits have one or more dual row, 20-pin, 100mil extension header. Xplained Pro MCU
boards have male headers, while Xplained Pro extensions have their female counterparts. Note that all
pins are not always connected. All connected pins follow the defined pin-out description in the table
below.
The extension headers can be used to connect a variety of Xplained Pro extensions to Xplained Pro MCU
boards or to access the pins of the target MCU on Xplained Pro MCU boards directly.
Table 3-2. Xplained Pro Standard Extension Header
Pin number
Name
Description
1
ID
Communication line to the ID chip on an extension board
2
GND
Ground
Atmel ATZB-SAMR21-XPRO [USER GUIDE]
Atmel-42695A-ATZB-SAMR21-XPRO_User Guide-08/2016
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