Flexible Explorer 16/32 Development Board is Supported by Large Ecosystem of Application Daughter Cards
Microchip Technology Inc. announced the new Explorer 16/32 Development Board for designing with 16-bit and 32-bit PIC microcontrollers. This new board is offered at a reduced cost from Microchip’s popular Explorer 16 Development Board and comes with an integrated programmer/debugger and several new features that address the latest embedded systems design needs. The board provides a flexible, convenient and easy-to-start tool while being backwards compatible to the classic Explorer 16 Board.
The Explorer 16/32 Development Board serves as a platform for customers to evaluate the 16-bit PIC24, dsPIC33 and 32-bit PIC32 families of devices through Processor Plug-In-Modules (PIMs) for easy device swapping. It facilitates prototyping the end application for proof of concept before migrating to the actual design. The board features a mikroBUS interface to easily add new functionalities using Click Boards from MikroElectronika. In addition, the board also supports an integrated USB for both power and communication, eliminating the need for an external power adapter and communication accessory.
Features
- 100 pin Plug-In Module (PIM) socket, supporting a wide variety of 16-bit and 32-bit PIC MCUs and dsPIC DSCs
- Power supply:
- USB Power through PICkit-On-Board (PKOB), USB Type-C or USB-Serial Converter
- 9-15V DC Power Supply
- On board USB to UART/I2C adapter for data exchange with PC/Mac/Linux based host
- USB Type-C (host/device) and Type-A (host) support for applications using USB microcontroller
- Hardware functionality extension by attaching accessory boards via:
- PICtail Plus interface
- 2 × MikroElektronika mikroBUS interface
- 2 × Digilent Pmod footprint
- Alpha-numeric 16×2 LCD display, 8×User LEDs, 4×Push Buttons, 10 kOhm potentiometer
- Microchip's TC1047A high accuracy, analog output temperature sensor
- Programmer/Debugger
- Integrated USB programmer/debugger - PICkit-On-Board (PKOB)
- Interfaces to MPLAB ICD 3, MPLAB REAL ICE, PICkit 3
- Support for all the existing and new PICtail Plus Daughter Cards
This new board is backwards compatible with the popular Explorer 16 Board which allows users to continue using existing code, libraries, prototypes, PIMs, and PICtail Plus daughter cards interfaced via a side PICtail Plus connector. The PICtail Plus daughter cards interfaced via a vertical connector can be re-used via the additional PICtail Plus Expansion Board.
Pricing and Availability
The Explorer 16/32 development kit (part# DM240001-3) includes the main Explorer 16/32 Development Board as well as a PIC24FJ1024GB610 Plug-In-Module (MA240023) and two USB cables. The Plug-In-Module features a 16-bit PIC24FJ1024GB610 microcontroller with 1MB Flash, a superset of memory and functions for the lower-power PIC24F family. This kit with PIM and cables is available for $109.99
For those who already have a Processor PIM and USB cables, the Explorer 16/32 Development Board (part# DM240001-2) is available at a lower cost of $79.99.
An optional PICtail Plus Expansion Board (part# AC240100) is also available to extend the Explorer 16/32 Development Board with vertical PICtail Plus application daughter cards as well as additional mikroBUS interfaces and a small prototyping area. It is available for $39.99.
