Arduino Uno R3
Image credit: Adafruit Industries
A commonly used microcontroller, and the one featured in most of the examples in our guides, is the Arduino Uno R3. Its ease of use and the availability and diversity of applications make it a good starting point for getting involved with IoT and understanding how IoT solutions can be applied. The Arduino Uno R3’s key features include more than a dozen Input-Output (I/O) pins, a USB connector, power jack, reset button and its small “footprint”.
Many variations of the Uno R3 are available from different suppliers including the OpenSmart Rich Uno R3 (included in the Biomaker 2019/20 kit) and the Seeed Studios Grove Beginner Kit for Arduino (included in the Biomaker 2021/22 Stage 1 kit). These options include various additional parts, such as sensors, but all contain the same base and are used in the same way.
The R3 (Rev3, revision 3) is the third model of the Arduino Uno released and the only one currently in production. Differences between the versions are mostly minor updates and do not affect how you programme the boards, or for the most part, how you wire them up and use them. For a detailed explanation of the differences between models, Starting Electronics provides a good breakdown. Below we have highlighted projects using all three versions of the Arduino Uno board.
