SparkFun Launches Tiny SAM D21 Qwiic Micro Development Board, Includes CircuitPython Support

SparkFun has launched an ultra-compact SAM D21 development board, compatible with the company's solder-free Qwiic connectivity ecosystem — and it includes support for Adafruit's CircuitPython.

SparkFun's Qwiic solderless connectivity standard is designed to allow easy chaining of components, including its recently-launched cryptographic co-processor breakout board, from a central microcontroller. Those looking to build as compact a creation as possible now have a new Qwiic-compatible development board, packing Microchip's ATSAMD21E18 microcontroller onto a footprint measuring just 25.4mm² (1"²).

The open hardware board includes an Arm Cortex-M0+ microcontroller running at up to 48MHz, 32KB of static RAM (SRAM), 256KB of flash memory with support for external expansion, and the UF2 bootloader pre-loaded, along with a single Qwiic connector to the bottom of the board. For those not fully invested in the Qwiic ecosystem, unpopulated breadboard-compatible pin headers are included for the board's 12 digital input/output pins — with five analogue pins plus SPI, I2C, and an additional UART serial bus.

The underside of the board include pads for a lithium-polymer (LiPo) battery connector, which can be used in place of the micro-USB connector or 3V3 pin to power the board. The connector itself is not provided, however, and there's no charging circuitry on the microcontroller itself — a sacrifice made to keep the board footprint as low as possible.

For fans of Adafruit's CircuitPython, a popular MicroPython derivative, SparkFun has included CircuitPython firmware in the board's GitHub repository as an alternative to UF2.

The board is now available to purchase from SparkFun, priced at $19.95 before volume discounts; design files and firmware have been published on the SparkFun GitHub repository under the Creative Commons Share-Alike 4.0 International licence for hardware and the MIT Licence for software and firmware.