A dev board is any piece of hardware that engineers use during the early development phase of a project. Dev boards aren't just for MCUs; they are useful for many different types of hardware—anything from op-amps to field-programmable gat arrays (FPGAs).
MCU dev boards should provide a few key functions:
- Ancillary circuitry, required to power and run the MCU
- A way to program and communicate with the MCU
- Connectors for easy connection to external circuitry
- Possibly, some useful on-board ICs to exercise some of the peripherals
There are many different routes that can be taken when it comes to evaluating MCUs. We're currently enjoying a period of time where hardware is inexpensive and commonly available. Because of this, there are a plethora of options to choose from for evaluating hardware. There are three major groupings that...
