Introduction to Arduino MKR GSM 1400

Hello Guys! I welcome you on board. Happy to see you around. In this post today, I’ll walk you through the Introduction to Arduino MKR GSM 1400.

The Arduino MKR GSM 1400 is a microcontroller board that is based on the SAMD21 microcontroller. This device connects with a cellular network for developing communication. This GSM board is a one-stop solution for developing your sensor network or you can use it as a device sending a text message about the occurring of certain events remotely.

A module from u-blox, the SARA-U201 (which is a power chipset that activates using multiple cellular range bands) is responsible for GSM / 3G connectivity inside the device.

I recommend you read this post till the end as I’ll detail the complete Introduction to Arduino MKR GSM 1400 covering pinout, pin description, features, programming, and applications.

Let’s get started.

Introduction to Arduino MKR GSM 1400

• The Arduino MKR GSM 1400 is a microcontroller board that is based on the SAMD21 Cortex®-M0+ 32bit low power ARM microcontroller.
• This device is mainly introduced for laying out the communication with cellular networks.

• Connecting Arduino with the GSM network is as easy as the program used for LED blinking. With this device, you can send or receive calls or messages and approach the different types of servers for exchanging data.
• The module comes with 8 digital I/O pins while the number of analog pins are 7 and the pins used as PWM pins are 13.

• The board supports UART serial communication protocol. Other communication protocols include SPI and I2C communication protocol.
• The USB port is incorporated in the device which is used for sending the number of instructions from the computer using Arduino IDE software.
• The internal flash memory is 256KB and the SRAM is 32KB. There is no EEPROM present inside the device. The Arduino program (sketch) is stored in the flash memory while SRAM is responsible for producing and manipulating variables when it runs.
• The clock frequency is 32.768 kHz (RTC), 48 MHz… which is responsible for the synchronization of all internal functions.

Arduino MKR GSM 1400 Pinout

The following figure represents the pinout diagram of Arduino MKR GSM 1400.

Arduino MKR GSM 1400 Pin Description

Hope you’ve got a brief overview of this GSM device. In this section, we’ll detail the pin description of each pin available on the device.

Let’s get started.

Analog Pins

There are 7 analog pins available on the board. These pins can receive any number of value in opposed to digital pins that receive only two values HIGH and LOW.

Digital Pins

There are 8 digital pins incorporated on the board which you can use as an input or output based on the requirement. These pins get two values HIGH or LOW. When the pins receive 5V they are in a HIGH state and when these pins receive 0V, they are in a LOW state.

PWM Pins

There are 13 PWM pins on the board. These pins produce analog results through digital means.

SPI Pins

The board supports SPI (serial peripheral interface) communication protocol that ensures the communication between controllers and other peripheral devices like shift registers or sensors.

It contains two pins… MISO (master input slave output) and MOSI (master output slave input) are used for SPI communication.

UART

The board comes with a UART communication protocol that guarantees serial communication and comes with two pins Rx and Tx. The Rx is a receiving pin that receives the serial data and Tx is the transmission pin that is used to transmit the serial data.

Arduino MKR GSM 1400 Features

The following are the main features of Arduino MKR GSM 1400.

• Microcontroller = SAMD21
• Secure Element = ATECC508
• Radio module = u-blox SARA-U201
• Supported Battery = Li-Po Single Cell, 3.7V, 2500mAh Minimum
• Digital I/O Pins = 8
• Analog Pins = 7
• PWM Pins = 13
• Flash Memory = 256KB
• SRAM = 32KB
• EEPROM = no
• Circuit Operating Voltage = 3.3V
• Power Supply (USB/VIN) = 5V
• External Interrupts = 10
• DC Current per I/O Pin = 7 mA
• SPI = 1

• UART = 1
• I2C = 1
• SIM Card = MicroSIM (not included with the board)
• Working region = Global
• Carrier frequency = GSM 850 MHz, E-GSM 1900 MHz, DCS 1800 MHz, PCS 1900 MHz
• Clock Speed = 32.768 kHz (RTC), 48 MHz
• Full-Speed USB Device and embedded Host = 1
• LED_BUILTIN = 6
• Size = 25x67mm
• Weight = 32gr.

Programming

• This GSM board is programmed by Arduino IDE software which is specifically introduced by Arduino.cc to program the Arduino boards.
• The software comes with an LED blinking program which you can use to test the board if it’s operating properly.
• Connect your board with the computer using a USB cable and start playing with it. You can send the number of instructions to the board from the computer using Arduino IDE software.
• The board comes with a built-in Bootloader that is used to burn the program inside the microcontroller board. You don’t require an external burner to burn the program in the controller.

Arduino MKR GSM 1400 Applications

This device is mainly used in GSM cellular projects. The following are the main applications of Arduino MKR GSM 1400.

• Used in tracking projects
• Used in home automation
• Employed in GSM home alarm
• Employed in fire forest monitoring and detection
• Used to send messages to control LED color
• Used in 2-factor authentication for ATM project

That’s was all about the Introduction to Arduino MKR GSM 1400. If you’ve any questions, you can pop your comment in the section below. I’d love to help you the best way I can. You’re most welcome to share your valuable suggestions and feedback around the content we share so we keep coming back with quality content customized to your exact needs and requirements. Thank you for reading the article.

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