Arduino Leonardo Review

Arduino packaging is by far the most attractive of any microcontroller brand I have seen. The first thing I noticed about the Arduino Leonardo straight out of the package was that it uses a Micro USB port. I had thought that it was a Mini USB when I ordered it and so I had to order an additional Micro USB to Mini USB 2.0 Adapter M/F. I now have three different Arduino boards (Uno, Pro Mini, and Leonardo), each one with a different USB port type. Having to switch between different USB cables is a bit inconvenient but I am more than willing to cope.

The Arduino Leonardo has more pins than the Uno and it works perfectly with my Ethernet shield which worked, but was too big for the Uno board. The Leonardo has the same dimensions as the Arduino Uno but it has an overall lighter weight because of the physical size of the USB port and processor. On top of the lower weight the Leonardo also sports a lower cost than the comparable Uno model.