See also the eVOLVER page with a specific application.
The Arduino/Genuino Zero is a new board family which uses the ARM SAMD21 processor instead of the AVR-8 used in the original Arudino. We're using the Sparkfun SAMD21 Mini Breakout board. This board is more or less compatible with the Arduino Zero and can be programmed using the Arduino IDE.
This board comes with a boot-loader (I think it's the same one as on the Arduino Zero). Some documentation is in this forum post.
Programming or debugging the SAMD21 directly involves an interface and software. The protocol is SWD (serial wire debug), a two-wire interface specific to the ARM family described here.
To program the flash on an ARM or do remote debugging, one needs software support on the host computer side in addition to a hardware interface ("dongle"). A popular open-source tool is openocd. It supports for example an FT2232-based bit-bang interface described in the article linked below.
- Datasheet for Atmel SAMD21 CPU
- Article "Getting Started with OPENOCD Using FT2232H Adapter for SWD Debugging"
- Article "Burning Zero Bootloader with Beaglebone..."
- FT2232H Breakout Board
- Sparkfun bootloader for the SAMD21 Mini Breakout board
- Youtube video about minimal design with SAMD21E (0.8mm pitch TQFP-32). Also his github with the Eagle designs
