Difference to the Arduino Uno Hardware Manual

For those readers who already own a copy of the Ultimate Arduino Uno Hardware Manual, ISBN: 978-3-89576-434-9 (print), 978-3-89576-435-6 (e-book), this section looks at the motivation for making a separate manual for the Arduino MEGA 2560, instead of combining the two in one book.

There are some similarities between the Arduino Uno and Arduino MEGA 2560, but also many differences. It was felt that there are enough differences between the two boards to write a separate manual for each. A second reason for publishing two manuals is that it is much easier when working with an Arduino board, to pick up the correct manual for it, and not have to sift through the information for the Arduino board being used in a manual that covers more than one board or model. One can continue working with the board and specific manual knowing that everything in the manual applies to the board in use. The result of the decision to make a separate book for the Arduino MEGA 2560 is the manual that you now hold in your hands.

This manual follows the same basic layout and format as the Ultimate Arduino Uno Hardware Manual, but has been written for the Arduino MEGA 2560. Although some sections in this book are mostly the same as the Ultimate Arduino Uno Hardware Manual, such as the section in Chapter 1 on ESD, enough changes have been made to make owning this manual worthwhile for those readers who already own the Ultimate Arduino Uno Hardware Manual. Some sections of the book that would be very similar to the Ultimate Arduino Uno Hardware Manual have been extended, and new images and figures added. All this is in addition to including information on the obvious additional capabilities of the Arduino MEGA 2560. Finally, an extra chapter has been added that deals with Arduino shield compatibility between different Arduino models, including the MEGA 2560, Uno, Due and Zero. This chapter was added to give the reader an understanding of why some shields only work with some Arduino models, and also to provide information for those readers wanting to design Arduino shields that are compatible across a number of different Arduino models. To be perfectly clear, if you own an Arduino Uno, you will want to have the Ultimate Arduino Uno Hardware Manual. If you own an Arduino MEGA 2560, you will want this Ultimate Arduino MEGA 2560 Hardware Manual. Because there are some similarities between the two boards, such as the power supply circuit, this manual has been extended to make it more worthwhile for those readers who already own the Ultimate Arduino Uno Hardware Manual.