Arduino DISCUSSION

Why can an Arduino sketch compile on UNO R4 but still depend on UNO R3 behavior?

Started by sk Arduino portabilityUNO R3UNO R4library compatibilityboard migration
3 replies 248 views 4 participants
Latest activity · 27 Sep 2026

Why can an Arduino sketch compile on UNO R4 but still depend on UNO R3 behavior?

sk Arduino Forum
#1

The UNO name and familiar APIs can make moving a sketch appear straightforward, but R3 and R4 use different MCU architectures. Which assumptions should be checked when a sketch compiles yet behaves differently?

The example project reads an analog sensor, generates PWM and uses a third-party library.

Reference: Arduino: UNO R4 Minima hardware (https://docs.arduino.cc/hardware/uno-r4-minima/).

Community replies 3

Re: Why can an Arduino sketch compile on UNO R4 but still depend on UNO R3 behavior?

#2

Check the library's supported architectures and look for direct register access, assembly, timer assumptions and fixed CPU-frequency calculations. Source that uses only common APIs is easier to move, but its timing can still differ. Pin compatibility and a successful build do not establish equivalent peripheral behavior.

Re: Why can an Arduino sketch compile on UNO R4 but still depend on UNO R3 behavior?

#3

Make ADC resolution, reference selection and PWM requirements explicit. Measure the actual PWM frequency and duty cycle rather than assuming an API value implies the same waveform on every core. Also inspect integer sizes, structure layouts and any binary protocol that sends memory directly.

Re: Why can an Arduino sketch compile on UNO R4 but still depend on UNO R3 behavior?

#4

Bring up the migrated project one peripheral at a time and compare numerical results against a known input. Keep board-core and library versions in the project notes. If exact timing matters, use the target's supported timing facilities and verify them on hardware instead of compensating with arbitrary delays.

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