Did you know that the Arduino Mega 2560 has over 127 pins? AI told me so

Official Hardware Mega Mega 2560
1

I'm writing an ISR (interrupt handler) and wanting to save memory by putting pin state with pin number, so asked Google

which arduino have over 127 pins

and back came the AI response (check out that first sentence):

AI Overview
The Arduino Mega 2560 is the Arduino board with more than 127 pins. It has a total of 70 I/O pins, including 54 digital I/O pins (some with PWM capability) and 16 analog input pins. The board also features a larger flash storage and SRAM than other basic Arduino boards, making it suitable for more complex projects, according to Arduino, such as 3D printers and robotics.

2

Hello brewmanz

Take a view here:

https://docs.arduino.cc/hardware/mega-2560/

3

Counting seems not to be a special quality of that AI. Well, at that age :wink:

4

Well it is not so much counting it is the adding up. If you add up all the numbers mentioned you get 140 pins.

It doesn't know that the word "including" means that these are types of use that the 70 I/O can be put to.

This is the sort of double counting that governments do all the time.

5

'Including' here simply means that 70 pins are subdivided into 54 digital plus 16 analog pins.

6

Analog pins are digital ones too. So that formulation is not catching it all.

7

I copied the quote to ChatGPT and asked why is this BS. CharGPT answered:

That statement is misleading for several reasons:

  1. “More than 127 pins” is factually wrong:
    The Arduino Mega 2560 does not have more than 127 accessible I/O pins. It has 70 I/O pins total: 54 digital + 16 analog inputs (which can also be used as digital if needed). The claim contradicts itself.
  2. The number of physical pins on the ATmega2560 is larger, but not all are exposed:
    The ATmega2560 chip itself has 100 pins, but only a subset is brought out to the headers on the Arduino Mega 2560 board. You don’t get access to 127 pins unless you break out more of the microcontroller’s pads, which the Arduino Mega board doesn’t do.
  3. The description mixes pin counts with unrelated specs:
    Saying “it has more than 127 pins” and then listing 70 I/O pins shows confusion between total microcontroller package pins, accessible pins, and functional pin types.
  4. The “according to Arduino” part is vague and misleading:
    Arduino does say the Mega is suited for 3D printers and robotics, but not because of this exaggerated pin count. It’s because of the combination of more serial ports, flash memory, and I/O, which is useful for complex control systems.

In short, the statement inflates the pin count, contradicts itself, and confuses chip specs with board capabilities.

So if you question its alternate truth and answers you’ll get a different opinion. Always worth asking AI to assess its own answers.

8

Don't they just.

HMRC are particularly good at it.

9

they never double counted my tax payement.. How weird :slight_smile:

10

Don't get me started on them.

Every year they estimate my income. Every year they get it wrong. Every year it works in their favour. Every year I have to correct it. :roll_eyes:

11

Huh for me ai overview now says 70 i/o.