Mini Duino+

An Arduino Pro Mini on steroids! Full-featured, and built to be Arduino compatible using a midrange AVR.

Courtesy/Thanks to: Kevin Houck

Description: This was a kickstarter campaign that unfortunately did not make it... The information here is left as reference.


More Features, More Fun

The new advancement in Arduino compatible hardware utilizes the ATmega 1284P AVR, in place of the common 328p that is used in current Arduino hardware. The 1284P is the perfect mix of features, program space, and cost. Cheap enough to be used in almost every project; capable enough to deliver. No matter what you're trying to build, the Mini Duino+ packs the punch to do it and more.

Extra space for extra code: With 4x the flash memory (program space), 4x the EEPROM, and 8x the RAM versus the 328p, your programs will never be limited by space constraints. You will be free to code without worrying about a data cap looming over you.

Create more developed projects with the extra pins: Supplying 32 I/O pins, you will never have to make the tough choice of which peripheral to keep in your project, and which to toss out. The Mini Duino+ is designed to fit them all! It can also source up to 40 mA of current per pin compared to 25 mA capabilities of ARM based boards.

Get more data in and out (digital and analog): Other features include 2 UARTs, 8 Analog Input pins, 8 Pulse Width Modulation enabled pins, 3 External Interrupt pins. The Mini Duino+ also has SPI and I2C capabilites, with a jumper to enable or disable included 4.7k pull-up resistors for I2C Comm lines.

Power saving options: The ability to enable or disable the voltage regulator, power indicator LED, and connected D13 LED is provided with jumpers. This is great for eliminating quiescent current in projects that are not connected to an unregulated power source, without having to hack away at traces with a hobby knife and a soldering iron.

Multi-use on-board button: Configurable with a jumper, the on-board button can be used to reset the AVR or as an input to pin 2. The reset function is great for serial to UART converters without a DTR connection. If your sketch will be a permanent one, or the DTR connection is broken out, the button can be used in your sketch. Pin 2 is also an external interrupt capable pin, allowing the button special use in sketches.

(Boards with the multi-use button have not been tested yet, but it is a very small change so I wouldn't worry about it not working correctly. Just thought I'd be as transparent as possible about this project.)

In a compact package: The Mini Duino+ has the same footprint as a 40-pin DIP package, but yet all the features of a low-cost development board! The Mini Duino+ is only .8" longer than a popular 328P based board, and only to incorporate more pin connections. Why buy just the chip when you can have the entire Arduino ecosystem running in the same area!

Compare to existing Arduino compatible options: The Mini Duino+ offers more features at the same price point. This table outlines some of the details: