If you are looking for small Arduino boards for DIY projects, this article comes in handy. Do you want to build an Arduino-based wearable but the original board is too big? Or do you have another project in mind that needs a small board with a lot of features?
This selection will help you choose what you need. It contains the smallest Arduino boards with different characteristics. They can be used to develop a wide variety of projects - from robots to wearable devices. There are also examples of projects.
Seeduino Nano
Let's start with Seeeduino Nano. It is a compact board, similar to Seeeduino V4.2 / Arduino UNO. It is fully compatible with the Arduino Nano - both in size and pinout. Despite its small size, it is quite functional. We recommend using this board for beginners who want to start somewhere. Also, if you have a codebase from a previous Uno project, it can be used with Nano.
Specifications include 16MHz and 32KB memory, 1KB EEPROM, 2KB RAM. The kit includes peripheral elements to expand the functionality of the project. There's also a Grove I2C connector that lets you connect to hundreds of a wide variety of sensors and actuators.
Why not just use the Arduino Nano? It's a matter of price. So, you can get the Seeeduino Nano for $ 6.90. But the Arduino Nano costs $ 22. Seeeduino also has more peripherals.
If this is not enough, then you can purchase the Grove Shield for Arduino Nano. The kit includes 3 digital connectors, 3 analog connectors, 1 L2C connector and 1 UART.
Seeeduino Nano Specifications
- Microcontroller: ATmega328
- Working voltage: 5V
- Digital I / O Pins: 22
- PWM Enable Pins: 6
- Analog I / O pins: 8
- Flash Memory: 32KB
- SRAM: 2KB
- EEPROM: 1KB
- Frequency: 16 MHz
- Size: 45 mm x 18 mm
- Price: $ 6.90
Arduino MKR1000
And this is a board for those who need a wireless WiFi connection. Have minimal skill in building network devices? If so, the Arduino MKR1000 is for you!
The Arduino MKR1000 is designed as a practical and cost-effective solution for developers whose projects include a wireless module. The basis of the board is an Atmel ATSAMW25 SoC.
It consists of three main blocks:
- SAMD21 Cortex-M0 + 32bit low power ARM MCU
- WINC1500 low power 2.4GHz IEEE 802.11 b / g / n Wi-Fi
- ECC508 CryptoAuthentication
The ATSAMW25 also includes a built-in antenna.
There is a module for connecting a battery, which makes it possible to work autonomously from 5V. The WIFi module uses very little power and is equipped with Cryptochip for secure data exchange. This board is also compatible with Arduino IDE to make it easy to use the Arduino Software (IDE).
A USB port is used to supply power, so the system can operate with or without a battery.
Arduino MKR1000 specifications
- Microcontroller: SAMD21 Cortex-M0 + 32bit low power ARM MCU
- Working voltage: 3.3V
- Digital I / O Pins: 8
- PWM Enable Pins: 12
- Analog I / O pins: 8
- Flash Memory: 256KB
- SRAM: 32KB
- EEPROM: -
- Frequency: 48 MHz
- Size: 61.5mm x 25mm
- Price: $ 34.99
Arduino Pro Mini
Of course, the Arduino Mini-Boards selection must include the Arduino Pro Mini. It's actually an Arduino Pro packaged in a much smaller form factor. In addition, some elements have been removed to minimize the size.
The small size of the board allows it to be built into any project. True, to work with the software, you need not only a USB cable, but also a signal converter, an external board. For example, USB CP2102.
The Arduino Pro Mini comes in two variants - 5V / 16MHz and 3.3V / 8MHz. In the first case, the board operates at the same voltage and at the same speed as the Arduino Nano and Micro. The 3V board is slower, but consumes less power, which makes it possible to increase battery life.
Arduino Pro Mini Specifications
- Microcontroller: ATmega328
- Working voltage: 5V / 3.3V
- Digital I / O Pins: 14
- PWM Enabled Pins: 6
- Analog I / O pins: 6
- Flash Memory: 32 KB (2KB reserved for Bootloader)
- SRAM: 2KB
- EEPROM: 1KB
- Frequency: 8/16 MHz
- Size: 33 mm x 18 mm
- Price: $ 9.95
Arduino MKR VIDOR 4000
While not the smallest Arduino, it boasts a number of unique features that Arduino usually lacks. Plus, it is very small, which makes it possible to embed the board in the smallest projects.
If you're looking for something very specific that the Arduino lacks, something a little more complex, check out the customizable and powerful MKR VIDOR 4000 board.
With the MKR VIDOR 4000 you can customize whatever you want. Here are the specs: 8MB SRAM; 2MB QSPI Flash chip - 1MB dedicated for custom applications; Micro HDMI connector; MIPI camera connector; as well as WiFi and BLE based on the U-BLOX NINA W10 series. The board also includes the classic MKR interface, on which all pins are driven by both the SAMD21 and FPGA. There is also a Mini PCI Express slot with 25 user-configurable pins.
The FPGA contains 16K logic gates, 504KB onboard RAM, and 56 18x18-bit HW multipliers for high-speed DSP. Each pin can be configured for UART, (Q) SPI, high definition / high frequency PWM, quadrature encoder, I2C, I2S, Sigma Delta DAC, etc.
The built-in FPGA can be used as an audio and video processor. This board is also equipped with a SAMD21 chip. Communication between FPGA and SAMD21 is seamless.
MKR VIDOR 4000 specifications
- FPGA: Intel® Cyclone® 10CL016 (datasheet)
- Working voltage: 3.3V
- Digital I / O Pins: 22 headers + 25 Mini PCI Express
- PWM Enabled Pins: All Pins
- Analog I / O pins: -
- Flash Memory: 2MB
- SRAM: 8MB
- EEPROM: -
- Frequency: 48 MHz - Up to 200 MHz
- Size: 83mm x 25mm
- Price: $ 70.90
Arduino Micro
Another member of the Arduino family is the Arduino Micro board. It is somewhat larger than the Nano. But the board is equipped with an ATmega32U4 - this is the main difference from the Nano.
The Micro has more features than the Nano. These are 20 digital I / O pins, 12 analog inputs, and 7 PWM pins. In addition, thanks to the built-in USB port, you can easily use it as a mouse, keyboard, etc. However, the Micro bootloader can only be programmed from USB, which requires a dedicated driver.
But no converter adapters are needed, everything works out of the box.
If you are familiar with the Arduino Leonardo, this is a smaller version. Micro is the smallest board in the ATmega32U4 family.
Specifications
- Microcontroller: ATmega32u4
- Working voltage: 5V
- Digital I / O Pins: 20
- PWM Enabled Pins: 7
- Analog I / O pins: 12
- Flash Memory: 32 KB (4KB used by bootloader)
- SRAM: 2.5KB
- EEPROM: 1KB
- Frequency: 16 MHz
- Size: 48 mm x 18 mm
- Price: $ 18.90
Seeeduino XIAO
This is the smallest Arduino board in this collection. At the same time, its functionality is at its best, it has a bunch of features and interfaces that developers need so much.
The board is powered by Microchip SAMD21 Arm Cortex-M0 +. All major components are located under a metal plate. This board is compatible with Arduino Zero and can be programmed using Arduino IDE or Arduino Create.
Seeeduino XIAO specifications:
- Microcontroller: Microchip SAMD21G18 ARM Cortex-M0 + @ 48 MHz with 256KB Flash, 32KB SRAM
- USB - 1x USB type C port for power and programming
- Expansion I / O
- Two 7-pin connectors with 11x analog inputs, 11x digital inputs and outputs, 1x DAC, SPI, UART and I2C
- I / O voltage 3.3V (not 5V tolerant)
- Misc - 1x custom LED, power LED, 2x serial port LEDs, reset pins, SWD pins, 32.768 kHz crystal oscillator
- Power - 5V via USB-C port, power pins (VIN / GND) for battery
- Dimensions - 23.5 x 17.5 x 3.5mm
Arduino Mini Board Projects
What can be done based on these boards?
Arduino Nano based heart rate monitor
This is a budget version of a smartwatch, the only purpose of the device is to measure the heart rate.
What is needed for the project?
- Seeeduino Nano / Arduino Nano v3
- uECG element
- 2.4G wireless module NRF24L01 + PA
- Grove LED Ring (16-WS2813 Mini)
- LiPo battery
Smart House
What is needed for the project?
- Arduino Micro & Genuino Micro
- Raspberry Pi Zero W
- Espressif ESP8266 ESP-01
- Suitch software
- Apple HomeKit software
- Apply Siri software
- Google Now software
Miniature keyboard
This is not a keyboard, but, in fact, one touch button that can be programmed to perform various operations in the Windows environment.
What do you need for a project?
- Arduino Micro & Genuino Micro
- Postings
- 1 MΩ resistor
- Soldering iron
What did you like the most from the selection? What do you most often use in your work and why? Let us know in the comments.
