dipDuino Is an Arduino-Compatible Board That's as Slim as a DIP Chip

One reason the Arduino Nano became a popular form factor is that it fits onto a breadboard. The compact size is nice but makes the board a bit larger in the width dimension. To solve that issue, AtomSoftTech designed the dipDuino as an Arduino-compatible as narrow as a DIP package.

dipDuino has the same ATmega328P found in the other 8-bit Arduino boards like the Uno and Nano, however measures just 0.37 x 1.82 in (9.3 x 46.26 mm) in size. Its DIP package compatibility comes from the pin row to pin row pitch at 0.3 in (7.62mm).

The DIP-compatible form factor has all of the same pins found on those other boards: 13 digital, five analog, VCC, RESET, and GND. The silkscreen labels A4 and A5 as SDA and SCL since they have a shared function (same as the Uno and Nano).

The ATmega328P SMD packages have two extra analog inputs available that the DIP-style package does not. (This difference is why boards like the Pro Mini and Nano have A6 and A7.) Even though dipDuino has an SMD AVR chip, it does not break out the extra analog pins.

AtomSoftTech says the board functions like an Arduino Pro Mini. But we think it seems much more like a Nano since it contains an-onboard Silicon Labs CP2104 USB-to-serial chip. Either way, developing code on it should be no different than the other ATmega328P-based Arduino boards with a built-in serial adapter chip.

One other difference from traditional Arduino boards is the LEDs, or lack of LEDs. Instead of individual lights for Power, RX, and TX, a single RGB covers all three functions, making for an exciting light show during code uploads.

For more information, head over to the dipDuino product page on AtomSoftTech's Tindie store. Assembled boards are available for $22.95, which include unsoldered headers.