Specifications
| In the range | The Nano V3.0 with USB-C, and the PinPulse shield it seats in; the shop sells them together in a three-pack |
|---|---|
| Chip | ATmega328P at 16 MHz on a ceramic resonator; a CH340C turns the USB-C socket into a serial port |
| Memory | 32 KB flash, 2 KB SRAM, 1 KB EEPROM |
| Pins | 14 digital pins (D0 to D13, with D0 and D1 shared with the USB serial line), 6 of them with PWM (D3, D5, D6, D9, D10, D11), and 8 analogue inputs (A0 to A7, of which A6 and A7 read analogue only) |
| Power | 5 V from the USB-C socket through a Schottky diode, or VIN (about 7 to 12 V) through an AMS1117-5.0 regulator; the 3V3 pin comes from an ME6217C33M5G fed by the 5 V rail |
| Board size | 43.2 × 18 mm, two rows of 15 pins at 2.54 mm and 15.24 mm apart; the pins reach 8.4 mm below the board and the tallest part is 10.1 mm |
| LEDs | 22 red LEDs on the shield: TXD, RXD, D2 to D13 and A0 to A7. Each hangs off one channel of an SN74HC04 hex inverter, so the pin drives only a CMOS input (1 µA, 10 pF at most) and the light is paid for by the 5 V rail through 5.1 kΩ |
| Pin access | Every pin comes out 3 ways on the shield: the socket the Nano seats in, a strip of male pins and a strip of female sockets, so both kinds of jumper wire fit |
| Shield size | 55 × 49 mm with two 4.8 mm mounting holes 48 mm apart; the sockets stand 8.5 mm tall |
Power off, then seat the Nano; power on only when it is fully home and the right way round. Take it out the same way: unplug the cable first, lift the Nano out after. With the power on, contacts make and break one at a time, and the shield can get hot.
What is here
The Nano V3.0 is a 43.2 × 18 mm board with an ATmega328P, a USB-C socket and two rows of 15 pins. The PinPulse shield is a 55 × 49 mm board with two sockets for the Nano's pins and a small light beside 22 of them, so a sketch's HIGH and LOW can be seen without a meter.
The shop sells them as one box: three Nanos, one shield and a USB-C cable. The handbook covers both, starting with how the Nano goes in.
Which one
| Nano V3.0 | PinPulse shield | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | The board that runs the sketch | The board it seats in |
| A wire lands in | the pin holes on its top face | a socket or a pin, on either side |
| Lights | power, TX, RX and D13 | 22, one per I/O pin |
| Size | 43.2 × 18 mm | 55 × 49 mm |
Wiring, in four lines
- Unplug the USB cable and anything else feeding the Nano.
- Put the Nano's USB-C end at the end of the shield marked USB, and press both rows down until the Nano's black pin bodies meet the sockets.
- Plug the USB-C cable in.
- In the Arduino IDE choose Arduino Nano and ATmega328P.
Where to start
Seat it with the power off is the page to read before anything else. Which way round shows what each wrong seat joins.
When it doesn’t work
- Which way round does the Nano go in the shield?
- USB-C at the end marked USB on the shield, where the arrow reads USB IS ORIENTED THIS WAY. The Nano turned through 180° still fits, and then its power pins land on signal holes and signal pins land on the shield's rails.
- Can I plug the Nano into the shield while it is powered?
- No. Power off first, seat the Nano fully with both rows of pins home, check the direction, and only then plug the cable in. To remove it, unplug the cable first and lift the Nano out after. Plugging or unplugging with power on can leave the shield warm.
- Why do some LEDs flicker when I touch the shield?
- A pin your sketch has not set is floating, and your body picks up mains hum that moves it between LOW and HIGH. Set the pin with pinMode and a digitalWrite, or INPUT_PULLUP, and it stops.
- Why is there no LED on VIN, GND, RST, 5V, AREF and 3V3?
- They are rails, a reset line and a reference input, not pins that go HIGH and LOW. A light on them would show nothing useful.
- What do I choose in the Arduino IDE?
- Board Arduino Nano and Processor ATmega328P. If an upload stops with an error that says not in sync, try Processor ATmega328P (Old Bootloader).