Overview of the Project
Arduino Nano Matter is the new project that is to be opened with the same main board and additional software based on the Arduino Nano microcontroller. The idea is to create a small-scale, affordable, and versatile platform for as many practices as possible. Actually, at this stage – called “Community Preview” – the authors of the project are interested in the ideas and the concept of the Arduino and open hardware and want to receive feedback on their first ideas and design concepts.
Hardware Design
The core of the Arduino Nano Matter hardware design is the ATmega328P microcontroller, the same chip used on the popular Arduino Nano board. However, the creators plan to design a new circuit board specifically optimized for the Nano Matter platform goals. Key aspects of the planned hardware design include:
- Miniature form factor – The board will be smaller than a standard Nano, keeping the overall size minimized to enable its use in a wider range of projects. At approximately 6 square centimeters, it will be roughly half the size of a Nano.
- Low cost – By leveraging common, low-cost components the target price point is under $10 per board when purchased in bulk. This is aimed at encouraging experimentation and rapid prototyping.
- Modularity – Planning multiple “expansion ports” to allow easy addition of sensors, displays, actuators, and other functions through plug-in modules. Potential ports include I2C, SPI, analog inputs, and more.
- 3.3V only operation – For simplicity, reliability, and lower power usage the board will only support 3.3V logic levels rather than including 5V compatibility like Arduino Nano. External regulators could be used if 5V is needed.
- On-board voltage regulation – A voltage regulator will be included to convert higher voltage power sources (e.g. battery packs) to the 3.3V needed by the ATmega328P and peripherals.
- Low-pin count – Pin headers will be minimized to only those pins needed for basic functionality and expansion ports. Extra pins take up board space and add complexity.
- Small surface-mount components – Using small 0805-sized passives and other SMD chips will keep the overall board footprint compact without compromising functionality.
Some questions the community is being asked to provide feedback on regarding the hardware design concept include component choices, expansion port options, ease of manufacturing/procurement concerns, and overall form factor plans. The creators plan to iterate on the initial design based on community input before embarking on a prototype run.
Software Platform
In addition to defining the planned hardware specifications, the project creators have started work on the Nano Matter software platform. Key goals for the platform include:
- Arduino compatibility – Programs written for the Nano Matter will be able to use the familiar Arduino core libraries, functions, and general programming environment for ease of use.
- Open source SDK – All code related to the platform will be released open source under a permissive license like MIT. This includes board definition files, libraries, examples, and more.
- Module system – Special “Module” classes will allow Arduino sketches to be easily discovered and interfaced with plug-in hardware modules connected to the expansion ports.
- Live Coding – The goal is to support live uploading/updating of running code over a serial or wireless connection, rather than requiring a reset after each upload. This enables more fluid development workflows.
- Firmware updating – A planned bootloader and updating mechanism may allow reflashing the Nano Matter firmware itself over the air for future upgrades.
- Extensibility – The SDK will be designed to encourage third-party library and module development by opening all relevant aspects of the platform to outside contributions.
- Documentation – Examples, guides, API documentation and more will help developers get started and maximize what they can do with the Nano Matter. Community contributions will be encouraged here as well.
Community feedback on the software approach, SDK design, example use cases, and areas for improvement will be important for refining the platform concept. Future work includes continuing to develop and test this initial reference software implementation in parallel with prototyping the hardware.
Getting Community Involvement
With the “Community Preview” release of their initial plans, the project creators are specifically seeking input and participation from technical community members. Their overall goal is to collaboratively design an open hardware platform through open discussion. To facilitate this, they have outlined the following avenues for getting involved:
- Project Forum – A dedicated online forum space has been created for discussing all aspects of the Nano Matter project. This is the primary location for providing feedback, asking questions, and engaging with the team and other community members.
- Design Collaboration – For those with relevant skills, contributing feedback through annotated schematics/layouts or participating in the hardware and software design process directly via Github is strongly encouraged.
- Prototyping Assistance – Once initial prototypes are made, beta testers who can test functionality, report issues, and document use cases will be highly valuable for advancing the platform.
- Example Modules – Developing plug-in module concepts and example code in advance would help demonstrate the platform’s capabilities and expand the initial ecosystem.
- Promotion – Spreading the word about the project through communities like Hackaday, Reddit, and Arduino forums may attract new community members to contribute to refining the design.
- Documentation – Assistance with guides, tutorials, examples, and other educational materials ensures the platform is easy for new users to understand and leverage for their projects.
By getting widespread community input at the early planning stages, the project creators aim to iteratively design a platform that meets real needs while staying true to open hardware principles of accessibility and sharing knowledge. With participation, Nano Matter could emerge as a compelling alternative for a new generation of projects.
Community Response So Far
Since its initial announcement, the Arduino Nano Matter project has seen a promising level of early interest and community response:
- Forum Activity – Around 150 posts in the first month across the general discussion, hardware plans, and software questions indicate engagement from a variety of makers.
- Design Feedback – Detailed comments on the OpenHante placement of components and concerns over manufacturability led to valuable early-stage adjustments by the team.
- Example Sketches – Community members ported over popular Nano libraries like NeoPixel and Servo to demonstrate planned module APIs and show early functionality.
- Module Ideas – Suggestions for wireless connectivity, sensor inputs, and actuator control expansion boards provide use cases for prototypes.
- Promotion Assistance – Sharing news of the project through social platforms helped spread the word, with traffic and new contributors rising steadily after initial posts.
- Documentation Offers – Several technical writers volunteered to assist with guides, tutorials, and other learning materials as the codebase matures.
While still early, the number of community members getting involved to provide input, code contributions, and begin experimenting with the software through example projects is a very positive sign. Continuing to foster this engaged base will be important for maintaining open collaboration as the project develops.
Future Direction and Conclusion
The overwhelmingly constructive responses seen so far show strong potential for the collaborative design process at the heart of the Nano Matter project to yield an open platform aligned with real-world needs. Key next steps laid out by the core team to maintain this momentum include:
- prototyping initial reference hardware to validate designs based on community feedback
- expanding in-progress software through modular APIs, examples, and continued testing
- tracking all development and changes publicly on GitHub for full transparency
- facilitate community efforts like documentation, additional modules, and showcase projects
- outline an approach for sustainability long term through grants, donations, or low-cost board sales
Suppose active participation from the community of developers and makers continues. In that case, there is good reason to believe Arduino Nano Matter can evolve into a freely available platform empowering many more innovative projects of all types into the future. By keeping lines of communication open and collaborating at every step, together we can help ensure it realizes its potential for the open-source hardware ecosystem.
