The $9 Quasi-duino (Almost-duino)

Do you currently have an Arduino and want to make it smaller for cheap? The Quasi-duino is for you (Italian for almost-duino). This makes a functional "almost" Arduino, in a very small form factor using the narcoleptic library for pico-power operations on a pico-space breadboard. This 'ible will use Arduino 1.0. All of your Arduino code that you have made does not have to be formatted for the Quasi-duino!

I have found multiple places that you can use your Arduino without a crystal, voltage regulator, USB interface, or even without the reset button. These can all make a difference in your project. With the Quasi-duino, I wanted to use the minimum possible components, minimum possible power, but still with the basic Arduino capabilities.

**This project will require you to download a new Arduino core for the Quasi-duino that I developed. It is provided later in the instructable.

Please feel free to post comments and questions.

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Step 1: Parts

Tools:

Needle Nose Pliers (Everyone should get a pair of these anyways)
The Quasi-duino core (will explain later)
The Narcoleptic library for Arduino (compatible with Arduino 1.0)

You can get all of the parts you need at Sparkfun:

** Essential Parts for Quasi-duino ($8.75)

Mini Breadboard http://www.sparkfun.com/products/7916 $3.95
Mini Push Button Switch - Tall (Most of you will want the tall button because it is easier to incorporate in your project) http://www.sparkfun.com/products/8605 $0.50
ATmega328p http://www.sparkfun.com/products/9061 COM-09061 $4.30
Some Jumpers

** The following items need to be purchased only once, and can be used to make multiple Quasi-duinos later ($3.10)

Resistor-330 Ohm http://www.sparkfun.com/products/8377 $0.50
16MHz Crystal (needed for bootloading, but not for the completed project)   http://www.sparkfun.com/products/536 $0.95
22pf Capacitors (2) http://www.sparkfun.com/products/8571 $0.50
LEDs (2)   http://www.sparkfun.com/products/532 $0.70
10uf Capacitor (for disabling the auto-reset on you Arduino UNO)   http://www.sparkfun.com/products/523 $0.45
Extra Breadboard (nothin' special, just a basic one for LEDs)
Arduino UNO or later (Most of you will have one already) ** for users of older Arduinos, please see the bottom

**Optional

LiPo (get these at Sparkfun too, they're cheap and rechargeable for your small projects!)
LiPo Charger (you'll need one of these if you're getting the LiPos)

** Note for users of old Arduinos: You can try an older Arduino in this project, but I have not tested them yet. You still should be able to do this project. I will make notes on the bottom of the pages that (I think) are different for older Arduinos.

Build_it_Bob says: Apr 9, 2012. 3:52 PM

Very impressive ! Keep up the great work , you are definately going places with electronics ( and possibly teaching ! ) . Thank you again for sharing with us all.
Build_it_Bob

alecnotalex says: May 13, 2012. 5:06 AM

Very nice instructable.
For anyone that's interested, I made a sparkfun wish-list of the supplies:
http://www.sparkfun.com/wish_lists/41718
I can take it down if you want me to.

Qtechknow (author) in reply to alecnotalexMay 16, 2012. 8:30 AM

Thanks for making the wishlist. This is exactly all of the parts! Glad you liked it so much.

emdarcher says: Jun 14, 2012. 9:17 AM

This is totally awesome, I am new to arduino and have made a basic one on a breadboard, but one that is this simple is totally cool!!! Now i am starting to think i can make my robots run off of tiny Quasi-duino's with motor controller chips right behind the atmegas. Do you know this will work with the older atmega8, because i have one lying aroundand want to use it

Qtechknow (author) in reply to emdarcherJun 14, 2012. 12:01 PM

Thanks for the comment!!!!! You can totally make your robots out of Quasi-duinos! That's what they are made for! I think that this will work on the ATmega8's, but you will have to change a ton of things. To be safe, I would go with the ATmega328p's, because the Quasi-duino Instructable and core are made for the ATmega328p's. Plus, the ATmega328p's are only $4.30 from SparkFun (link provided in step 1 of this Instructable).

manu08 says: Oct 14, 2012. 8:50 PM

Wow nice, just one thing if I upload a serial communication sketch, Will it function properly even with the Arrduino UNO as ISP?

diy_bloke says: Jun 21, 2012. 10:35 AM

impressive for an 11 year old. i do not see me 11 year old son do this :-)

zugy says: Jun 18, 2012. 7:54 AM

I think (but not sure ) I did it correctly BUT, when I try to load a sketch in quasi-duino. It says It's not the right signature for atm328 (my quasi is made with atm168).

Could you please show the arborescence of the quasi-duino in the hardware dir ? And show the narcoleptic library arborescence too ?

Anyway this is an awesome project ..I will use it in all of my projetcs (when it will work)

Regards