Beetle Board – Mini Arduino Leonardo ATmega32U4 Board – DFRobot

Beetle is a compact yet powerful Arduino-compatible development board, featuring an ATmega32U4 core and the same compatibility as the Arduino Leonardo. As a tiny ATmega32U4 board as small as a coin, this Mini Arduino is ideal for wearables, embedded systems, and space-constrained DIY projects.

Thanks to its wide-spacing soldering pads, Beetle is especially suitable for e-textile and conductive fabric projects, providing a reliable Mini Arduino Leonardo solution where traditional microcontrollers may be too large or difficult to integrate.

Features of the Beetle Mini Arduino

• Tiny but versatile: Fits into even the smallest projects without sacrificing the power of an ATmega32U4 board

• Fully compatible with Arduino Leonardo and IDE for seamless Mini Arduino programming

• V-shaped soldering pads make direct sewing and wiring easy on this Arduino-compatible development board

• USB-enabled with Micro USB support for effortless Mini Arduino Leonardo uploading and testing

• Reliable performance thanks to the integrated ATmega32U4 board chip architecture

Wide-Space Pads & Versatile Interfaces

Despite its tiny Mini Arduino size, Beetle features:

• 3 digital ports

• 3 analog ports (can double as digital ports on this ATmega32U4 board)

• 1 UART interface

• 1 I2C interface

• 4 PWM-capable ports

• 2 power outputs

Its V-shaped large gold-plated pads allow for stable wire binding perfect for sewing this Arduino-compatible development board into clothing or wrapping in tight projects.

Low-Cost but Powerful ATmega32U4 Board

Beetle was designed to solve the need for affordable and accessible microcontrollers, especially for Mini Arduino education, workshops, and DIY gift projects. Though low in cost, it maintains robust functionality, making this Mini Arduino Leonardo suitable even in production-level prototyping.

User-Friendly Mini Arduino Experience

The ATmega32U4 board is preloaded with a bootloader, and with Micro USB support, there’s no need for additional tools for this Arduino-compatible development board. It’s the go-to solution for developers working on:

• Disposable or one-time Mini Arduino projects

• Wearables & e-textiles

• Budget-conscious Mini Arduino Leonardo prototyping

• Compact interactive art & lighting with an ATmega32U4 board

Real-World Highlight

NASA-supported CubeSat Launch (USU): A Pi-powered satellite launched into orbit included a DFRobot Beetle board, proving the reliability of this Mini Arduino for cost-effective onboard control tasks.

Technical Specifications of the ATmega32U4 Board

• MCU: ATmega32u4 (Fully Arduino Leonardo compatible)

• Clock Speed: 16 MHz

• Operating Voltage: 5V DC

• I/O Pins: 10 digital, 5 analog for Mini Arduino projects

• PWM Channels: 4

• UART: 1

• I2C: 1

• Micro USB: 1 port for Mini Arduino Leonardo connectivity

• Power Ports: 2

• Flash: 32KB (4KB for bootloader)

• SRAM: 2.5KB

• EEPROM: 1KB

• Size: 20mm x 22mm x 3.8mm (Ultra-compact Arduino-compatible development board)

Creative Projects Using Beetle Mini Arduino

Project 1: How to Make Music IO LED Lights

Project 2: Fiber Optic Fairy Wings

Project 3: DIY Deer Clock

Project 4: Running Heart Alarm T-shirt

Whats in the Box

• Beetle Board 1 (Mini Arduino Leonardo ATmega32U4 Board)

Reference for Beetle Mini Arduino

Wiki

Schematic

Review by One Mans Anthology

Adafruit’s Trinket vs DFRobot’s Beetle Mini Arduino – Review (Video)

Beetle: Minimize Your Arduino-compatible development board Projects (Instructables)