If you ever want to create your own Arduino Board but don’t know how then today’s article is for you. Till now we have discussed the different Arduino boards. In today’s article, we will be discussing how you can make your own Arduino board to fulfill your requirements.
Arduino boards are microcontroller boards that are used in multiple automation and electronics-related projects. The projects are as simple as making a LED control project to as complex as making a robotic arm that will work according to the instructions given by the user.
As technology is increasing day by day the use of Arduino boards is also increasing rapidly however if you are dealing with Arduino boards for a long time then you must have wanted to make your own Arduino board. An Arduino board is specially made for your project and its main function is to fulfill all your requirements. Doesn’t that sound interesting?
In this article, we will be going through each and every detail which you will need to know before starting work on your own Arduino board. Let us begin with the prerequisites.
Prerequisites For Creating Your Own Arduino
Before you start working on the board you should make a proper design of your Arduino board with all the necessary details and components mentioned on it with proper labeling. Once you complete the design of your Arduino board then you have to make sure that you have the list of required materials ready that you will need in the construction of your own Arduino board.
The reference list of requirements is listed below. Make sure to check all the items are ready beforehand.
Requirements
The materials required to make your own Arduino board are as follows:-
| Name | Quantity |
| ATmega328p Microcontroller IC | 1 |
| 28 Pin IC Holder | 1 |
| 16 MHz Quartz Crystal | 1 |
| Capacitors | 5 (2 x 22pF, 100nF, 2 x 47µF) |
| Resistors | 9(2 x 330Ω, 470Ω, 1KΩ, 2.2KΩ, 7.5KΩ, 2 x 10KΩ, 30KΩ) |
| LEDs | 2(Red and Green) |
| Push Button | 1 |
| Slide Switch | 1 |
| 5V Regulator | 1(7805) |
| 3.3V Regulator | 1(LD33V) |
| 10KΩ Potentiometer | 1 |
| 1N4007 Diode | 1 |
| IRF540N MOSFET | 1 |
| Male Headers | 6 |
| Female Headers | 24 |
| 2.1mm Power Jack | 1 |
| Perf Board | 1 |
Note:- These requirements are specific to the design. Requirements may vary according to the design. Make sure to match the items with this list of items before moving further.
Burning The Bootloader
Bootloader is a small piece of code that resides in the memory of the microcontroller. Bootloader is used to program the new Arduino Board using a USB cable. The bootloader accepts the code from the computer and places it inside the microcontroller.
There are two ways possible with the help of which we can burn the bootloader which is using a dedicated AVR programmer hardware and another way is to use a working Arduino board( which will be an Arduino UNO R3) as the programmer and burn the bootloader on the target ATmega328 Microcontroller. In this tutorial, we are going to burn the bootloader using both methods.
Burning The Bootloader using a Working Arduino board
For burning the bootloader using a working Arduino Board we need two Arduino UNO boards. Firstly we have to pull out the IC of the main board and use the new IC in its place for installing the bootloader. Once the installation is completed we will use this new IC in our self-made Arduino Board and the original IC will be placed again in the main board then,
- Connect the main board to the computer.
- Select the main board(i,e. Arduino UNO) in tools.
- Select the port(COM3) to which the board is connecting in tools.
- Go to tools> programmer and select AVRISP mkll.
- Then go to examples.
- Click on Arduino ISP.
- Upload the code to the main board
- Then, disconnect or unplug the main board.
- Now, connect – pin 13 of the main board to pin 13 of the target board, pin 12 of the main board to pin 12 of the target board, pin 11 of the main board to pin 11 of the target board, pin 10 of the main board to RESET of the target board, 5 volts pin of the main board to 5 volts pin of target board and ground pin of the main board to ground pin of the target board.
- Now, plug in the main board
- Open Arduino IDE.
- Go to Tools>Programmer and switch to Arduino as ISp
- Select Tools and then click on “Burn Bootloader”.
The process of burning the bootloader using another Arduino UNO is completed.
Note:- Switch back Programmer to AVRISP mkll other will you will get errors in future uploads. To do that go to tools>programmer and choose AVRisp mkll.Burning The Bootloader using the AVR board
Materials required for burning bootloader using AVR board are:-
| Arduino Cable |
| AVR ISP Shield |
| Arduino UNO |
| ATMEGA328P |
Steps for burning the bootloader using Arduino UNO R3 as an AVR programmer are listed below.
- Open Arduino IDE
- Go to files
- Then, click on examples and select Arduino ISP.
- Now, connect Arduino UNO to your computer or laptop.
- Then go to tools and select port.
- Now, click on upload.
- Once the code gets uploaded then mount the AVR shield on the Arduino UNO.
- Then go to tools and click on the programmer
- Select Arduino as an ISP.
- Again go to tools and click on burn bootloader.
After completion of all these steps the process of burning the bootloader is completed.
Constructing The Custom Arduino Board
Now we have our design and materials ready. Now, we are going to start the construction of our own Arduino board.
Step 1:- Find a good-sized perf board.
Finding a perf board of the perfect size is as important as the correct working of an Arduino board. So, before moving further double-check the size of the perfboard.
Step 2:- Installing the socket
Once you select a perfect-sized perf board then the next step is to install the socket on the perfboard. But, before installing the socket you will have to find a good place for installing the socket on the perfboard. The place of the socket is always determined with respect to the position of the chip on the perf board
The preferable location for placing the socket is at the top corner however you can put it wherever you want to according to your design and requirements.
Step 3:- Adding the 5v Regulator
After installing the socket the next step is to add the 5v regulator on the board. The 5v regulator requires 2 decoupling capacitors each. You have to add the regulator in such a way that the 7805 printed side will face toward you, and the pins pointing downwards. The pin on the farthest left is the input pin, the farthest right is the output pin and the pin in the center is the ground pin.
Now, you have to connect a 10 uf electrolytic capacitor in between the output pin and the ground pin and the input pin and ground pin. You have to make sure that the smaller leg is connected to the ground. Now, connect the positive pin from the power jack to the farthest input pin, and ground from the power jack to the center pin.
However technically you only need a single regulator to power the chip however some sensors require a 3.3v regulator then you will have to add the 3.3v regulator but it’s good to have a 3.3v regulator so that you will not face any issues in your future projects.
Step 4:- Adding 3.3v regulator
The 3.3v regulator does not have the same pinout as there in 7805. While placing or installing the 3.3v regulator on the perfboard you have to take care that the printed side is facing towards you and the pins downwards. The pin which is farthest to the left is the ground pin, the pin at the center is the output pin, and the furthest right pin is the input pin.
The 3.3v regulator also needs two decoupling capacitors. One if the capacitor is connected to one of the 10 uf tantalum caps between the output pin and the ground pin and the other 10 uf tantalum will be placed between the input pin and the ground pin which will pay attention to the polarity.
You have to take care that the negative lead is connected to the farthest left pin of the regulator.
Step 5:- Indicator LED
After installation of the 3.3 v regulator, you have to install the indicator LED on the perf board. This green indicator LED is connected to the output of the 5v regulator. As its name suggests this LED will indicate the power supply.
You have to connect the anode of the LED, the one having a longer leg to the 150-ohm resistor, and connect the cathode, the one having a shorter leg to the center pin of the 5v regulator. Once you connect the LED then you have to connect the resistor to the output pin of the 5v regulator.
Step 6:- Connection of Power and Ground Pins
Once you complete the installation of the indicator LED now, you have to connect the power and ground pin to the circuit. From now on you will start making connections in the circuit. You have to connect the pins 7, 20, and 21 to 5 volts and pins 8 and 22 to the ground pin.
Step 7:- Reset Button
After the completion of the first connection in the circuit, you have to install the RESET button to the circuit. You have to connect pin 1 which is the reset pin to the 10k resistor from the pin to 5v. Then you have to connect the one contact on the momentary push button switch (Which is used as the Reset button) to pin 1, and the other contact to ground.
Step 8:- Installing the crystal oscillator
On completion of step 7 now you have to install or add the crystal oscillator to the perfboard. You have to solder the 16 MHz crystal oscillator to pin numbers 9 and 10 of the microcontroller chip. Then you have to connect 1 leg of a 22pf capacitor to pin number 9, and the other leg of the 22pf capacitor to the ground. Similarly, you have to connect the first leg of the 22pf capacitor to pin number 10 and the other leg to the ground.
Step9:- Adding LED pin 13
Now you have to Connect the anode of the red LED to pin 19 of the microcontroller chip and the cathode of the red LED to the ground passing through a 150-ohm resistor.
Step 10:- Connection of Female Headers
After completion of all of the above-mentioned steps now you have to connect the female headers which are present on the board. This step is probably one of the most time taking and confusing steps as you have a lot of wires present on the board and while connecting them you might face problems and get frustrated. You just have to be patient and label all of the female headers to prevent any confusion and wrong connection.
Step 11:- ICSP Headers
On the other end of the per board, the 6 rows of male headers are needed to be soldered. Then, connect the first pin to pin number 1 of the chip through a 0.1 uf capacitor.
The second pin to pin 3 of the chip, the third pin to pin 2 of the chip, and the fourth pin to the five volts regulator, You do not have to connect the fifth pin and then connect the sixth pin to the ground.
Step 12:- Programming the Arduino
This step is one of the most important steps. In order to program the chip you will need an Arduino Uno board. Here Arduino UNO will be used as an FTDI program on the board directly from your computer.
Conclusion
A Do IT Yourself(DIY) project has been shown in this tutorial which is “How to make your own Arduino Board.” The steps discussed are beginner friendly and you can use this information to build your own Arduino Board.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1 – What are Arduino boards?
Ans – Arduino is an open-source electronics platform based on easy-to-use hardware and software.
Q2 – Can Arduino run Python?
Ans – Yes, it is possible to use Arduino with Python.
Q3 – Where are Arduino libraries stored?
Ans – Arduino libraries are managed in three different places. You can find them inside the IDE installation folder, inside the core folder, and in the libraries folder inside your sketchbook.
Q4 – Can Arduino output analog signals?
Ans – The Arduino can input and output analog signals as well as digital signals.