


Arduino Pro Mini Overview
Introduction
The **Arduino Pro Mini** is a compact and lightweight microcontroller board based on the ATmega328. Designed for advanced users, it is ideal for applications where space and power consumption are critical. Unlike other Arduino boards, the Pro Mini requires an external USB-to-serial adapter for programming, making it a preferred choice for embedded projects.
Specifications
- Microcontroller: ATmega328
- Operating Voltage: 3.3V or 5V
- Clock Speed: 8 MHz (3.3V) or 16 MHz (5V)
- Digital I/O Pins: 14 (of which 6 provide PWM output)
- Analog Input Pins: 6
- Flash Memory: 32 KB (0.5 KB used by bootloader)
- SRAM: 2 KB
- EEPROM: 1 KB
- Power Supply: RAW (3.3–12V) or VCC (regulated 3.3V or 5V)
Architecture
The Arduino Pro Mini is built around the ATmega328 microcontroller, which features a Harvard architecture with a modified RISC core. This enables efficient processing with low power consumption. The board is designed without USB circuitry, allowing users to integrate it seamlessly into custom PCBs or standalone systems.
Applications
- Wearable devices and compact electronics
- Battery-powered systems
- Prototyping for space-constrained environments
- IoT and wireless sensor networks
- Robotics and automation
Pinout Diagram

Programming the Arduino Pro Mini
The Arduino Pro Mini does not have an onboard USB interface. To program it, you need an external USB-to-serial adapter, such as the FTDI adapter. The process involves connecting the adapter to the Pro Mini's GND
, VCC
, TX
, and RX
pins and uploading code using the Arduino IDE.