ATMEGA328PB-XMINI - Xplained Mini Eval Kit | Microchip
MPN: ATMEGA328PB-XMINI ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $23.49 | $23.49 |
| 10 | $22.32 | $223.20 |
| 100 | $21.14 | $2,114.00 |
| 500 | $19.97 | $9,985.00 |
| 1,000 | $18.79 | $18,790.00 |
ATMEGA328PB-XMINI Overview
An evaluation board (also called an evaluation kit or dev board) is a printed-circuit platform that mounts a target microcontroller together with support circuitry - regulator, debug interface, headers and LEDs - so engineers can assess the MCU's peripherals and performance before committing to a custom PCB. Evaluation kits sit at the top of the development-tool hierarchy: chip -> evaluation board -> reference design -> end product.
Key features include a fully integrated on-board debugger (EDBG-class) providing seamless integration with Atmel Studio / Microchip Studio, USB-powered operation, access to all ATmega328PB features, and the ATmega328PB itself with picoPower low-power technology, AVR enhanced RISC core, and multiple USART, SPI and I2C/TWI interfaces including the PB-family's doubled communication peripherals versus the ATmega328P.
The kit exposes the MCU through standard headers so external circuitry can be attached, and the integrated debugger also programs external targets, making it useful both as an evaluation platform and as a low-cost programmer for the ATmega328PB in custom designs. Per the Microchip product page, the kit enables easy integration of the device into a custom design.
Typical applications include evaluating ATmega328PB for Arduino-compatible designs, industrial sensor nodes, low-power battery products, and teaching embedded AVR programming.
Design consideration: use an external supply and measure current with an ammeter header when characterizing picoPower sleep currents.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, kit-family alternatives, and practical evaluation tips not found in the manufacturer datasheet. Prices as of 2026-09-17.
Drop-in alternatives for ATMEGA328PB-XMINI — same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
Variants in this series
Same-series models that are drop-in compatible with ATMEGA328PB-XMINI (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Product Type, Target MCU, IDE Support, Core Architecture, EEPROM.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
ATMEGA328P-XMINI
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
Contact for price
View Datasheet →ATMEGA168PB-XMINI
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$23.6 / Unit
View Datasheet →ATMEGA328PB-XPRO
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
ATMEGA324PB-XPRO
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证✓ In Stock
Contact for price
View Datasheet →ATMEGA4809-XPRO
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ 参数待验证📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
ATMEGA328PB-XMINI Specifications (manufacturer-published)
| Product Type | Evaluation Board (Xplained Mini) |
| Target MCU | ATmega328PB (8-bit AVR RISC) |
| Core Architecture | AVR enhanced RISC, ~1 MIPS per MHz |
| CPU Clock on Board | 8 MHz / 16 MHz |
| On-board Debugger | Fully integrated debugger (Atmel Studio compatible) |
| Low Power Technology | picoPower |
| Programming Interface | USB (debugGER also programs external targets) |
| IDE Support | Atmel Studio / Microchip Studio |
| Power Source | USB powered |
| Arduino Compatibility | ATmega328PB (Arduino UNO-class MCU family) |
| Functional Safety Support | FuSa AVR MCU family documentation |
| Expansion | Headers exposing MCU I/O |
| Manufacturer | Microchip Technology |
ATMEGA328PB-XMINI Interfaces & Connectors
No manufacturer-published interface list is available for ATMEGA328PB-XMINI. Refer to the manufacturer documentation for connector and header details.
Refer to the manufacturer documentation for the full expansion header pinout and connector pin numbering.
Typical Applications
ATMEGA328PB-XMINI is suitable for 6 applications: Arduino-Compatible Prototype Development, Low-Power Battery-Operated Sensor Nodes, Embedded Systems Education and Training, Migration Evaluation from ATmega328P Designs, Industrial Control and Automation Prototyping, Debug Tooling and Custom Board Programming.
Arduino-Compatible Prototype Development
The ATMEGA328PB-XMINI is the fastest route to evaluating ATmega328-class silicon for Arduino-compatible products, because the target MCU is the successor to the ATmega328P used in the Arduino UNO R3. The ATmega328PB's AVR core runs at 8 MHz or 16 MHz on board with ~1 MIPS per MHz throughput, matching Arduino timing assumptions, while adding a second USART, second SPI and second TWI bus that the classic ATmega328P lacks. Engineers use the integrated debugger with Atmel Studio or the community XMiniCore Arduino package to debug sketches at source level - impossible on a stock UNO. The trade-off is that Arduino bootloader compatibility should be verified for the PB variant before committing to production firmware.
Recommended
Low-Power Battery-Operated Sensor Nodes
The ATmega328PB on this Xplained Mini kit uses Microchip picoPower technology, and the ATmega328PB datasheet (40001906A) positions it as a low-power CMOS 8-bit microcontroller, making the kit well suited for characterizing battery-powered IoT sensor nodes. Typical usage: connect the sensor to the header-accessible I2C/TWI bus, measure sleep-mode current through the board's power routing, and iterate on power-down register sequences under Atmel Studio debug control. The doubled communication peripherals let one MCU serve two independent sensor buses without a software multiplexer. Performance consideration: board-level quiescent current from regulator and debugger circuitry must be subtracted from measurements to obtain true MCU figures, or the debugger section should be isolated during current profiling.
Recommended
Embedded Systems Education and Training
Universities and training labs use the ATMEGA328PB-XMINI because it combines a professional vendor debugger with the familiar Arduino-ecosystem ATmega328 core architecture. Students write AVR assembly or C in Atmel Studio, set breakpoints with the fully integrated debugger, and inspect AVR registers in real time - a workflow impossible on bootloader-only boards. The AVR enhanced RISC core executing ~1 MIPS per MHz provides a clean model for teaching pipelining and single-cycle instruction execution. The kit's USB power and standard headers eliminate external bench equipment. One consideration: institutions standardizing on this kit should note the ATmega168PB-XMINI shares identical tooling, allowing a low-cost tier for introductory courses while the 328PB kit serves advanced classes.
Recommended
Migration Evaluation from ATmega328P Designs
Teams maintaining legacy ATmega328P products use this kit to qualify the ATmega328PB as a successor silicon, since the 328P is no longer recommended for new designs. The evaluation workflow: run existing firmware on the kit, verify timing at both 8 MHz and 16 MHz clock options, then exercise the added PB peripherals (second USART/SPI/TWI) that justify the migration. According to community verification against the Microchip migration app note, code and fuses are compatible with the 328P, with only pins 3 and 6 requiring attention. Cost impact is measurable: migrating can reduce BOM cost and part-count versus carrying dual-communication multiplexing logic. This kit de-risks the decision before a production PCB respin using ATMEGA328PB-AU or -MUR parts.
Recommended
Industrial Control and Automation Prototyping
The ATmega328PB's dual USARTs, dual SPI and dual TWI interfaces, exposed on the Xplained Mini headers, suit industrial node prototypes that must bridge a Modbus-style RS-485 link to local SPI sensors simultaneously. The AVR core's deterministic single-cycle instruction execution (~1 MIPS per MHz per the Microchip datasheet) simplifies timing analysis for control loops compared with pipelined Cortex-M parts. The kit's FuSa-family association noted by DigiKey provides access to functional-safety documentation pathways for industrial products. Performance consideration: industrial environments demand robust ESD and transient protection on header-exposed lines during field trials; the evaluation board itself is not industrial-hardened, so prototype field deployments should use a custom carrier with proper protection around the MCU.
Recommended
Debug Tooling and Custom Board Programming
Beyond evaluating the on-board MCU, the ATMEGA328PB-XMINI's fully integrated debugger can program external targets, making it a budget programmer for custom ATmega328PB boards during early development. Per the Microchip development-tool page, the kit provides seamless Atmel Studio integration, so the same IDE session programs the on-board device and an external target board. This supports a two-board workflow: debug firmware on the Xplained Mini, then flash iterations onto custom PCBs. Constraint: debugWIRE debug of external targets requires the target's reset line sharing, so custom boards must reserve the reset pin for debug access. Teams needing production-volume programming should plan a standalone programmer later, but for bring-up this kit covers the need.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for ATMEGA328PB-XMINI — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | ATMEGA328P-XMINI | ATMEGA168PB-XMINI | ATMEGA328PB-XPRO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Package | Xplained Mini evaluation board | Xplained Mini evaluation board | Xplained Mini evaluation board | Xplained Pro evaluation board |
| Target MCU | ATmega328PB | ATmega328P | ATmega168PB | ATmega328PB |
| On-board Debugger | Integrated debugger (mEDBG-class) | Integrated debugger (mEDBG-class) | Integrated debugger (mEDBG-class) | EDBG (advanced) |
| Second USART/SPI/TWI (PB peripherals) | Yes (ATmega328PB) | No (ATmega328P) | Yes (ATmega168PB) | Yes (ATmega328PB) |
| IDE Support | Atmel Studio / Microchip Studio | Atmel Studio / Microchip Studio | Atmel Studio / Microchip Studio | Atmel Studio / Microchip Studio |
Key Differentiators
- Dual communication peripherals (2x USART, 2x SPI, 2x TWI) (vs ATMEGA328P-XMINI)
- Successor silicon for new designs (vs ATMEGA328P-XMINI)
- Lowest-cost entry into ATmega328PB debugging (vs ATMEGA328PB-XPRO)
Design Notes
When measuring picoPower sleep currents on this kit, remember the debugger and regulator circuitry draw additional current beyond the MCU. For accurate deep-sleep figures, isolate the MCU supply per the Xplained Mini user guide's current-measurement provisions rather than reading total USB current. Estimated: a typical regulator plus debugger section can contribute hundreds of microamps to milliamps depending on state, which can dwarf a 1-5 uA power-down mode target.
Prototype circuits built on the Xplained Mini headers should keep I2C/TWI lines short and add 4.7 kOhm-class pull-ups only if the on-board provision does not already include them; double-counting pull-ups loads the bus. When a design graduates to a custom PCB, place 100 nF decoupling on each VCC/AVCC/AREFA pin of the ATmega328PB per the ATmega328PB datasheet (40001906A) layout guidance.
The board is USB powered; if evaluating 3.3 V peripherals, verify the target MCU supply voltage selection on the board before attaching external circuitry, since the ATmega328PB family supports 1.8-5.5 V operation and mixing voltage domains on headers without level shifting can stress I/O pins. Estimated: at 5 V the AVR I/O high level is near VCC, which exceeds the 3.3 V absolute ratings of many external sensors.
Compliance Information
Compliance data for this evaluation kit was not present in the provided web data; Microchip evaluation boards are typically RoHS compliant, but this must be confirmed from the official Microchip compliance documents before use in this field.