Two years ago I found the MEDUINO in Ebay (5 pieces for $44.95 including shipping).

Ebay_Meduino

Since then I have used them in several projects with good results.

For less than $10, you have an Arduino NANO compatible device with selectable working voltage (3.3V or 5V), additionally, you can use it as a USB-Serial adapter (FTDI chip) to interface or monitor other serial devices.

ADXL335_Meduino_NANOr

Meduino 3.3V capturing data from the ADXL335 accelerometer.

Meduino_photosensor

Meduino 5V transmiting light intensity from the Single Pixel Camera to Processing.

electric-imp-meduino-serial

Meduino 3.3V as a USB-Serial adapter to check MODBUS protocol with the electric imp.

Meduino-ESP8266-serial

Meduino 3.3V as power source and USB serial adapter for the ESP8266 Wi-Fi module.

The pin arrangement is like the Arduino NANO but with the Mini-USB connector on the opposite side. The PCB of the Meduino is also slightly larger.

Nano_Vs_Meduino

Meduino NANO and Arduino NANO pin assignment

The selectable Vcc (3.3/5V) is great to interface with different sensors and hardware.

ATmega328 overclocked:

One thing to consider for “serious” applications is the crystal frequency at 3.3V.

Meduino_Outlaw_d

The ATMega328 datasheet shows a Safe Operating Area, the maximum recommended frequency for 3.3V operation is 13.3 MHz.

The Meduino NANO with 3.3V at 16MHz is out of the recommended frequency but for experimenting purposes at room temperature, is a very handy and low cost Arduino.

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