Will there be a new Mini?

I thoroughly enjoyed the small form factor of the mini. Will these be produced or perhaps a Mini 2?

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They are a favourite of mine too. So easy to embed in a project. The Downloads page lists the Mini as discontinued.

There have been several people who have made their own versions of a Mini 2 using the STM32 processors. I think someone managed to get the N2 firmware installed on board.

Regards,
Mark

I must have missed the Mini, but here are my thoughts on size.

Please start building boards similar to AdaFruit’s Feather. Super small, super low energy consumption with coin cell battery (not that Feather has coin cell).

Also if would be great if it ran the nano-framework and or micropython.

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Can you tell me a little bit more about your use case?

I too would live to see a new “mini” line like the Feather. I got on the bandwagon with the ESP32 chips. Would LOVE something in that form factor that could run .NET. I have a lot of small sensor applications that require a small footprint and low power.

Roy

The use case is IOT solutions. We need super low power so the sensor can run for years on a coin cell battery.

Take a look at what Charles is building over on The Things Network.

Makes sense. Would you want wifi on it? Or just the core?

Personally I would just want the core as I could use a wifi breakout or some other option like BLE.

Roger.

Let me look into this. We were planning on a mini form factor for our next generation of boards. But maybe it makes sense to release an N3Mini, too.

WiFi is too power hungry for batteries.

These radios will work with low power.
RFM69
RFM96 / 95 LORA
NRF24L01
NRF52840 super long range BLE
NRF52832

I like the RFM69 due to it’s long range. Lora has a lot of overhead but is useful for those doing lora.
BLE is coming on with mesh and will be a big player in IOT.

Coin cell or battery plug/charger like the feather.

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Would still be nice to see WiFi on board with maybe an API to turn it on/off when required. One other thing that would be critical is a deep sleep mode that turn the module on periodically or when triggered.

I like the Mini because you can drop it into breadboards and then lift and shift it to a PCB easily.

Regards,
Mark

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I agree, didn’t mean to exclude WiFi. It is great for certain things.

+1 for the deep sleep.

I would like to see the same form factor as the old mini with the same micochip as the Netduino 3. Developers can easily use a bread board with a Zif socket : https://www.adafruit.com/product/383?gclid=Cj0KCQjwiLDMBRDFARIsACNmiX85WlNqgCvd1QwH2-Q80Jn88R746j1aflytV6137B4eSFqA7pPJnoUaAoscEALw_wcB and add a power source, wifi , sdBcard, USB connection etc. The new board could be quickly designed using Fritzing http://fritzing.org/home/ the advanced user could then manufacture the new invention using the same microchip used in the mini.

Another vote for a new mini. The form factor is fantastic far small projects.

My main request (besides running newer .NETMF) would be provisions (such as a jumper) for optionally running directly from a 3.3V source (vs. 7.5-9V).

John

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Hello!
To quote another old friend, “Count me in!”
That’s how I got started, and I’ve been trying like crazy to replace mine as the thing got itself well and truly lost a while ago. And up to several days ago when your firm’s announcement that I’d won an N3 with Ethernet I was happy doing development work on an ordinary N1 design.

I’d give anything to find another one, and not have to wait forever or so it seems for one to arrive here.

Incidentally that’s how it feels regarding the delivery of the N3. It hasn’t arrived, as I explained in an e-mail sent to your website’s general mailbox.

Gregg
“Come Watson the game is afoot!” Sherlock Holmes (By some attributions, but never by himself.)

I ended up building a board with the same form factor for a client running NETMF 4.4 with a STM32F405

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Really nice board I think you made a better mini!

That’s a fine board. It would have been better if the mini has not been discontinued.