LilyPad Arduino 328 Main Board

This is LilyPad Arduino - the main board consisting of an ATmega328 with the Arduino bootloader and a minimum number of external components to keep it as small (and as simple) as possible. Board will run from 2V to 5V. The latest version of the LilyPad supports automatic reset for even easier programming. The back side of the LilyPad is now completely flat! We now use a surface mount programming connector to keep the header from poking through.

This version of the LilyPad now uses the new ATmega328 at 8MHz. Arduino 0016 supports the Arduino Pro Mini 328/8MHz. Use this setting when using this new LilyPad 328.

LilyPad is a wearable e-textile technology developed by Leah Buechley and cooperatively designed by Leah and SparkFun. Each LilyPad was creatively designed to have large connecting pads to allow them to be sewn into clothing. Various input, output, power, and sensor boards are available. They're even washable!

Not sure which Arduino or Arduino-compatible board is right for you? Check out our Arduino Buying Guide!

Note: A portion of this sale is given back to Dr. Leah Buechley for continued development and education of e-textiles and also to Arduino LLC to help fund continued development of new tools and new IDE features.

  • 50mm outer diameter
  • Thin 0.8mm PCB

LilyPad Arduino 328 Main Board Product Help and Resources

Choosing a LilyPad Arduino for Your Project

October 27, 2015

Not sure which LilyPad Arduino is right for you? We'll discuss the features of each and help you decide.

Core Skill: DIY

Whether it's for assembling a kit, hacking an enclosure, or creating your own parts; the DIY skill is all about knowing how to use tools and the techniques associated with them.

1 DIY

Skill Level: Noob - Basic assembly is required. You may need to provide your own basic tools like a screwdriver, hammer or scissors. Power tools or custom parts are not required. Instructions will be included and easy to follow. Sewing may be required, but only with included patterns.
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Core Skill: Programming

If a board needs code or communicates somehow, you're going to need to know how to program or interface with it. The programming skill is all about communication and code.

2 Programming

Skill Level: Rookie - You will need a better fundamental understand of what code is, and how it works. You will be using beginner-level software and development tools like Arduino. You will be dealing directly with code, but numerous examples and libraries are available. Sensors or shields will communicate with serial or TTL.
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Core Skill: Electrical Prototyping

If it requires power, you need to know how much, what all the pins do, and how to hook it up. You may need to reference datasheets, schematics, and know the ins and outs of electronics.

1 Electrical Prototyping

Skill Level: Noob - You don't need to reference a datasheet, but you will need to know basic power requirements.
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Comments

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  • SomeGuy123 / about 14 years ago * / 4

    The purple looks nice.

  • Member #462050 / about 11 years ago / 2

    Does anybody know what the method is to become an ordinary PCB washable? As Lilypad is. I would like to use other pics apart from the Lilypad has but i need to become it washable. I´m seeking in internet and the only interentig thing i´ve found is a company called HzO that produces isolation electronic devices for a large companies...

    • J.T. jr. / about 11 years ago / 1

      I've watched some of adafruit's ask and watch videos on friday for their wearable electronic (such as flora), and they said that it's not too much to worry about, given that you hand wash it, and MAKE SURE that the battery is not in place in the clothing/wearable, and let it dry. it should also be most likely used in clothing that is suitable to washing by hand, not clothing that you'd wear on an everyday setting like a t-shirt. so when you are to put a wearable on, be prepared to wash it by hand when necessary. you could probably find videos on youtube about them too. hope this helps!

  • Pommme / about 10 years ago / 1

    hi. I would like to know what are the power options for this board. This means: how can I plug a lipo battery to this main board? thanks!

  • Member #172491 / about 11 years ago / 1

    The schematics still contains ATMega168, not ATMega328!

  • salsa / about 11 years ago / 1

    Would SFE consider using a female FTDI header instead of the standard male header for e-textile boards, or a different header altogether? 6 pins sticking out of the board seems to make it incompatible with textiles-- snag-tastic.

    • I'll throw this consideration out to the engineers for the next round of revisions and see what Leah (the original designer) has to say about it.

      Edit: Something to consider if you are running into snags is adding some hot glue over the connector to smooth it down a bit to prevent snags. Sugru might also work well, just keep in mind this will remove your ability to reprogram the board over FTDI.

    • JGuthridge / about 11 years ago / 1

      Why not take a 6 pin female header, use a pair of pliers and remove the pins. Then you have a cover for the pins on the LilyPad. It would cap things well and would be removable for when you want to reprogram the board.

  • Member #433175 / about 11 years ago / 1

    i try to use upload via ardurino, but it keeps this message:avrdude: stk500_getsync(): not in sync: resp=0x00 i have tried press the reset bottom before uploading. and i think i have install ftdi approprately, as well as selecting the right com and board. any help would be appreciated

  • Member #433175 / about 11 years ago / 1

    when i upload through arduino, it shows this "avrdude: stk500_getsync(): not in sync: resp=0x00". i try to press the reset button, but it keeps showing the message. i think i have installed ftdi properly and selected the right com and board. any help would be appreciated.

  • Member #412831 / about 11 years ago / 1

    Hi, I was really wondering if the cable needed for programing this comes with this lilypad? I understand you need a FTDI cable to program, does this board come with it?

    • M-Short / about 11 years ago / 2

      It does not, this is nice if you are buying 10 boards you don't have to pay for 10 cables. A few of our kits do come with the FTDI board, but the Lilypad FTDI board is listed in the related products section below.

      • Member #412831 / about 11 years ago / 1

        Thank you very much, that makes sense. One last question though, when i search for an FTDI cable on this website, two results show up: "FTDI Cable 5V" and "FTDI Cable 5V VCC-3.3V I/O"

        I was wondering if you could explain to me the basic differences between these and which one I should buy for using this specific LilyPad?

        • M-Short / about 11 years ago / 1

          I personally am not a fan of the cables, I would just recommend the Lilypad FTDI board and your own USB cable, but basically the FTDI 5V VCC - 3.3V I/O was a miscommunication with our supplier so it provides 5V power, but only 3.3V on the I/O. This is never really a problem, but the levels are different.

  • Member #395651 / about 12 years ago / 1

    i want the exact price of lilypad arduino board

  • Member #343403 / about 12 years ago / 1

    Since the pins have different names; 1-13, A1, etc, or tx, rx, what is each pin preferred usage? I read somewhere that some of the pins are for digital input while others are for analog. Is it possible to use the pins for LED circuits and switches regardless. Thanks for the help.

    • M-Short / about 11 years ago / 2

      The pin numbers that start with A are able to do analog input. The rest are regular digital I/Os. The analog input pins can also be used as digital I/Os if needed. The TX and RX pins are for serial communication. They can also be used as digital I/Os if needed.

  • shazaleus / about 12 years ago / 1

    How many of the Lilypad led's can be connected to a single pin and in what configuration? When Leah was at the MCA in May 2012 I asked her this question and she said it could be a lot as long as they were arranged in a ladder like structure (one strand of conductive threat going to the plus side of an led and then on to the next led, etc., then on the resistor side - connecting from the farthest out led back to the next led, etc. and then finally to the ground on the Lilypad. I am confused since on the Arduino forums it seems to be saying that it can only be one led per pin due to the 40mA limit on each pin? Susan

    • Member #343403 / about 12 years ago / 1

      Hi Susan,

      I am wondering about the same. I've seen some tutorials with seven in parallel. They seem to light up ok, but how long will it last? Have you gotten any answers about this elsewhere? Janniche

  • Member #125713 / about 12 years ago / 1

    Is there any way to access the Atmega's AREF pin on the LilyPad. The Schematic shows that it is connected to the VCC line, but is there a pin or place on the board that I can link my sensor's VREF output to in order to ensure more accurate 10 bit analog readings?

    Thanks. Aaron

  • joancre8484 / about 12 years ago / 1

    how i can to conect Barometric Pressure Sensor - BMP085 with lilypad arduino 328 to represent In a display?

  • amitjaiswal111 / about 13 years ago / 1

    sir ! i am working on physiological sensor suit based on wireless sensor networking. i need a platform capable to interface 4 or 5 external sensors for EEG, ECG, temperature, Heart rate, respiration rate, EMG etc.. Is this platform capable for interfacing five external sensors. please! tell me about the platform in brief.

    • TheTrustedOne / about 13 years ago / 1

      Definitly,

      The only question remaining is capture rate, if you are looking for a sample 1000 times a second, this processor probably wont be able to keep up. However at 10hz with 5 sensors, again depending on the complexity of the sample capture (I.E. Read I2C, analog, SPI) etc it should be able to keep up.

  • Noobulus / about 13 years ago / 1

    This is sort of a stupid question, but do I have to use the lily pad stuff with the lily pad? It just seems like I could use wire instead of the thread, calculate my own resistor values for leds, and so on and so forth. Will it blow up if I don't use the special lilypad stuff?

  • mostinsane / about 13 years ago / 1

    How many of your Lilypad LEDs can be powered in parallel by one output pin on the Arduino? I have a project where I want to power 5 LEDs in parallel from each output pin. Is this possible? Also, I am counting 13 output pins. Is this correct?
    -mostinsane

    • WizenedEE / about 13 years ago / 1

      There are 20 pins, and each can source 50mA. LEDs normally take about 20mA, so having more than 2 in parallel wouldn't work too welll.
      You could probably hook them up with two parallel arrays of three in series, but I'm not completely sure about that.

  • Alfonso82 / about 13 years ago / 1

    Why do you say that are washable? What other special spec dose this board has other than have big holes to be sewn?, I ask this because I like to know if I can make one at home.

    • You can hand wash these boards with a mild detergent, allowing you to permanently sew them into clothing. Just make sure to disconnect the power supply beforehand. The PCB is thinner than average, to help minimize bulk for clothing attachment. Otherwise, it's all standard components.

  • Barmaley / about 13 years ago / 1

    I was wondering if anyone knows the clock frequency of the xtal on the board. Schematic does not really say and I don't have a scope.

    • Lou M / about 13 years ago / 1

      The LilyPad Arduino Documentation link above (http://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardLilyPad) says 8 MHz and has a whole lot of useful information. The product description also mentions it is 8 MHz in the second paragraph, but really the link is the place to go for information.
      Also, depending on how precisely you need to know the speed, you don't need fancy tools: Write a program that uses a set number of null operations to blink a light (http://www.arduino.cc/playground/Main/AVR). You'll get it close and by being creative you'll learn about the processor, too!
      A link that would be helpful to include under documents would be the ATMega328 data sheet

  • I've looked at the schematic but unfortunately it does not seem to show which ports go to which labeled pads on the lilypad itself. Is there a way to get this information. Since I am sinking current from a number of LEDs I need to make sure not to exceed the rated 100ma per port and without knowing which of the lilypad pads go to which actual atmel pin I cannot figure out how to avoid it for sure.

  • sjyng / about 14 years ago / 1

    Out of curiosity, how do I read her name, Leah Buechley, properly?<br />
    Any clues welcome. (WAV, MP3,..., or phonetic expression, and so on)

  • CompnStuff / about 14 years ago / 1

    Matt : Can someone PLEASE explain what all this LilyPad stuff is? Why would you want to wear circuit boards... Any circuit board is washable too..
    As one example with the circuits integrated into a stuffed animal for use as a ;toy ,animatronics,robotics, or security device all depending on what circuits were used. For sake appearance the product lends itself well, since they can be sewn in and are washable it gives it a natural state and appearance, letting it blend in as much as possible. The only limits are one's imagination and technical skill.

  • Matt23 / about 15 years ago / 1

    Can someone PLEASE explain what all this LilyPad stuff is? Why would you want to wear circuit boards... Any circuit board is washable too..

    • SomeGuy123 / about 13 years ago / 1

      It is just like any other board, but it has special pads that allow it to be sewn into clothing.

      • M-Short / about 11 years ago / 2

        Its also round, it might sound odd, but when you get stabbed in the side with a corner of a PCB and you might think differently. E-Textiles though is a new, interesting and growing field. There are plenty of uses, you just have to think outside the box. A few years ago we saw a student who had used five flex sensor and an accelerometer and sewn them all into a glove. The microcontroller was able to interpret sign language and output it to a text to speech module. Lilypad components would be a great fit for something like that.

        • SomeGuy123 / about 11 years ago / 1

          I never thought about that. I always assumed the board was round for aesthetic reasons.

  • Arduino 16 is not out yet. Any sense when it will be released?

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