Check out the Nookduino Getting Started Guide for all Nookduino setup instructions. You can also shoot us a message at Kyle@nookduino.cc or send us a message On Twitter
Without any additional hardware you can blink lights and make your Nookduino talk!
With added hardware you can do all sorts of cool things, from make water measurment device to a autonomous robot!
You can also see the following links for examples and inspirations.
The Nookduino is small programmable computer that can blink a light and make noises. With added hardware it is capable of controlling motors, taking measurements, connecting to the internet and more.
The Nookduino is inspired by two things: Arduino and Animal Crossing
Arduino is an open source hardware/software platform aimed at making electronics and automation easy to use. The Nookduino is a derivative of the Arduino duemilanove board and is compatible with Arduino software.
Animal Crossing is a simulator game where you build a community of anthropomorphic animals while collecting various objects.
After the release of Animal crossing new horizons, some eagle eyed redditors noticed that one of they in game items (the electronics kit) has what appears to be an Arduino board. After seeing this I knew I wanted to make the Nookduino.
Check out the Team page to see a full list of contributors to this project.
See below for suppliers. Designed and assembled in the U.S.A.
The original idea came around March 27 2020 after seeing a reddit post. Most of the board was done by April 8, then I proceeded to spend two and a half weeks tweaking and hemming and hawing over minute details. Boards and parts were ordered by April 28, and everything was received by. May 26. First article assembled on May 27 and all units assembled and tested by June 16.
Standing on the backs of giants, the board design is almost all taken from the Arduino Duemilanove reference design. Even the speaker circuit is based off of Adafruit's Circuit Playground Express.
I spent a lot of time getting the art imported just right After that it was a matter is ordering, waiting, and then assembly.
The production run was only 30 units. About half are going to friends and collaborators and the rest are being given away online. Subscribe to the newsletter to stay informed.
I’m not currently planning on making any more. At small quantities the boards cost about $25 a piece to make and even if there was a market for them, there are several legal questions about doing so.
Yes! Tweet dm your address for @nookduino or email kyle@nookduino.com and I’ll ship you a DIY card for as long as I still have them.
You sure can. I’m releasing all of the files and info I can on making them. There are a lot of places like OSH park and Dirty PCBs where you can do small runs of boards and you can order parts online. You’ll need a way to assembly them ( fine pitch soldering iron, hot plate, reflow oven or hot air gun among others)
Probably not. This board was made as a goof and on a technical level the only thing special about it is the built in speaker - which would be added on to any other Arduino. The board design is outdated (Who uses USB-B?)
I don’t know! Or technically: yes you can make them and you can sell them. But what the legal implications are from Nintendo\Arduino is up in the air. But I won’t stop you.
If you do I would ask that you
When I started this project I had to decide if I wanted to make an Arduino clone or a board that looked more like the one in the game. While the latter would have been fun, I would have had to make some compromises in terms of function and looks, so I decided to stick with the Arduino form factor.
If the board in animal crossing is based of any board, it’s probably the Arduino Uno. I say this because the chip bear the USB port is square, like the ATMEGA32u on the Uno.
So what not the Uno? Well that very chip presents some problems. I knew I was going to be assembling the boards myself, and And small pitch, underside chips like the 32u had a bigger Chance if causing me assembly headaches. Also there’s a lot of legalities associated with having a USB vendor ID - from what I understand you can pretty easily get away with using the Arduino one, but it’s still a little grey.
The duemilanove uses the same main chip as the Arduino Uno ( the atmega 328) so it’s just as capable. The biggest difference is that the usb chip makes setup take a few more steps.
TLDR: I’m lazy
Load Bearing Ninja. Do not remove!