ATtiny88 Micro USB Development Board – 8KB Flash, Arduino Compatible

The ATtiny88 Micro Development Board is a compact AVR microcontroller board designed for small embedded systems, electronics prototyping, automation, sensors, robotics, and educational projects.

Based on the Microchip ATtiny88 8-bit AVR microcontroller, the board provides 8KB Flash memory, 512 bytes SRAM, 64 bytes EEPROM, ADC, PWM, SPI, I2C-compatible communication, and multiple GPIO pins in a very small and breadboard-friendly format.

Common versions of this board, often known as MH-Tiny88 / MH-ET LIVE Tiny88, include a Micro USB connection and can be programmed from the Arduino development environment using a compatible ATtiny core and bootloader.

Technical Specifications

• Microcontroller: ATtiny88
• Architecture: 8-Bit AVR RISC
• Flash Memory: 8KB
• SRAM: 512 Bytes
• EEPROM: 64 Bytes
• Clock: Common Development Board Version Uses 16MHz External Clock
• USB: Micro USB
• USB Programming: Supported on Compatible Bootloader Versions
• ADC Resolution: 10-Bit
• ADC Channels: Up to 8 on 32-Pin ATtiny88 Package
• PWM Channels: 2
• SPI: Yes
• I2C / TWI: Yes
• Timers: 1 × 8-Bit + 1 × 16-Bit
• Analog Comparator: Yes
• Watchdog Timer: Yes
• Low-Power Modes: Supported
• Microcontroller Operating Voltage: Up to 5.5V
• Programming Support: ISP / Compatible USB Bootloader
• Development Environment: Arduino IDE with Compatible ATtiny Core

Compact ATtiny88 Platform

The ATtiny88 provides more I/O capability than smaller ATtiny devices while maintaining a compact footprint.

It includes an 8-bit AVR CPU capable of executing many instructions in a single clock cycle, providing performance approaching 1 MIPS per MHz.

This makes it suitable for small embedded applications that do not require the processing power or memory of larger Arduino, ESP32, or STM32 boards.

8KB Flash Memory

The ATtiny88 provides:

8KB Flash Program Memory

512 Bytes SRAM

64 Bytes EEPROM

Flash memory stores the application firmware, SRAM is used for variables and temporary data during operation, and EEPROM provides non-volatile storage for small amounts of configuration information.

When a USB bootloader such as Micronucleus is installed, part of the 8KB Flash memory is occupied by the bootloader and is therefore unavailable to the user's program.

Micro USB Programming

Common MH-Tiny88-style boards include a Micro USB connector for convenient connection to a computer.

Boards supplied with a compatible Micronucleus USB bootloader can upload programs directly through USB without requiring a separate AVR programmer for normal development.

The USB functionality on these boards is typically implemented through software rather than a dedicated hardware USB peripheral inside the ATtiny88.

Arduino IDE Compatibility

The ATtiny88 can be programmed using the Arduino IDE when the appropriate ATtiny board support package is installed.

A commonly used option is ATTinyCore, which supports ATtiny48/88 devices as well as Micronucleus-based ATtiny88 development boards.

Once configured, familiar Arduino-style functions can be used for many GPIO, ADC, PWM, SPI, and I2C applications.

GPIO & Analog Inputs

The ATtiny88 provides a useful number of programmable I/O connections for its size.

The 32-pin version of the microcontroller used on common development boards provides up to 8 channels of 10-bit analog-to-digital conversion.

This allows the board to interface directly with analog sensors such as:

Potentiometers
Light Sensors
Temperature Sensors
Analog Joysticks
Voltage Sensors
Pressure Sensors

The analog input voltage must remain within the permitted range of the microcontroller.

PWM Outputs

The ATtiny88 provides 2 hardware PWM channels, useful for applications such as:

LED Brightness Control
DC Motor Speed Control through a Suitable Driver
Signal Generation
Power Control

Higher-current loads such as motors, relays, solenoids, and high-power LEDs must not be powered directly from the microcontroller GPIO pins. A suitable transistor, MOSFET, relay driver, or motor driver should be used.

SPI & I2C Communication

The ATtiny88 includes hardware communication interfaces for connecting external peripherals.

SPI can be used with displays, ADC/DAC devices, memory, sensors, and other digital peripherals.

TWI / I2C-Compatible Communication can be used with sensors, OLED displays, RTC modules, GPIO expanders, and other compatible devices.

ISP Programming

In addition to USB programming on compatible development-board versions, the ATtiny88 supports In-System Programming (ISP) through its SPI programming interface.

ISP can be useful for:

Installing or Replacing the Bootloader
Programming Without a USB Bootloader
Changing Fuse Settings
Recovering a Board with a Damaged Bootloader

A compatible AVR ISP programmer or another appropriately configured microcontroller can be used.

Applications

Ideal for compact Arduino projects, sensor interfaces, robotics, LED controllers, small automation systems, embedded electronics, educational projects, battery-powered devices, DIY electronics, smart switches, data logging, custom controllers, breadboard prototyping, and AVR programming experiments.

Important Note

The ATtiny88 is not the same microcontroller as the ATtiny85.

The ATtiny88 provides 8KB Flash, 512 bytes SRAM, and 64 bytes EEPROM. Do not use the commonly published 512-byte EEPROM specification of the ATtiny85 for this board.

Also note that USB programming depends on the firmware/bootloader installed on the particular development board. Common MH-Tiny88 versions use the Micronucleus software USB bootloader, which occupies part of the available Flash memory.

Pin numbering in Arduino software may also differ from the physical ATtiny88 port/pin names, so the pinout for the selected Arduino core should be followed when connecting peripherals.

Package Includes

1 × ATtiny88 Micro USB Development Board