# MCUdude/MiniCore

Arduino hardware package for ATmega8, ATmega48, ATmega88, ATmega168, ATmega328 and ATmega328PB

Repository: https://github.com/MCUdude/MiniCore
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/minicore
Language: C++
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Topics: arduino, avr, atmel, microcontroller, atmega168, atmega88, atmega48, atmega8, atmega328, atmega328pb
Last push: 2026-08-09T19:22:53+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 88/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 96, release rhythm 72, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3714, "days_push": 24, "days_rel": 24, "gap_med": 137, "n_releases_24m": 6}
- flags: no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1150, forks 274 (observed 2026-08-28T04:03:46.584712+00:00)

## What it is
MiniCore is an Arduino hardware package (core) that adds support for classic AVR ATmega microcontrollers (ATmega8, 48, 88, 168, 328 and variants) to the Arduino IDE, Arduino CLI, and PlatformIO. It ships the Urboot bootloader, supports many clock frequencies, BOD/EEPROM options, LTO, and debugging in Arduino IDE 2.

## Use cases
- program an ATmega328 with the Arduino IDE
- use ATmega8 or ATmega88 chips with Arduino tooling
- burn an Urboot bootloader to an ATmega168
- run Arduino sketches at custom clock frequencies
- debug ATmega328PB code in Arduino IDE 2
- use PlatformIO with bare ATmega chips

## When to choose
- you want Arduino support for ATmega8/48/88/168/328 chips not covered by the official AVR core
- you need flexible clock, BOD, and bootloader options for classic AVRs
- you want a smaller, faster bootloader than Optiboot

## When to avoid
- you target modern ARM-based Arduino boards like SAMD or RP2040
- you need official vendor support or a permissively licensed package
- you work with ATmega2560 or ATmega32U4, which are covered by other cores

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: active
- function: embedded, developer-tools, compiler, build-tool
- domain: embedded-systems, hardware, developer-tools
- platform: embedded, iot, cross-platform
- tags: arduino-core, avr, atmega328, atmega8, bootloader, urboot, optiboot, microcontroller, arduino-ide, platformio

## Member repositories
- MCUdude/MiniCore (main) score 88

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:03:46.584712+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T06:33:38.832930+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/MCUdude/MiniCore (fetched 2026-08-28T04:03:46.584712+00:00, sha c9a529e3e2f7)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.