
Overview
The Arduino Prototyping Shield makes it easy for you to design custom circuits. You can solder parts to the prototyping area to create your project,or use it with a small solderless breadboard (not included) to quickly test circuit ideas without having to solder. It's got extra connections for all of the Arduino MEGA I/O pins, and it's got space to mount through-hole and surface mount integrated circuits. It's a convenient way to make your custom Arduino circuit into a single module.
Getting Started
You can find in the Getting Started section all the information you need to configure your board, use the Arduino Software (IDE), and start tinker with coding and electronics..
Need Help?
- On the Software on the Arduino Forum
- On Projects on the Arduino Forum
- On the Product itself through our Customer Support
Tech specs
General
PCB Size | 101.5 x 53.3 mm |
Weight | 0.013 Kg |
Conformities
Resources for Safety and Products
Manufacturer Information
The production information includes the address and related details of the product manufacturer.
Arduino S.r.l.
Via Andrea Appiani, 25
Monza, MB, IT, 20900
https://www.arduino.cc/
Responsible Person in the EU
An EU-based economic operator who ensures the product's compliance with the required regulations.
Arduino S.r.l.
Via Andrea Appiani, 25
Monza, MB, IT, 20900
Phone: +39 0113157477
Email: support@arduino.cc
Documentation
OSH: Schematics
The Arduino Mega Proto Shield is open-source hardware! You can build your own board using the following files:
EAGLE FILES IN .ZIP SCHEMATICS IN .PDF
Description
Board features as follows:
- 1.0 Arduino pinout
- 1 Reset button
- 1 ICSP connector
- 14 pins SMD footprint (50 mils pitch)
- 32 double row through Hole pads, standard Arduino breakout layout
- Proto aerea with multiple THT pads, 100 mils pitch
Power
The Proto Shield bring the power from the Arduino standard 5V and GND pins to the two power bus rows placed between the Through Hole package footprint, which can be used for powering the DIP sockets, or for power and ground rows.
Physical Characteristics
The maximum length and width of the Proto Shield PCB are 2.7 and 2.1 inches respectively. Three screw holes allow the shield to be attached to a surface or case. Note that the distance between digital pins 7 and 8 is 160 mil (0.16"), not an even multiple of the 100 mil spacing of the other pins.
SPI Connection
On the ICSP connector only 5V, GND and RST are wired to the respective pins on the header. MOSI and MISO are present only on the connector pads. For more information about the SPI communication see the SPI library.
Get Inspired

This project demonstrates how to automatically censor (ban) faces in a live video stream to ensure privacy using the Portenta H7 and the Portenta Vision Shield.

We’re excited to announce the launch of the Arduino Portenta Vision Shield, a production-ready expansion for the powerful Arduino Portenta H7 that adds a low-power camera, two microphones, and connectivity — everything you need for the rapid creation of edge ML applications. Always-on machine vision The Portenta Vision Shield comes with an ultra-low-power Himax camera. The camera module autonomously detects motion while the Portenta H7 is in stand-by — only waking up the microcontroller when needed. Voice and audio event recognition The Portenta Vision Shield features two ultra-compact and omnidirectional MP34DT06JTR microphones, bringing voice recognition and audio event detection. Both the video and audio data can be stored on an SD card, and transmitted through Ethernet or LoRa® modules (plus option of the WiFi or BLE on the Portenta H7 module). Additional LoRa® or Ethernet connectivity The powerful Arduino Portenta H7 makes machine possible learning on-device — greatly reducing the communication bandwidth requirement in an IoT application. The LoRa® module option is specifically designed for edge ML applications, enabling low-power, long distance communication over LoRa® wireless protocol and LoRaWAN networks. The Ethernet version is perfect for all those wired applications that need high bandwidth data transfer speed. (N.B. The LoRa® and Ethernet connectivity options on the Portenta Vision Shield are in addition to the existing WiFi and BLE connectivity provided by the Portenta H7 module.) Embedded computer vision made easy In tandem with the launch of the Portenta Vision Shield, Arduino has teamed up with OpenMV to make their IDE fully compatible with the Portenta. The OpenMV IDE provides an easy way into computer vision using MicroPython as a programming paradigm. There are an abundance of AI/ML algorithms available straight ‘out of the box’ providing a user experience we are sure you will