The Nano is one of the most recognizable Arduino boards in the world. Compact, accessible, and endlessly versatile, it has powered millions of projects across a variety of domains. Today, at electronica 2026 (Munich, November 10–13, 2026), we’ve announced what comes next for the ecosystem – and it’s designed to take everything the Nano does well into a new territory: industrial, home, and building automation.
Meet the Nano XL Linkboard and theNano XL Link Connector Carrier.
A Nano designed for automation
Nano XL Link keeps what you love about the original form factor – compact dimensions, familiar pinout, and full Arduino ecosystem compatibility – while adding three on-board fieldbus transceivers: CAN FD, RS485, and 10/100 Ethernet. With no external interface hardware required, you can connect directly to industrial networks, motor drives, building automation buses, smart sensors, and touch panels from a board that fits in the palm of your hand.
Under the hood, Nano XL Link is powered by a Microchip PIC32CK2051SG01144 – a 32-bit ARM Cortex-M33 running at 120 MHz, with 2 MB of Flash and 512 kB of RAM. This is a microcontroller designed to deliver the deterministic real-time performance and reliability required for both demanding factory floors and complex building management systems. Plus, the extended double-row header expands the standard Nano pinout significantly, giving you the expanded I/O availability that complex automation applications may require.
That’s how Nano XL Link helps bridge the gap between the Arduino community’s fast prototyping culture and the demands of professional deployment. Real-time machine controllers, fieldbus gateways, smart lighting and HVAC zone managers, automated energy management nodes, and more! Nano XL Link is designed to give you the connectivity to do it all, on a platform you already know how to use.
From bench to cabinet
Every board needs a home in production. Nano XL Link Connector Carrier gives Nano XL Link exactly that: a DIN-rail-mountable form factor compatible with standard 4U industrial enclosures, with screw terminal connectors exposing the CAN FD and RS485 interfaces and a standard RJ45 port for Ethernet. Plug in your Nano XL Link, wire up your field devices, and start moving your prototype towards deployment.
And Nano XL Link Connector Carrier is more than just a mounting solution. It’s also a reference design for teams who want to develop custom carrier boards for specific applications. The layout and interface choices are intended to address common industrial integration considerations, providing a starting point that can be adapted without starting from scratch.
Together, Nano XL Link and Nano XL Link Connector Carrier form an integrated industrial development and deployment platform, from the first line of Arduino code to a board installed in a control cabinet, with the potential to reduce hardware redesigns or platform changes along the way.
The beginning of something bigger
These two boards are the first step in a new ecosystem for Arduino. The Nano XL family is designed to grow, bringing the openness, accessibility, and developer experience of the Arduino platform to domains that have traditionally required expensive, proprietary hardware and specialized expertise.
If you’re at electronica 2026, come to the Qualcomm booth (Hall C5 #439) to find out more directly from our team. Make sure to
Qualcomm branded products are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries.Arduino, Nano, and the Arduino logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Arduino S.r.l.
