integrated-circuitmicrocontroller
I'm a total newbie at this, and I'm trying to make my Arduino-mini work on batteries.
Is it 100% safe if my arduino (or other components) receive like the minimum current to the point it's about to shutdown, but keeps working ? Can this damage anything in the long run ?
While your assumption of how the RX works is correct, care needs to be taken with the two TX driving the same line. You want to at least buffer the TX with a reverse diode and a pull-up resistor, like this:
Doing something like this is nothing new and there are lots of references on the internet. This configuration will actually be useful to help detect transmission errors as the transmitter also receives the loop back data.
You might want to look up some stuff on the internet such as this and this.
Welcome to the wonderful world of Atmel. Let me offer you some answers to your questions based on my hobby and professional experience.
Do not bother with anything BUT in-circuit programming. Unless you are a perfect coder, removing a chip every time you want to program it is a nightmare. I recommend the AVRISPmkII as an entry level programming tool. The disadvantage is there is no hardware debug supported. An alternative is the dragon but I have no experience with that. I can say that the JTAGICEmk3 is a nice capable debug tool.
Atmel studio is good for programming. It is actually my favorite embedded development environment. You can use CLI tools such as AVRDUDE and AVR-GCC but the IDE takes care of that for you.
IN SUMMARY:
Buy an AVRISP for just programming (easier, plug&play) or a DRAGON (I can not offer advice).
On your board, bring out the ICSP pins to a 6-pin dual row 0.100" header -- the connections are described in this datasheet.
Reset switches are not needed.
Best Answer
The amount of current the Arduino will draw is based on its circuitry and your added components, not the power source. (Although if the power source cannot provide at least that amount, it may not operate correctly.) In other words, the Arduino draws whatever current it needs based on the supplied voltage.
(In theory, to maintain equal power, it would draw more current as voltage drops. In reality, however, the current is limited by what the (dying) battery can provide.)
In a perfect world, when the battery dips below \$V_{min}\$ for the device (7V for the Arduino Mini*1), it would stop working immediately. Of course, there are gray areas, so you may find it works rather below the stated specifications.
To answer the question, nothing is 100% "safe." Some devices may not be as tolerant of low-voltage scenarios*2. Generally speaking, however, the Arduino Mini should survive such low power issues. Consider the multitude of battery-powered devices in your home: remote controls, MP3 players, mobile phones... When the batteries start to run out, these devices don't suffer irreparable damage, they just stop working until you recharge them or find some fresh batteries.
Note that insufficient power may alter timing, sensor accuracy, and so forth, but if the device is operating "correctly" to your definition, then it should be fine.
*1:The Arduino Mini has a LP2985 5V linear regulator on board and it appears to have a low dropout of ~300mV so in theory the board would continue to get 5V even when the batteries are approaching <5.3V; that's at its max current of 150mA, dropout is lower at lower currents.
*2:Power supplies, for example, start to "de-rate" when the input power is insufficient to maintain a load. They might try to compensate or go into a shutdown mode, but lacking such protections, they can self-destruct.