Arduino NG Specifications
The predecessor to the Decimilia, which is similar in many ways (most specs are the same).
This page shows there were two versions of the NG board released - the NG and the NG Rev.C.
General Layout of Arduino Boards explained here.
there are some problems using the Arduino NG with external power. Some explanation of this and a tidy solution is listed here, however, it does require replacing an SMD resistor, which is very small and fiddly. This forum mentions other solutions are available, but no links are given, so if you find them, list them here.
In the following situations, the NG originally listened for upload data for 10 seconds before running its sketch. 1) After powerup 2) After reset (manual or auto) 3) After upload complete These waits can be eliminated by upgrading the bootloader and optionally, soldering on a capacitor:
NOTE: Burning the bootloader cannot be done over the usual USB cable - you need 1 of the 3 special cables available, but don't get too worried - the easiest is simply a parallel port and 3 resistors! Details here.
The simplest to eliminate are 1) and 3), via replacing the bootloader with the ADABOOT bootloader (aka Lady Ada's Universal Bootloader).
You can eliminate all of 1) 2) and 3) with the via replacing the bootloader with the Decimilia bootloader. However, you have to make a hardware hack first (soldering a capacitor onto two empty pads) detailed here. NOTE: you can do the hardware hack without upgrading the bootloader - this will still enable the auto-reset feature (no need to manually hit the reset button), but you will still have the 10sec waits.