The micro-modular multilevel converter ( $\mu $ MMC) concept proposes a benchtop-scale, low-voltage, open-source, and affordable hardware prototype of a modular multilevel converter (MMC) intended for research and teaching applications. The $\mu $ MMC ( $\mu $ originates from its rating being approximately one millionth of usual transmission-scale MMCs) aims to provide a solution to break the barrier from theory to practice, thanks to its all-integrated eight full-bridge (FB) submodules (SM) in a $10\times 10$ cm printed circuit board (PCB) with a local microcontroller able to communicate with an external master controller. The electronics is rated for a 30 V dc bus voltage as typically found in traditional lab power supplies, providing both convenience and safety. This structure allows a lot of flexibility in terms of testing converter topology and control architectures. This article details the setup process of the $\mu $ MMC into a 3-phase inverter to demonstrate its versatility and potential as a teaching and research tool.