The BBC micro:bit has grown in popularity over the years. The micro:bit might be small electronics board but it’s packed with features (e.g. LED’s, accelerometer, temperature sensor, light sensor, compass, etc.) offering kids of all ages the opportunity to get started with their STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) learning journey. Kids can use the BBC micro:bit board to get started with coding, later on start dabbling with electronics and eventually try their hand at robotics all using the same little electronics board.
As you journey through this course you will explore the functionality provided by various BBC micro:bit add-on boards and learn how to program those add-on boards using the BBC micro:bit.
Prerequisites –
About BBC micro:bit
The Micro Bit (also referred to as BBC Micro Bit, stylised as micro:bit) is an ARM-based embedded system designed by the BBC for use in computer education in the UK. The board is 4 cm × 5 cm and has an ARM Cortex-M0 processor, accelerometer and magnetometer sensors, Bluetooth and USB connectivity, a display consisting of 25 LEDs, two programmable buttons, and can be powered by either USB or an external battery pack. The device inputs and outputs are through five ring connectors that are part of the 23-pin edge connector at the bottom of the board. The micro:bit can be programmed using the Microsoft Block code program editor which is similar to the block based language Scratch ideal for 7-12 year olds. The micro:bit can also be programmed using the Makecode editor in Javascript and Python which allows for older kids to learn the Javascript and Python programming language using the micro:bit.
You can read more about the BBC micro:bit at the microbit website. Also see Kitronik’s resources here – Parents Complete Guide To The BBC micro:bit.