Course Overview – As part of this learning track you will learn how to create your own smart watch using the BBC micro:bit. You will also learn how to program your watch to create a digital compass, digital thermometer, a timer, a flashlight and many more interesting projects. Here is a list of tutorials we will cover as part of this track –
What is the Power:Bit kit for the BBC micro:bit – The Power:Bit watch kit for the BBC micro:bit lets you turn your BBC micro:bit into a totally awesome wearable device. The Power:Bit watch kit is really simple to put together and should take no more than 10 minutes to assemble. With the sleek watch band you can very easily turn your ideas into a neat looking smart watch.
The Power:bit button cell board is a micro expansion board and comes equipped with a buzzer. It can not only supply power to the board but is also equipped with P1, P2,GND and 3V pins which you can use to connect other electronics to your Power:Bit.
Recommended Learning Prerequisites –
These tutorials will help you build upon the knowledge gained coding with Scratch and the BBC Makecode editor. This is a beginners micro:bit electronics track. We would highly recommend that you complete the following tracks before you start off with this track.
Take on the SmartHome Kit for BBC micro:bit development track to get a taste of the type of electronics projects you can build using the BBC micro:bit. If you are looking for a more structured introductory electronics track to dive into the world of electronics we would highly recommend considering the following –
Hardware 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.