Course Overview –

As part of the tutorials in this development track you will work with your child exploring the different facets of the BBC micro:bit and interacting with the real world using the sensors, LED’s, servo, etc, part of the Starter Kit for the BBC micro:bit. This development track provides access to all of the relevant micro:bit tutorials.  These tutorials will introduce you to the various electronic components (Servo, LED’s, Motors, Resistors, Switches, Breadboard, etc.) part of the starter kit including the relevant code blocks you will need to put together. You will use the Makecode block based coding platform to write your code.

The Starter Kit for BBC micro:it comes packed with 37 different electronic bits (Sensors, servo, etc.) and includes the Keyestudio Sensor Shield. The Keystudio Sensor Shield is useful in terms of extending the pin connections from the BBC micro:bit and makes it easy to interface with the different electronic bits i.e. sensors, shield, etc. included in the starter kit. The starter kit for the BBC micro:bit offers a great opportunity to explore the world of electronics using the BBC micro:bit. Interact with the real world through the various sensors, create innovative projects, learn how to program the micro:bit to read data from the sensors and perform certain actions. The starter kit for the BBC micro:bit sis a great way to dive into the awesome world of electronics and get started with your own STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) learning journey.

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.

1. Introduction to coding concepts with Scratch I
2. Introduction to coding concepts with Scratch II
3. Exploring coding concepts using the BBC micro:bit I
4. Exploring coding concepts using the BBC micro:bit II

Take on the Starter 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 –

1. Exploring fundamentals of electronics using paper circuits
2. Introduction to electronics using the BBC micro:bit I
3. Introduction to electronics using the BBC micro:bit II
4. Introduction to making and creating using the Adafruit Circuit Playground Express

1. Example Projects
2. Project 1: Hello world
3. Project 2: LED Blink
4. Project 3: Breath
5. Project 4: Blink and Breath
6. Project 5: Make a Sound
7. Project 6: Play Music
8. Project 7: Changing Color
9. Project 8: Button Control.
10. Project 9: Tilt Control
11. Project 10: Light Interrupter
12. Project 11: Capacitive Touch
13. Project 12: Traffic Light
14. Project 13: Magnetic Detection
15. Project 14: Follow Black Line
16. Project 15: Obstacle Avoidance
17. Project 16: Someone Comes
18. Project 17: Fire Alarm
19. Project 18: To The Top
20. Project 19: Magnetic Switch
21. Project 20: Relay
22. Project 21: Ultrasonic Ranging
23. Project 22: Light Brightness
24. Project 23: Analog Temperature
25. Project 24: Hear Footstep
26. Project 25: Rotary Potentiometer
27. Project 26: Alcohol Content in the Air
28. Project 27: Flammable Gas in the Air
29. Project 28: Ambient Temperature Detection
30. Project 29: Ambient Light
31. Project 30: Automatic Water Your Plant
32. Project 31: Water Level Alarm
33. Project 32: Ultraviolet Detection
34. Project 33: Vapor in the Air
35. Project 34: Pressure Detection
36. Project 35: Light Controlled By Vibration
37. Project 36: Joystick
38. Project 37: Micro Servo
39. Project 38: Add LCD

Prerequisites –

1. BBC micro:bit –
   1. This development track makes extensive use of the BBC micro:bit.
   2. If you haven’t purchased a BBC micro:bit yet you might want to head over to OzToyLib and pick one up now.
   3. We would recommend that you pick up the BBC micro:bit kit which comes with a battery pack, usb cable and the real micro:bit.
   4. We will be using the official online python editor to write code for all our tutorials. No investment required here.
2. BBC micro:bit Starter Kit –
   1. You can purchase the Starter Kit through the OzToyLib store – 37 Sensors, 1 Shield BBC micro:bit Starter Kit
   2. Please note that the BBC micro:bit needs to be purchased separately from the 37 Sensors, 1 Shield BBC micro:bit Starter Kit.
   3. You can purchase the 37 Sensors, 1 Shield BBC micro:bit Starter Kit at OzToyLib.
3. You can also look up each of these products at your local electronics hobby store.

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.