Lesson 3 – Consolidated Tutorials

Tutorial –

  1. This page links to all of the tutorials for the Programmable Spider:Bit STEM Education Robot.
  2. Access the tutorials at the following link – Programmable Spider:Bit STEM Education Robot
    1. Basic Course
      1. Play music
      2. Control RGB LED
      3. RGB breathing light
      4. Control block servo 270 degrees
      5. Control block servo 180 degrees
      6. Control motor
      7. Control stepper motor
    2. Extended Course
      1. Control spider robot over bluetooth using your Andriod device
      2. Control spider robot using a second micro:bit
      3. Swimming robot
  3. Clicking on the link opens up a new window.
  4. Let’s get coding!!!!
  5. You will need a Programmable Spider:Bit STEM Education Robot. You can pick one up from OzToyLib including a BBC micro:bit.

Let’s get making!!!!

Hardware 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. Robot Kit –
    1. You will need a Programmable Spider:Bit STEM Education Robot. You can pick one up from OzToyLib.
    2. Please note that the BBC micro:bit needs to be purchased separately from the Programmable Spider:Bit STEM Education Robot.
    3. You can purchase the Programmable Spider:Bit STEM Education Robot at OzToyLib.
  3. You can also look up each of these products at your local electronics hobby store.

About the Programmable Spider:Bit STEM Education Robot –

The Programmable Spider:Bit STEM Education Robot offers educators, parents and kids a great opportunity to build on their existing coding skills and take the knowledge of coding, robotics and electronics to a higher level. If you are just starting with coding and robotics then you might want to program the robot using the BBC micro:bit Makecode Block based programming language. If you are an experienced developer and have some prior experience working with electronics, robotics then you can program the robot sing Javascript or even using MicroPython. The Programmable Spider:Bit STEM education robot is recommended for kids 10+ years and older. The Programmable Spider:Bit STEM Education Robot kit comes with instructions to build the robot. You can use the Programmable Spider:Bit STEM Education Robot to introduce your child to the world of STEM and get them going with coding introducing them to the world of robotics using the micro:bit. The Programmable Spider:Bit STEM Education Robot is a great way to get started with the basics of coding and robotics using a flexible, affordable and easy to work with robotic platform.

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.

This development track makes extensive use of the BBC micro:bit. If you haven’t purchased a BBC micro:bit yet you might want to head over to OzToyLib and pick one up now.

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.

Questions