My micro:bit
This lesson will teach your kids the basic components of the micro:bit
micro:bit components
LEDs
An LED stands for Light Emitting Diode. It is a small component that lights up. The micro:bit has 25 individually-programmable LEDs, allowing you to display text, numbers, and images.
An example of this would be showing the number of a dice or showing the score of a game your playing.
So with the mirco:bit we can use this to display number, words and pictures.
Buttons
There are two buttons on the front of the micro:bit (labelled A and B). You can detect when these buttons are pressed, allowing you to trigger code on the device to do different things like display "A" when button A is pressed and display "B" when button B is pressed.
An example of a button would be the ones on you remote for your TV. When you press the button something happens on the TV.
So with the mirco:bit we can use this create a dice, so when you press a button it give u a number.
Light Sensor
A light sensor has the ability to detect light or darkness. The LED screen works as a basic light sensor, allowing you to detect light.
An example of this would be to detect when it is dark outside and it means playtime is over.
Temperature Sensor
A Temperature sensor allows you to measure how hot a cold it is. This sensor allows the micro:bit to detect the current temperature of the device
An example of this would be a sensor in a car that tells you what the temperature is so we can also use this device to tell you how hot or cold it is.
Accelerometer
An accelerometer measures the acceleration of your micro:bit; this component senses when the micro:bit is moved. It can also detect other actions, e.g. shake, tilt, and free-fall
An example of this would be a sensor in a watch or phone that checks when the phone or watch is moved. This then helps you count the steps you take.
So with the mirco:bit we can also create a watch that will count our steps.
Compass
The compass allows you to detect the direction which are in.
An example of this would be tell you the direction of North so that know which way to travel to get to Sandton
Radio
The radio feature allows you to communicate wirelessly between micro:bits. Use the radio to send messages to other micro:bits, build multiplayer games, and much more!
An example of this would be a phone that can connect to the internet. This uses a wireless sensor.
So with the mirco:bit we can use this to send messages to another micro:bit
Bluetooth
Bluetooth allows the micro:bit to control phones and tablets over Bluetooth. You can also control your micro:bit from other apps using bluetooth
An example of this would be to use your micro:bit button to take a photo with your phone camera
USB
The USB interface allows you to connect the micro:bit to your computer via a micro-USB cable, which will power the device and allow you to download programs onto the micro:bit.
Battery Adaptor
The battery adaptor allows you to plug in your battery pack to your micro:bit so that you can use it when it is disconnected from your computer.
Credits
The following pages are a tutorial for the micro:bit. We are not affiliated with or connected with the Foundation in any way. Some images and logos you will see on these pages are taken from the micro:bit website which are provided under a Creative Commons licence.
Content taken from the below websites:
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