Simon Monk - Programming the BBC micro:bit

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To my mother Anne Kemp,
whose kindness and positive attitude to life
are an example for all who know her.

About the Author

Simon Monk (Preston, UK) has a bachelors degree in cybernetics and computer science and a Ph.D. in software engineering. He has been an active electronics hobbyist since his early teens and since 2012 has divided his work life between writing books and designing products for the business he started with his wife (http://monkmakes.com), which manufactures hobby electronics kits and boards.

You can find out more about Simons books at http://simonmonk.org. You can also follow him on Twitter, where he is @simonmonk2.

Id like to thank my editor, Mike McCabe, and everyone at TAB/McGraw-Hill Education for being such a great publisher to work for. Special thanks are due to Patty Wallenburg for her wonderful organizational skills, keen eye, and ability to make my books look as good as they possibly can.

Many thanks to David Whale for taking the time to complete a detailed and helpful technical review of the book and to all at the micro:bit foundation who have been friendly and helpful during the writing of this book.

Once again, thanks to Linda for believing in me and giving me the support and encouragement to make a success of writing.

Simon Monk

The micro:bit () is a small uncased circuit board with a display made up of 25 LEDs, a couple of buttons, and some sensors. Crucially, it has a micro-USB socket that allows you to connect it to your computer both to power it and to send programs to it. The micro:bit can also be connected to a battery pack so that it can be used without your computer.

Figure 1-1The micro:bit: (A) front; (B) back.

The micro:bit was designed for use in education, but this useful little device has also endeared itself to electronics hobbyists and makers around the world.

To use your micro:bit, you will need a USB to micro-USB lead to connect it to your computer. You may have bought one at the same time as you bought your micro:bit. But if not, dont worry because this lead is probably the most common USB lead in existence. The micro-USB connector on the end that plugs into the micro:bit is the same plug as is used on most non-Apple cellphones and countless other electronics devices. You will occasionally come across USB leads that are charge only. This means that they do not have the necessary wires inside to provide a data connection for the micro:bit. So, if you have problems when it comes to connecting to your micro:bit, try changing the lead for one that claims to be a data lead.

shows a micro:bit attached to a laptop. This laptop happens to be an Apple, but the micro:bit can be used with a Windows, Linux, Apple, or even Raspberry Pi computer.

Figure 1-2Connecting your micro:bit to your computer.

Plug your new micro:bit in, and a little animation will start that displays a welcome Hello message and then goes on to point out the two A and B buttons built into the board. Take some time to familiarize yourself with the board, and follow the prompts on the scrolling display.

If you want to start again, just press the Reset button (see ) just to the right of the the USB connector.