BBC Micro Bit?

[Percy1983]

So the moment has come, My son has asked for a micro bit.

For reference he is an 8 year old geek (this is meant in a loving way).

He has been using the lego boost kit which is a block based programming, to which he made a car with every time it saw red it made a trumping noise.

I am aware of the pi etc but in many respects I see the simplicity of the micro bit as a bonus.

Past that I see extra sensors etc has anybody any experience of such things? looking at kits like these: https://www.amazon.co.uk/KEYESTUDIO-...A39F7KX4U3W9JH

Andy advice/experience welcome.

[Jonj1611]

No idea but it's great what kids have access to these days, things could only dream of as a child.

Hope he has fun with the kit, that is certainly a lot of modules with it!

Though, for those that remember I did have one of those 20-1 electronic kits. It was a lot of fun

[DanceswithUnix]

If he wants a MicroBit, then that might be reason enough to get one.

I don't remember our Micro Bit ever getting used in anger, despite having a motor control board for it and a clear project that I meant to do. One day...

I would take a good look at Arduino, if not for now then as a next step. There are lots of cheap knockoff versions as well as the official Arduino boards, and lots of kits you can buy from sensor packs to complete robot kits if your budget goes that far. They can get you flashing LEDs, reading sensors and driving motors with a gentle introduction to C++ with a ton of tutorials available.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01D8KOZF4/

My youngest son is now at university studying AI and Robotics in a computer science department, and the first year is Arduino based.

The Raspberry Pi is cool, and later ones have the grunt to do vision processing and other such basic AI work, but at a cost and that might be a tad advanced for now.

[Kanoe]

Maybe start with a Pi Zero as a cut down version and then allows it to grow to a full fat Pi later without needing to start all over again?

[Rob_B]

I've got an (currently unused) microbit I got for my son when they came out, made a couple of things like a dice and a compass using their (quite intuitive) pick and place coding. You can pick the starter stuff up for a tenner, well worth getting to see if he enjoys it.

Each sensor is packaged individually and then hold in a beautiful plastic box with compartments, it must be the best gift for your children, your friends and electric newbies or hobbyists
Solder is very clean, everything is aligned nicely, all boards are well packed after function, voltage, current testing, protected in a beautiful box. Up to FCC and CE Standard: made from environmentally friendly components and materials

They're really selling this box!

[Percy1983]

If he wants a MicroBit, then that might be reason enough to get one.

I don't remember our Micro Bit ever getting used in anger, despite having a motor control board for it and a clear project that I meant to do. One day...

I would take a good look at Arduino, if not for now then as a next step. There are lots of cheap knockoff versions as well as the official Arduino boards, and lots of kits you can buy from sensor packs to complete robot kits if your budget goes that far. They can get you flashing LEDs, reading sensors and driving motors with a gentle introduction to C++ with a ton of tutorials available.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01D8KOZF4/

My youngest son is now at university studying AI and Robotics in a computer science department, and the first year is Arduino based.

The Raspberry Pi is cool, and later ones have the grunt to do vision processing and other such basic AI work, but at a cost and that might be a tad advanced for now.

Interestingly it appears most of the sensors I am looking at will also work with an Arduino, so in theory as he outgrows the micro being able to move up to an Arduino while still using sensors he comfortable with would be great.

My general plan in do the example programs for the micro and all the sensors and then see what he makes and how he combines them.

[Percy1983]

I've got an (currently unused) microbit I got for my son when they came out, made a couple of things like a dice and a compass using their (quite intuitive) pick and place coding. You can pick the starter stuff up for a tenner, well worth getting to see if he enjoys it.




They're really selling this box!

The box bit did make me laugh and then found myself thinking its good to have a box it all goes in.

Will just order the micro and basic kit to start with and see how it goes, no point over spending for it to end up sitting in a beautiful plastic box.

[Rob_B]

Mine lives in an Altoid tin, it may not be beautiful but it has a great personality.

[Kumagoro]

Raspberry pi is compatible with scratch. I think this is a good way to make it easier for the young.

[Percy1983]

So I am back with a 5 months on progress.

So we started with the usual test programs etc but then started attaching things.

Notable projects so far:

Maths Test, with timer and scoring and lights. (Using LCD screen, extra button and traffic lights)

So it generates a random question (+,-,x) and you input and using A and B for 1s and 10s (together to reset answer) and the extra button to submit answer. this runs for 60 seconds and it keeps score. If you get a question correct you get a green light and +1 to score, wrong is red light and -1 and within 5 either way a yellow light and no change to score (each displays, correct/incorrect/almost). At the end it displays your score and another button press resets the program to go again.

Portal - Still alive karaoke

We found a piano tutorial on youtube for the notes and programmed those in with timings to pace it correctly, while displaying lyrics on the LCD screen.

The big one - The Car

This has been an evolution but the final state, it is lego/technic based with servos for movement and steering with 4x ultrasonic sensors (front, back and sides).

It can drive around automated quite successfully, rather than many which just go forwards until reaching something and reverse this does look ahead and turn to avoid things and turn away from things at its sides, of course it can reverse if needed but checks behinds it as it does to not reverse into things.

Then we got a seconds microbit and made a wireless remote and the joystick, you can switch between auto/manual remotely. We also figured how to send the 'analog' controls wirelessly so you control speed and turning angle with the stick, this was hard as there is no quides we could find as all guides where just button presses for commands. To finish this we added crash avoidance when in manual, ie if you try driving forwards into something if you get to close the joystick mapping is changed so you can't move forwards but can still turn/reverse.

You can imagine how advanced the logic in some of the programming has got.

So the future:

Robot wars. We both take a micro bit can have to make automated 'fighting' robots. Of course after testing code will be shared/discussed and then we reprogramme and go again.

Automating the lego technic 8880 car, using what we learned form the small car, adding lights and working pop up headlights.

Make our own 'Big track' basically a car with is programmed by buttons on the top.

Seem he has got the bug and the curiosity has turned into an interest so it was certainly worth it, it really hasn't cost much even with ordering many more sensors/servos from aliexpress, loving geekservo servos as they are lego compatible which makes building/engineering easier.

We now have an arduino kit on the way.

[jimbouk]

Sounds like some great projects (and execution). Any pics?

Looking forward to when my little one gets into this sort of thing. My initial programming enthusiasm was with an actual BBC micro, sadly without much support so quickly ran out of steam/ideas and went back to just playing games.