A tiny computer for play and more
The Raspberry Pi showed that a simple circuit board could inspire more digital creativity than a full-blown PC. Hobbyists, kids and professionals alike have been using the Pi for nearly five years now to program gadgets, games, robots and all kinds of video, music and automation projects. The BBC micro:bit serves similar purposes, but with some notable differences.
The most obvious distinction is the built-in display – the lowest-resolution screen you’re ever likely to see, with a 5x5 grid of red LEDs. Technically, that’s one thirty-fifth of a trillionth of Full HD, which doesn’t sound very impressive. But making messages and pictures scroll across it, much like those displays in shop windows and minicab offices, is great fun. It also makes the micro:bit more effective as a standalone controller system, because it can display its own indicators and error messages. Yet it’s still small enough – it would almost fit in a matchbox – for almost any job.
Unlike a Raspberry Pi, though, the micro:bit can’t function as a standalone computer when connected to a proper monitor. Instead, you program it from a PC, tablet or phone, connected via the microUSB port or wirelessly via Bluetooth. There are several ways to write code, including Microsoft’s Block Editor, which is a bit like Scratch (the programming language schoolchildren use in IT classes). Lots of help is available online to get you started and troubleshoot. The board has two programmable buttons for user input, a compass and an accelerometer, as well as pins to communicate with other components, either directly or via ‘breakout boards’ from companies such as Kitronik. When not powered via USB, it needs two AAA batteries.
The micro:bit doesn’t come with a set of ready-made projects. Instead it’s a piece of kit that you can use for an unlimited range of purposes. When we visited the Maker Faire UK show earlier this year, we already found plenty of companies offering add-ons, and more are appearing all the time.
So there’s plenty to try, and because it only costs £15 you might end up connecting your micro:bit permanently to something you build, then buying another. For anyone interested in electronics – or just generally putting together things that work – it’s an excellent starting point.
VERDICT
For once, our ‘Buy it!’ recommendation probably doesn’t go far enough – if the idea appeals, you may end up buying several.
SPECIFICATIONS
16MHz ARM Cortex-M0 processor • 16KB memory • 128KB storage • 5x5-pixel LED display • Compass • Accelerometer • Bluetooth LE • MicroUSB • 25-pin edge connector • 7x85x56mm (HxWxD)