Book Image

BBC Micro:bit in Practice

By : Ashwin Pajankar, Abhishek Sharma, Sandeep Saini
Book Image

BBC Micro:bit in Practice

By: Ashwin Pajankar, Abhishek Sharma, Sandeep Saini

Overview of this book

This book is a one-stop guide for learning BBC Micro:bit with MicroPython, exploring many hardware components and programming techniques to provide detailed insights into developing practical applications with the Micro:bit. It will also show you how hardware components can be manipulated using a combination of Micro:bit and MicroPython for developing practical projects. BBC Micro:bit in Practice will help you gain a holistic understanding of the BBC Micro:bit platform and MicroPython programming, guiding you through mini projects aimed at developing practical knowledge of circuit design and writing programs. You’ll learn how to write programs for working with built-in LEDs and buttons, interfacing external LEDs, buttons, motors, buzzers, and much more. You’ll also work with built-in radio, speakers, accelerometer, and a compass. You’ll dive into concepts related to the Micro:bit filesystem, interfacing external displays, and working with libraries in detail before exploring sewable circuits and wearable technology. After reading this Micro:bit book, you’ll understand how to apply principles in electronics and MicroPython to create interesting real-life projects from scratch.
Table of Contents (22 chapters)
1
Part 1: Getting Started with the BBC Micro:bit
6
Part 2: Programming Hardware with MicroPython
10
Part 3: Filesystems and Programming Analog I/O
13
Part 4: Advanced Hardware Interfacing and Applications

Photoresistors

A photoresistor is a device that is very sensitive to light or illuminance. Based on the presence of brightness in an ambient environment, the value of resistance can go up or down. This device helps control the circuits to switch on or off based on light sensitivity. For example, in the street light circuit, the lights should be turned on at night and turned off in the daytime. The working mechanism of a photoresistor is such that the resistance drops to a few Ohms when the illuminance is high and the resistance rises to higher values when the illuminance is low.

A photoresistor is also known as a photocell, conductive photocell, or Light-Dependent Resistor (LDR). In Figure 9.4, a symbolic representation of a photoresistor is shown:

Figure 9.4 – A symbolic representation of a photoresistor with a light-sensitive surface (courtesy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photoresistor)

On the left-hand side of the diagram, the two arrows indicate...