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

Compasses

Also known as a magnetometer, a compass measures the magnetic fields and is also an essential instrument for drones and aircraft to check the direction for navigation-related applications. In Micro:bit, as shown in Figure 10.7, the compass is mounted on the board. The functionality of the compass is such that it finds North at 0 degrees and 315 degrees as North West:

Figure 10.7 – Micro:bit with a compass, illustrating directions with degrees (courtesy: https://microbit.org/projects/make-it-code-it/compass-north/)

From the figure, we can observe that South is at 180 degrees, East is at 90 degrees, and West is at 270 degrees. Hence, now, it is easier to track the direction using the compass, but first, we need to calibrate the compass. The compass.calibrate() function is used to perform the calibration:

from microbit import *
compass.calibrate()

In this process, the Micro:bit display panel will display the Tilt to fill screen message,...