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

Stepper motors

A stepper motor is the most commonly used motor in line manufacturing production units and industrial applications. It provides precision with angular motion and torque. We will use the 28BYJ-48 stepper motor for this example. This type of motor includes two main components. The stators are magnetic coils that create an electromagnetic field, and the rotor is a metal shaft that rotates based on the electric field generated:

Figure 7.11 – Connecting a stepper motor to the Micro:bit

As shown in Figure 7.11, a Micro:bit board is connected to the stepper motor through a driver. A 9V battery is connected to the driver circuit to produce driving power, and the five pins of the stepper motor are connected to the driver board. As we can see, the stepper motor is connected to the Micro:bit through the driver board. It is important to understand the core functionality of the driver circuit. ULN2003A has a pair of Darlington transistors that help...