Getting Started with the BBC micro:bit

Getting Started with the BBC micro:bit

Mike Tooley

Not just an educational resource for teaching youngsters coding, the BBC micro:bit is a tiny low cost, low-profile ARM-based single-board computer. The board measures 43mm × 52mm but despite its diminutive footprint it has all the features of s fully fledged microcontroller together with s simple LED matrix display, two buttons, an accelerometer and a magnetometer.

Mike Tooley’s book will show you how the micro:bit can be used in a wide range of applications from simple domestic gadgets to more complex control systems such as those used for lighting, central heating and security applications. Using Microsoft Code Blocks, the book provides a progressive introduction to coding as well as interfacing with sensors and transducers.

Each chapter concludes with a simple practical project that puts into practice what the reader has learned. The featured projects include an electronic direction finder, frost alarm, resction tester, battery checker, thermostatic controller and a passive infrared (PIR) security alarm.

No previous coding experience is assumed, making this book ideal for complete beginners as well as those with some previous knowledge. Self-test questions are provided at the end of each chapter together with answers at the end of the book. So whatever your starting point, this book will take you further along the road to developing and coding your own real-world applications.