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IDS - MicroBit Intro
MicroBit
We will program a miniature computer called MicroBit that can fit in the palm of your hand.
It has two buttons for input and a 5x5 LED output display. There are multiple online tools that we can use to program it and run a simulation so that even if you don't have a MicroBit, you can still work on it. The tool below is relatively unfamiliar to me at this time, so it is only provided as a reference at the moment. |
TinkerCAD
TinkerCAD is an excellent online tool that allows us to not only program it and run a simulation, but it also adds in electronic circuits for things like robotics. Since I am much more familiar with this tool, it is what will be used for most lessons. Coding skills will only be developed in this course for the purpose of understanding how video games work.
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Layout
The 5x5 LED display uses an XY coordinate system that is zero-indexed which means the top left corner is at position (0,0) and the bottom right corner is at (4,4).
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Programming the MicroBit can be done using block code. There are several categories of commands in the middle column that can be dragged over to the sub programs on the right side
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Sub programs are shown on the right side and will run commands in the order that they are connected.
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Programming Languages
There are different programming languages that you can use to program the Microbit. For this course we will use the block code mechanism in TinkerCAD, but you can also program in Python, or Javascript with the tools above. There are many advantages of using a text-based language rather than Block code, but it is perhaps not as intuitive to use for a beginner.
Downloading TinkerCAD to Microbit
When you have finished programming in TinkerCAD, you will need to do three simple steps in order to get the program loaded onto a real MicroBit...