Symbols

[] (brackets), displaying, 62

<> brackets, yotta command line, 85

Numbers

3V header pin, 94

16 KB of RAM, 22

32-bit machine, 21

A

“A” and “B” patterns, 11

A button, counting presses, 13

accelerometer

described, 19

features, 54

G-force gestures, 54–55

movement and axes, 54

REPL function, 57

X-, Y-, and Z-axes, 54

accessories, 7–10

alligator clips, 91–92

analog effects, producing, 98–99

animating images, 51–52

apps. See third-party apps

Arduino IDE, 38

ARM Cortex processor, 4

ARM CPU, 20–21

ARM processor, 26–28

arm-none-eabi-gcc compiler, 84

arrows, 67

B

Baker, Howard, 145–147, 150

banana plugs, 92

battery pack, 17–18

BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), Make It Digital Initiative, 4

BBC micro:bit

features, 4

story of, 145–151

BLE (Bluetooth Low-Energy)

antenna, 5, 12, 22–24

specification, 110

BLE.cpp file, creating, 114

“blinky” program, 76–77

Blocks Editor

categories and functions, 155

completed program, 157

environment, 6

features, 153–154

Radio pieces, 155

scripts, 154

show leds piece, 156–158

on start piece, 156–157

while() loop, 156

Bluetooth. See also UART and Bluetooth

client attributes and services, 119–120

cloning HelloWorld.cpp, 114

compiler, 113

connecting to micro:bit, 118

detecting button presses, 121

“Draw a circle” message, 117

GATT_TABLE, 117

importing programs, 114

initializing on micro:bit, 115

mbed operating system, 113

memory, 115–116

micro:bit program, 113

MicroBitConfig.h file, 116

naming board, 120

overview, 109–110

pairing experiments, 111

pairing micro:bit to phone, 117–118

pairing process, 119

processor, 20

reading from thermometer, 122

services, 117

using C++, 111

versus WiFi, 110

writing to display, 122

Bluetooth Smart protocol, 22

boards

flashing, 17

processors, 1–2

procuring, 7

resetting, 17

Boolean conditional, 55

bot platform. See micro:bot

brackets ([]), displaying, 62

brightness, LEDs, 98

BTN_* header pins, 94

buttons, features, 52–53

C

C++, 70, 74–75, 87–88, 111

calibrate() function, compass, 57–58

cell phone, growth, 3

“CHASE THE DOT” message, 11

Check button, 46

check mark, displaying, 56–57, 65

C.H.I.P., 3–4

Claessens, Jo, 145

classes, learning about, 74

Classes folder, 74–75

clock displays, mu IDE, 48

Code Kingdoms

Add Event button, 161

Basic category, 161

clearing screen, 161

code, 163

Compile button, 1644

“complexity” slider, 159–160

control flow blocks, 162

deleting blocks, 163

features, 158

functions, 160–161

libraries, 159

main program script, 162

onStart() function, 161

patterns, 161

previewing program, 163

while() loop, 162

workspace, 159

code-completion feature, 33–34

coding environments, 29

COL* header pins, 94

compass

board orientation, 59–60

functions, 58–59

Image.HAPPY, 58

magnitude of magnetic fields, 60

compass/magnetometer, features, 57

CPUs, processing tasks, 27

craps game, 63–67

D

default program, 11–12. See also programming micro:bit

devices, flashing, 13

dialout group, mu IDE, 36

diamond shape, displaying, 56–57

dice rolls, simulating, 64–65

DigitalOut document, 75

DIO header pin, 94

display() method, 46

display.show() method, mu IDE, 47

E

edge connector breakout board, 7–8, 26. See also GPIO (general-purpose input/output) pins

accessing pins in code, 95–96

features, 92–94

GND post, 97

GPIO header pin descriptions, 94

LED/potentiometer, 96–97

multimeter reading, 96

potentiometer’s value, 100

prototyping area, 95

read_analog(), 96–101

write_analog(), 95–96

write_digital(), 95–96

Edge Connector Motor Driver Board, 8–9

errors. See Check button

Evothings environment, 123–124

F

filesystem, 60–63

Finder window (Mac), 12

flash memory, 21. See also memory

flashing boards, 17

flashing devices, 13

frown and smile, 55–56

functions, availability, 65–66

G

games, craps, 63–67

GATT_TABLE, Bluetooth, 117, 131

gcc compiler, installing, 81

get_presses() method, mu IDE, 53

G-force gestures, accelerometer, 54

GitHub website, 42–43, 55

GND post, edge connector breakout board, 97

GPIO (general-purpose input/output) pins. See also edge connector breakout board

accessing in code, 95–96

alligator clips, 91–92

banana plugs, 92

features, 18–19

location, 5, 25

GPIO header pin descriptions, 94

“GREAT! NOW GET CODING!” message, 11

Groups folder, 74

H

.h extension, 74

Hall, Tony, 151

header pins, 94

heart symbol, 11, 41

“Hello, World!” programs

MicroPython, 31

Microsoft Touch Develop, 168

mu IDE, 41

“HELLO” program, 10–11

HelloWorld.cpp, cloning for Bluetooth, 114

help() command, Python programming language, 74

hex files, opening, 13

homebrew package management, 83–84

I

I²C (Inter-Integrated Circuit) protocol, 20, 100–103

IC (integrated circuit), 18, 20

IDEs (integrated development environments), 29, 33

Image.ARROW, 67

Image.CLOCK2, mu IDE, 48

Image.HAPPY, 58

Image.PACMAN, mu IDE, 49–50

images, mu IDE, 47–52

import os, performing, 61–62

import statements, Python, 74

importing libraries, 64

#include statement, 74–75

indenting lines, mu IDE, 62

inputs, buttons as, 52–53

Intel Edison, 4

IoT (Internet of Things), 2–3, 69

J

JavaScript, 153

Jodrell Bank Observatory, 149

K

Kivy tool, 123–124

L

LEDs. See also status LED

brightness, 98

flashing, 11

patterns, 12

project, 45–52

libraries, importing, 64

lines, indenting, 62

Linux

man pages, 74

yotta customization, 84–85

yotta installation, 79–80

loops

breaking from, 62

craps game, 66

M

macOS

yotta customization, 82

yotta window, 79

magnetic fields, magnitude, 60

magnetometer, 20, 57

main.cpp program, 74–75

Make It Digital initiative, 4

Make It Digital season, 150–151

mbed operating system. See also yotta command-line

blinky program, 76

Bluetooth, 113

code examples, 72

Compiler button, 70–71

developer account, 70–71

device selection, 72

features, 69–70

microbit-hello-world program, 72–73

writing code, 70–71

memory, 60–61. Seealso flash memory

micro:bit

back and front, 15–16, 24–25

connecting to USB port, 10

dimensions, 15

edge connector breakout board, 26

future, 150

input voltage, 15

obtaining, 7

powering, 4–5

programming, 6

USB micro port, 15

micro:bit app, 112

micro:bit Blue app, 111, 120

MICROBIT device, dragging scripts to, 13

Micro:bit Education Foundation, 145, 150

Micro:bit Foundation, 6

microbit libraries, yotta command-line, 86

microbit module, sleep method, 43

MicroBit object, initializing, 130

microbit-astounding-script.hex file, 13

MicroBitConfig.h file, Bluetooth, 116

folder and library, 126–127

MicroBit.Image object, mu IDE, 50

microbit-samples code, cloning, 126

micro:bot

completing, 135

program, 136–143

SPST (single-pole-single-throw) switch, 134

Turtle platform, 134

MicroPython environment

filling in code, 32

Help button, 32

My Scripts icon, 31

screen shot, 7

scripting page, 30

Snippets button, 31–32

USB cable, 31

web editor, 30–33

Zoom buttons, 33

Microsoft Block Editor environment, 6

Microsoft Touch Develop

events and functions, 167

features, 64

functions, 166

Game button, 166–167

Hello, world! 168

interacting with code, 164–165

interface, 165

led, 166

libraries, 67

paste, copy, cut, 166

script, 168

snippets, 164–165

suggestions, 165

MI:power board, micro:bit, 9–10

MISO header pin, 94

Molex female connector, 18

MOSI header pin, 94

motor driver board

button pins, 106

features, 103–104

input terminal blocks, 107

jumper wires, 104

motor terminals, 105

multimeter, 105–107

pin values and motor directions, 106

power supply, 104

using, 104

voltages, 105–106

mu IDE

application, 35

Arduino IDE, 38

arrows, 67

breaking from loops, 62

brightness control, 41–42

calibrate() function, 57–58

Check icon, 43

checking code, 37–38

clock displays, 48

compass functions, 58–59

craps game, 64–67

dialout group, 36

display() method, 46

displaying heart, 41

display.show() method, 47

downloading and installing, 34–35

driver, 34–35

editor, 37

Files and REPL (Read-Eval-Print Loop), 39

Flash, Files, and REPL (Read-Eval-Print Loop), 38, 42

get_*() commands for compass, 60

get_presses() method, 53

“Hello, World!,” 41

help() command, 40

Help icon, 37

Image.CLOCK2, 48

Image.PACMAN, 49–50

images, 47–52

importing libraries, 64

indenting lines, 62

light versus dark environments, 37

line of moving dots, 42–43

line.hex file, 43

Linux box, 36

“live-programming” feature, 39

microbit module, 43

MicroBit.Image object, 50

New, Load, Save icons, 37

newline, 43

open() function, 62

os.listdir() function, 62

Quit icon, 37

random.seed(), 64

REPL function, 40, 74

scroll() method, 47

show() function, 46

show_roll() function, 65

starting, 36

string assignment, 67

text, 46–47

Theme icons, 37

uploading code, 38

was_gesture(), 55–56

while loop, 43

while not loops, 66–67

window panes, 40

Zoom icons, 37

N

NetBeans local compiler, yotta command line, 87–89

newline, mu IDE, 43

NIC (network interface card), 27

nRF Connect for Mobile, Bluetooth, 111

NVIDIA Jetson TK1, 1

O

O’Brien, Tim, 149

open() function, mu IDE, 62

os.listdir() function, mu IDE, 62

OV header pin, 94

P

Pac-Man, 49–50

PAD* header pins, 94

Particle Photon, 3–4

Pi Foundation, 149

Pi Zero, 1

pins. See GPIO (general-purpose input/output) pins; header pins

pip tool, installing, 79–80

pixel animation, 52

power ports, 17–18

processors, ARM Cortex, 4

program logic, establishing, 74

programming environments

Blocks Editor, 153–158

Code Kingdoms, 158–164

Microsoft Touch Develop, 164–169

programming languages, 29

programming micro:bit, 6. See also default program

programs, adding, 13

pushbuttons, 52–53

PWM (pulse width modulation), 98–99

Python programming language, 29–30

Boolean conditional, 55

functions, 32

help() command, 74

import statements, 74

tuple, 54

R

RAM, 22

random.seed(), mu IDE, 64

Raspberry Pi, 1, 4, 145, 149

read_analog(), edge connector breakout board, 96–101

REPL function

accelerometer, 57

mu IDE, 74

reset button, 17

RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer), 27

rolling dice, simulating, 64–65

S

SBCs (single-board computers), 1, 26

SCK header pin, 94

SCL header pin, 94, 101

scripts, writing, 13

scroll() method, mu IDE, 47

SDA header pin, 94, 101

see text comments, craps game, 66

sensors, 19–20, 57

“SHAKE” message, 11

show() function, mu IDE, 46

show_roll() function, mu IDE, 65

sleep method, microbit module, 43

smile and frown, 55–56, 58

SoftBank, 28

Sparks, Michael, 145

SPST (single-pole-single-throw) switch, micro:bot, 134

status LED, 17. See also LEDs

Stockdale, Gareth, 145, 148

strings, assigning, 67

Structs folder, 74

T

text, mu IDE, 46–47

text editors, 13

third-party apps, 123–124

Touch Develop. See Microsoft Touch Develop

tuple, Python programming language, 54

Turtle platform, 134

U

UART and Bluetooth. See also Bluetooth

button events, 130–131

disabling security, 131–132

disabling whitelist, 132

enabling, 125–126

GATT table, 131

hex file, 132

Import Into Computer, 127

Import Library, 127

MicroBitConfig.h file, 131

microbit-dal folder, 126

microbit-samples code, 126

onConnected() function, 130

function, 130

serial communication, 132–133

smartphone app, 132

turning off services, 131

UART.cpp file, 128–130

Ubuntu. See Linux

USB microcontroller, 18

USB port

connecting to, 10

locating, 15

MicroPython environment, 31

W

websites

Bluetooth, 110

Evothings Studio program, 123

GitHub, 42–43

mbed operating system, 70

NetBeans local compiler, 87–88

while loop, mu IDE, 43

while not loops, mu IDE, 66–67

WiFi, versus Bluetooth, 110

Windows

yotta customization, 81–82

yotta interface, 78

Windows Explorer window, 12

Woolley, Martin, 111, 120

write_analog(), edge connector breakout board, 95–96

write_digital(), edge connector breakout board, 95–96

Y

YES symbol, displaying, 65

yotta command line. See also mbed operating system

<> brackets, 85

/bin subdirectory, 81

customizing, 80–85

default answers, 85

executable, 85–87

features, 77

Hello, world application, 85–87

installing, 78–80

local compiler, 87–89

main.cpp program, 87

microbit libraries, 86

NetBeans local compiler, 87–89

source/ folder, 86–87