• Five pins (connector rings):
• Pins 0, 1, and 2 are for connecting input and output devices
(including ones you build yourself)
• Pin 3V (3 volts) sends power to an external device, like a
motor
• Pin GND is a ground (for completing a circuit)
• Sockets for plugging in:
• a microUSB cable for uploading and downloading
information to your computer
• a connector for a battery pack (usually two AA batteries or a
3V coin battery)
• Bluetooth for sending signals and code back and forth with
another micro:bit or other Bluetooth-enabled device
• A 25-pin edge connector that lets you expand what the board can
do (using add-on breakout boards that are sold separately)
The micro:bit v2 (version 2) also has extra built-in abilities:
• Additional input and output:
• a microphone (sound sensor) with its own LED
• a speaker to play sounds you program in
• a touch sensor on the board’s logo
• a temperature sensor
• Sleep mode — hold down the reset button until the power LED
goes out to save on batteries
TIP: You can find a ton of information, lessons, and ideas
on the micro:bit website: microbit.org.
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WHAT TO EXPECT
• Time Needed: 3–4 hours (less for experienced robot builders;
more if you’re a newbie)
• Cost: $30–$40 (including reusable electronics)
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Safety Issues: Use care with batteries around young children.
SKILLS YOU WILL USE
• Sewing and stuffing a soft robot body
• Attaching electronics to fabric
• Programming basics, including conditional statements
• Working with MakeCode
• Downloading a MakeCode program to the micro:bit
ELECTRONICS SUPPLIES
• micro:bit v2 microcontroller (v1 will also work, but won’t include sound)
• USB data cable with a USB micro B plug and an end that
fits your computer
• Optional: battery pack for the micro:bit (preferably a pack that holds
2 AA batteries and has an on/off switch)
CRAFT SUPPLIES
• FiberBot template (or draw your own pattern)
• Fabric that’s easy to work with, such as felt, fleece, denim, or
burlap — about 1 by 2 feet (30 by 60 centimeters), or two separate
pieces that are each about 1 square foot (30 square centimeters)
• Felt, two or more colors (peel-and-stick felt can be used to
eliminate some of the sewing)
• Embroidery yarn (also called craft yarn, less glossy than
embroidery floss)
• Wide needle with an eye large enough for a full strand of
embroidery yarn, such as a tapestry needle (with a rounded point)
or embroidery needle (with a sharp point)
• 1 large googly eye (or other kind of eye, such as a button)
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• Cardstock (as a backing for the micro:bit)
• Fiberfill stuffing for the body (you can also use fabric scraps or dryer lint)
• Peel-and-stick fabric adhesive sheets (the no-iron type)
• Masking tape (or duct tape) to attach the micro:bit board to its holder
• Peel-and-stick Velcro tape or dots to attach the battery pack to the fabric
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE FIBERBOT BODY
1. To use the design shown in these instructions as a sewing pattern:
• Copy and print out the design onto regular-sized printer paper.
Enlarge the design to at least 9 1/2 inches (24 centimeters) high, so
the googly eye and the micro:bit board will fit on the face
(Figure
A
)
.
(Downloadable template: makezine.com/go/simple-robot-templates)
A
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• Cut out the pattern. Be sure to include the seam allowance, which
is the space between the seam (the line you will sew along) and the
edge you cut out of fabric.
• Take a double layer of fabric as big as your pattern. If you need to,
use clips or straight pins to hold the layers together.
• Place the pattern on the fabric. If you are using one long piece folded
in half, the bottom seam line — not the seam allowance line — goes
right along the fold.
• Trace around the pattern onto the fabric with a soft pencil
(Figure
B
)
.
Also mark the opening in the seam at the top. This is where you will
insert the stuffing.
• Remove the paper pattern, and cut out along the pencil line you
drew, going through both layers of fabric.
2. Next, to make the face:
• Cut the large face rectangle out of the paper pattern. Transfer it to
a piece of felt the same way you did with the body and cut a single
layer of felt. You do not need a seam allowance
(Figure
C
)
.
• Cut out the smaller rectangle and the circle from the paper, and use
them to cut out felt pieces the same way.
• Use small pieces of peel-and-stick fabric adhesive to attach the felt
B
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pieces to the face. If you also want to stitch around the outside, keep
the adhesive away from the edges where you plan to sew
(Figure
D
)
.
(It’s very hard to push a needle through the glue.)
• To sew around the felt pieces with a running (in-and-out) stitch
(Figure
E
)
:
• Take a piece of embroidery yarn no longer than your arm. (Do
not separate it into strands.) Thread it through the eye of the
needle. Make a knot at the longer end of the thread. Leave the
shorter end loose (but hold onto it as you sew so it doesn’t slip
out of the needle’s eye.)
• Your stitches will go in a line near the edge. Use a stitch length
of about 1/4 inch (3 millimeters). Start with the needle at the
wrong side of the fabric
(Figure
F
)
. (In sewing terms, the wrong
side of the fabric is the side you won’t see when the piece is
finished. The right side is the side that shows.) Poke the needle
through to the right side. Go one stitch length along the stitching
line. Then poke the needle down through to the wrong side. Pull
C
E
D
F
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