PJ000: 1st Experience with Micro:bit and MakeCode

This project brings the 1st experience with TM005: Micro:bit V2 board, and TM003: MakeCode by Microsoft, it contains some observation and exploration tasks to help newcomers getting familiar with the very basic tools and "work flow", some homework assignments included to enhance the experience. Goals:

Get to know what is Micro:bit, identify the most important parts on board
Get to know what is MakeCode, try the 1st programming
Help preparing your PC/laptop/iPad for programming toolchains, try out the work flow

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Result Demo

This project contains several tasks, as well as some fun free work results by the students. Here is the just the starting result to get familiar with the tools. There are also demos of homework at the bottom of this page.

Efforts Estimation

Tools & Materials

Task 1: Micro:bit "Unboxing" Experience

Task 2: First Experience with MakeCode and the Making Flow

Task 3: Identify Key HW Components on Mico:bit

Task 4: Make Your 1st Own Program

Homework

Challenge 1: Baby Faces

Challenge 2: Digital Dice (Numeral/Graphical)

Further Challenges

Referred/Used By

Efforts Estimation

[x] Simple: 30-60 minutes

[ ] Moderate: 1-2 hours

[ ] Challenging: more than 2 hours

The estimation bases on average situation without unexpected troubleshooting, assuming that the student meets prerequisites. It only indicates rough time needed to complete this project, but not about technical difficulty, not covering discussion and sharing time. Here is a possible breakdown:

10 minutes: Task 1: Micro:bit "Unboxing" Experience
15 minutes: Task 2: First Experience with MakeCode and the Making Flow
10 minutes: Task 3: Identify Key HW Components on Mico:bit
20 minutes: Task 4: Make Your 1st Own Program, including making and sharing, discussion.

Tools & Materials

A laoptop or tablet with internet access
1x Micro:bit V2 board , with USB cable.

The Micro:bit shoud be pre-programmed as factory defaults with a "out of the box" demo

Task 1: Micro:bit "Unboxing" Experience

Purpose: A fun "out-of-box" experience, exploration with the demo program, inspire interests

Step 1: Power up Micro:bit

Use the USB cable to connect to a normal USB charger, or directly to your laptop/PC.

Step 2: Experience the fun for findings and questions!

Spend 5 minutes to experience the "unboxing" program with curiosity, no matter how much prior knowledge you have, you should make

At least 1 interesting finding
At least 1 curious question

Task 2: First Experience with MakeCode and the Making Flow

Purpose: Get familiar with toolchains and the basic flow of making (programming, connect, download, test, etc.)

Step 1: Open MakeCode

Open MakeCode https://makecode.microbit.org, it's just ready to go!

Optional: Sign up/login

So that your programs will be stored online, available across your devices (PC, laptop, iPad, phone, etc.).

MakeCode is reliable trustable application by Microsoft, low risk to link to your Google account.

Step 3: New a project

Create a new project, name it as you like.

Step 4: Copy a program

Manually copy this simple program in your project.

Or, you can also directly use shared project in MakeCode.

Step 5: Connect Micro:bit via USB

Step 6: Pair device

"Download"-> "Connect Device"

Follow the wizard to pair the device, this step could fail due to communication issues, please reconnect the USB cable and retry.

Step 7: Download program

Click "Download", after a while, it shows "Downloaded", then it's done!

Step 8: Test the result on Micro:bit

Now test the result by pressing button A/B, verify if it's working as expected.

Step 9: Reflect for findings and questions!

Spend 2 minutes to explore anything on the tools and the making flow, with curiosity, no matter how much prior knowledge you have, you should make

At least 1 interesting finding
At least 1 curious question

Task 3: Identify Key HW Components on Mico:bit

Purpose: Attention on some key components of the computer system, e.g. CPU, IO pins, as well as interesting smart sensors

Step 1: Observe and find

Spend 3 minutes to observe the Micro:bit board, with curiosity, try to find out those parts/components

PROCESSOR
PIN 0
PIN 1
PIN 2
3V (Power PIN)
GND (Ground PIN)
Button A
Button B
The LOGO (as touch button)
RESET button
The connector for battery
SPEAKER
MICROPHONE
ACCELEROMETER (Accelerate sensor)
How many LEDs can you find on the board? Including front and back sides.
The radio ANTENNA

Step 2: Reflect for questions!

Spend 2 minutes to dig, no matter how much prior knowledge you have, you should make

At least 1 curious question about the board

Task 4: Make Your 1st Own Program

Purpose: Enhance the knowledge of making flow with MakeCode and Micro:bit, by creating your creative program as far as you can

Step 1: Try your own!

Just spend 15 minutes time, create your own interesting program using anything you know and can use.

Step 2: Present and Share

Present your work, tell us what you have made, and how you have got it done, any challenges met, and hot you solve them.

Homework

Purpose: Inspire more ideas of making, bring a little defined challenges for homework

Challenge 1: Baby Faces

Baby face (show happy face when quiet, sad face on loud sound, after a while, say 3 seconds , back to happy face).

There are different solutions, the final result could be felt a little different, please try and find out what and why.

PJ000-1st-Experience-with-Microbit-and-MakeCode-Homework-Baby-Face-on-Sound.mp4

Working copies as shared projects in MakeCode: using on-loud-sound, another version using sound level.And here are a collection of some buggy solutions.

Some different solutions by the students, do they work well? Why?

Challenge 2: Digital Dice (Numeral/Graphical)

Digital dice, basic with 6 number, further with icons, with a hidden lucky number and celebration. Variable is needed when trying further features.

You can start from this "Dice" project from microbit.org as the simplest example, and then try this "Graphical dice" from microbit.org as the graphical icons instead of number displaying.

PJ000-1st-Experience-with-Microbit-and-MakeCode-Homework-Digital-Dice-with-Lucky-Number.mp4

A working copy here as shared project in MakeCode

Some different solutions by the students

Reference https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWoQrZ5v-uQ

Further Challenges

PJ010: Rain Drops Animation, a fun project making animation of a rain dropping. Simple but not easy to make as pro! Find out the tips from the project link.
PJ005: Digital Counter with Micro:bit, a fun starting project using only Micro:bit board, needs a little knowledge of Variable, otherwise, it's not too hard
PJ008: Light Triggered Alarm Clock with Micro:bit, this also requires no extra materials, try out to exercise your logical design

Referred/Used By

Used in Session 24w15 of LP2415: 4 Weeks Refreshing Package, 24w15
Used by LP2437: Special Onboarding Workshop, 24w37
Used by LP2517: Special Onboarding Workshop, 25w17

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