94 lines
4.4 KiB
Markdown
94 lines
4.4 KiB
Markdown
# Device
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All the bits and pieces that make up the BBC micro:bit
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### LED Screen and Status LED
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The red lights are [LEDs](/device/screen) (light emitting diodes) and form a 5 x 5 LED Screen.
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They can be set to on/off and the brightness can be controlled.
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The yellow light on the back of the micro:bit is the status LED.
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It flashes yellow when the system wants to tell the user that something has happened.
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### Buttons
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Buttons A and B are a form of input. When you press a button, it completes an electrical circuit.
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The micro:bit can detect either of its two buttons being pressed/released and be programmed
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to act on these events.
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Button R on the back of the micro:bit is a system button. It has different uses.
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When you have downloaded and run your code onto your micro:bit, press Button R to restart and run your program from the beginning.
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### USB connection
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When you plug in your micro:bit, it should appear as ``MICROBIT``.
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If you accidentally hold down the reset button as you’re plugging in your micro:bit,
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the micro:bit will appear as a MAINTENANCE drive instead of ``MICROBIT``. This is known as maintenance mode.**
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To continue programming your micro:bit YOU MUST unplug your USB and reconnect it. Check that the drive now shows as ``MICROBIT``.
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**Use with caution. If you click on the drive while it shows as ``MAINTENANCE``,
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you can see which version of firmware you have running on your micro:bit.
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Firmware on your micro:bit should be up-to-date already.
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You can find the version of firmware in the 'version.txt' file on the micro:bit. Further information on the firmware can be found here:
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https://developer.mbed.org/platforms/Microbit/#firmware
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### Compass
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The compass can detect magnetic fields such as the Earth’s magnetic field.
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As the micro:bit has this compass, it is possible to detect the direction it is moving in.
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The micro:bit can detect where it is facing and movement in degrees.
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This data can be used by the micro:bit in a program or be sent to another device.
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### Accelerometer
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There is an accelerometer on your micro:bit which detects changes in the micro:bit’s speed.
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It converts analogue information into digital form that can be used in micro:bit programs.
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Output is in milli-g. The device will also detect a small number of standard actions e.g. shake, tilt and free-fall.
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### Pins
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The pins can be a form of input or output.
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There are labels for the input/output pins P0, P1, P2, which you can attach external sensors to such as thermometers or moisture detectors.
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You can read more about large and small pins [here](/device/pins).
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### Light level
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The screen can also be used a light level sensor (it's a really cool trick).
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### How do I connect the micro:bit to my computer?
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Your micro:bit can be connected to your computer via a micro USB cable.
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Data can be sent and received between the micro:bit and the computer so programs
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can be downloaded from Windows, Macs and Chromebooks onto the micro:bit via this USB data connection.
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You can read more information on how to run scripts on your micro:bit [here](/device/usb),
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and about the error messages you might get [here](/device/error-codes).
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### Powering your micro:bit
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When your micro:bit is connected to your computer with the micro USB, it doesn’t need another power source.
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When your micro:bit isn’t connected to your computer, tablet or mobile, you will need 2 x AAA 1.5 V batteries to power it.
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The pins labelled 3V and GND are the power supply pins.
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You can attach an external device such as a motor to these and power it using the battery or USB.
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### Serial Communication
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The micro:bit can send an receive data via [serial communication](/device/serial). The serial data can be transfered via USB or BLE.
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### Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Antenna
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You will see the label BLE ANTENNA on the back of your micro:bit. It is for a messaging service,
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so that devices can talk to each other. The micro:bit is a peripheral
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device which can talk to a central device like a smart phone or tablet that has Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).
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The micro:bit can send signals and receive signals from a central device so another BLE device can
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control the micro:bit or the micro:bit can control another BLE device.
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### Technical Information
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The micro:bit has been designed to be a bare-board micro controller for use by children aged 11-12.
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More information is available at the [BBC web site](http://www.microbit.co.uk/device).
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