Ebook: Programming the BBC micro:bit

Quickly write innovative programs for your micro:bit--no experience necessary! This easy-to-follow guide shows, step-by-step, how to quickly get started with programming and creating fun applications on your micro:bit. Written in the straightforward style that Dr. Simon Monk is famous for, Programming the BBC micro:bit: Getting Started with MicroPython begins with basic concepts and gradually progresses to more advanced techniques. You will discover how to use the micro:bit's built-in hardware, use the LED display, accept input from sensors, attach external electronics, and handle wireless communication.;Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- About the Author -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- 1 Introduction -- Plug Me In! -- History -- What Can It Do? -- micro:bit versus Raspberry Pi and Arduino -- So What Is Programming? -- Why MicroPython? -- Summary -- 2 Getting Started -- MicroPython Editors -- Online Editor -- The Mu Editor -- Downloading This Book?s Programs -- Summary -- 3 MicroPython Basics -- Numbers -- Variables -- Strings -- Converting Numbers to Strings -- Programs -- Looping Forever -- for Loops -- ifs and elses -- More on while -- Timer Example -- Summary -- 4 Functions -- What Are Functions? -- Parameters -- Global Variables -- Return Values -- Advanced Parameters -- Summary -- 5 Lists and Dictionaries -- Lists -- Message Board Example -- The Lowdown on Lists -- Dictionaries -- An Example -- Dictionaries in Detail -- Summary -- 6 Writing Your Own Programs -- Writing Software -- State Machine Design -- Revisiting the Timer Example -- Debugging -- More Python -- Summary -- 7 Modules and Classes -- Built-in Modules -- Classes and Instances -- Inheritance -- Making Simple Modules -- Making a Module That Uses a Class -- Modules from the Community -- Summary -- 8 The LED Display -- Controlling Individual LEDs -- Scrolling Text -- Showing Text -- Showing an Image -- Animation -- Racing Game -- Summary -- 9 micro:bit Sensors -- Buttons Revisited -- Gestures -- Raw Accelerometer Data -- Magnetometer -- Processor Temperature -- Touch -- Summary -- 10 Connecting Electronics -- Battery Power -- micro:bit Operating Voltage -- GPIO Pins 0, 1, and 2 -- Power Out -- Sound Output -- Neopixels -- The Edge Connector -- Summary -- 11 Radio and Communications -- Basic micro:bit-to-micro:bit Communication -- Messaging Different Users -- Advanced Radio Settings -- Computer-to-micro:bit Communication -- Remote Control of Your micro:bit Using Python -- Summary -- 12 JavaScript Blocks Editor -- The Editor -- Getting Started -- Events -- Variables and Loops -- Magnetometer Ex ample -- Summary -- A MicroPython Reference -- Language Constructs -- Comparisons -- Numbers -- Strings -- Lists -- Dictionaries -- Type Conversions -- B Hardware -- micro:bit Edge Connector Pinout -- Suppliers and Manufacturers -- Components -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W.