![]() ![]() (My daughter, for example, speaks German as her native language, with French as her first foreign language.) Mixed bag The environment is localized into 12 languages, which is a huge win for users who do not speak English. In this trial, I focused on the MakeCode editor, as it is what the micro:bit's target audience-kids-would use to get going. There are more programming languages and environments that support the micro:bit, with Python and C being two of the more prominent options. This also implies it is easy to pass code around via the HEX file. ![]() So, I was able to import an earlier version of the code and continue working. I found out that the HEX files that are uploaded to the micro:bit contain a copy of the entire source code. I hit a problem once when the online editor ate all my code. In a game like Tetris, it could display the next block falling. You can also see that I am using the 5x5 display for additional output. In the image, you can see the red crocodile clamp to connect the display. I took a mini-crocodile clamp, attached it to the micro:bit connector, and finally got my game console up and running. This may be cool for normal use, but it did not work in my setup. Thankfully, SparkFun has documented the gamer:bit in a schematic, where I saw that they put a 2.2k resistor in front of the port. Probing the port with a voltmeter also showed it had power. At first, I suspected that I had fried them (as I had done in the past), but checking a sketch on an Arduino showed that they were ok. I connected the Neopixel's data line to the connector on the back of the gamer:bit, but the NeoPixels did not show anything. I decided to not use the button P16 of the gamer:bit, but instead I used that pin as output. ![]() The micro:bit has a limited number of pins, and some of them can't be used when using the 5x5 display. Fortunately, it is possible to create custom code in TypeScript (which is what the blocks translate to), which can then be called from the blocks' code. Trying to create more complex code brought me to the limits of MakeCode's block-oriented IDE. (You can see it in the MakeCode screenshot above.) (As you can see in the picture below, I still have not fully finished it.) MakeCode has a section to load extensions, so I loaded the Adafruit NeoPixel extension and got a whole new menu to manipulate the NeoPixel. Luckily, I had previously built a 15x10 NeoPixel board, which I reused as the display for the micro:bit. Unfortunately, I didn't find anything readily available. I made a little program, which my daughter showcases in this video here (and attached to this article).īecause I don't think the 5x5 pixel display is a good fit for the game hardware, I started investigating other options for an external screen. You can press the virtual buttons, and when you attach something to a pin on the connector, it shows a little breadboard with the item connected. What is even nicer is that MakeCode allows users to simulate some interactions directly in the browser. The micro:bit shows up as a USB drive when it's connected to the computer, so the compiled code just needs to be copied onto that drive, and the micro:bit will start executing the code. The code is compiled online in the browser when programming is finished. Its JavaScript-powered online editor, Microsoft's MakeCode, allows users to program games in a graphical, Scratch-like way. Programming is where the micro:bit shines over the MAKERbuino, especially for kids. And, of course, insert the micro:bit into the gamer:bit. (Don't use a sharp tool like the tip of a voltmeter I killed one latch's plastic cover that way.) Then attach the other end of the cable to the buttons and the joystick. Still, connecting the buttons and joystick to the micro:bit is very easy with the connectors on the back of the gamer:bit you just press a little latch with the end of a pen and insert the cable. (See below for a photo of the final setup.) I found out the hard way that the buttons are built pretty deep and need quite a lot of space behind the front plate. I set up my game console by attaching the joystick and a game button to an inexpensive laptop stand. Using the gamer:bit alone feels a little like using a handheld device, such as the MAKERbuino, except for the sub-par LED display. The micro:arcade kit includes a gamer:bit, an adapter that makes it easy to connect the micro:bit to the game-control buttons and joystick. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |