📟⚙️ 3. Getting started with Micro: bit

👋 Hello and welcome to the ‘Coding with the BBC Micro: bit’! We hope you’re excited about learning to code on your own mini-computer.

🖥️ The Microbit can accept four different ‘languages’ of coding:

• JavaScript
• Blocky
• Touch Develop
• Python

🧱 We’ll be using Blocky for our coding.

🔌 The first thing you need to do is plug your Microbit into the computer using the USB cable.

 👀 Looks like this… 

🌈 But may be a slightly different colour.

📲 The USB cable is a thick black wire with a large flat end and a smaller thin end.

🖇️ It will look something like this.

🔌 Plug the smaller end of the cable into the Microbit and the larger end into a USB socket on your computer.

• 🔍 Ask a grownup if unsure about the USB socket.
• 🖥️ Check ‘My Computer’ or ‘This PC’ or ‘Finder’ (On a Mac) for MICROBIT to ensure proper connection.

🌐 Open a website browser page like Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer, etc.

• 🖥️ Type makecode.microbit.org in the address bar.
• 🖥️ Screen should resemble the following.

• 🖱️ Click on ‘New Project’ to proceed.
• 🖥️ You’ll be directed to a screen resembling this.
• 📸 On the left side, there’s an image identical to yours.

🧩 Microbit Testing:

• 🖥️ Test out codes before downloading.
• ➡️ Code on the right side.
• ❌ Remove commands by dragging to the left.
• 🗑️ Delete by dropping into bin icon or pressing delete button.

🚀 On Start Command:

• 🛠️ Determines actions when Microbit starts.
• ➡️ Ensure ‘on start’ command remains.

🔵 Basic Commands:

• 💡 Access basic commands menu.

🚀 Drag “show string” to “on start” command.

• 🖥️ See “hello!” on Microbit simulator.
• ✏️ Customize text by double-clicking and typing.
• 🟣 Drag “on button A pressed” from input menu.
• 🔵 Drag “show icon” from basic menu under “on button A pressed”.
• 💖 Customize icon by selecting from options.
• 🅱️ Repeat steps for button B.
• 🎨 Create custom icon using “show led” command.
• 😊 Draw smiley face in LED grid.
• 😢 Draw sad face in LED grid.

• 📥 Download your project to computer and transfer to Microbit.
• 💡 Create flick book animation by pressing A and B rapidly.
• 🎨 Experiment with different patterns for custom animations.
• 🔄 Explore creating more animations with simple picture transitions.