Micro Bit

Micro Bit
Developer BBC Learning, BBC R&D, ARM Holdings, Barclays, element14, NXP Semiconductors, Lancaster University, Microsoft, Samsung, Nordic Semiconductor, ScienceScope, Technology Will Save Us, Python Software Foundation
Type Single-board microcontroller
Release date Schools: September 2015 (delayed)
Public: October 2015 (delayed)
First deliveries to teachers reported February 10th 2016[1]
CPU Nordic Semiconductor nRF51822, 16 MHz ARM Cortex-M0 microcontroller, 256 KB Flash, 16 KB RAM.[2][3]
Connectivity Bluetooth LE, MicroUSB, edge connector
Website microbit.org

The Micro Bit (also referred to as BBC Micro Bit, stylized as micro:bit) is an ARM-based embedded system designed by the BBC for use in computer education in the UK.

The board is 4 cm × 5 cm and has an ARM Cortex-M0 processor, accelerometer and magnetometer sensors, Bluetooth and USB connectivity, a display consisting of 25 LEDs, two programmable buttons, and can be powered by either USB or an external battery pack.[2] The device inputs and outputs are through five ring connectors that are part of the 23-pin edge connector.

Hardware

The size of the device is described as half the size of a credit card,[4] measuring 43 mm × 52 mm and, as of the start of final manufacturing,[5] includes:

I/O includes three ring connectors (plus one power one ground) which accept crocodile clips or 4 mm banana plugs[12] as well as a 23-pin edge connector with two or three PWM outputs, six to 17 GPIO pins (depending on configuration), six analog inputs, serial I/O, SPI, and I²C.[10] Unlike early prototypes, which had an integral battery, an external battery pack (AAA batteries) can be used to power the device as a standalone or wearable product.[3][4][8] Health and safety concerns, as well as cost, were given as reasons for the removal of the button battery from early designs.[13]

Software

There are four official code editors in the BBC micro:bit web site:

The Python programming experience on the Micro Bit is provided by MicroPython.[17][18] Users are able to write Python scripts in the Micro Bit web editor which are then combined with the MicroPython firmware and uploaded to the device. Users can also access the MicroPython REPL running directly on the device via the USB serial connection, and this allows to interact directly with the Micro Bit's peripherals.

The Micro Bit was created using the ARM mbed development kits. The run-time system and programming interface utilize the mbed cloud compiler service to compile the user's code. The compiled code is then flashed onto the device using USB or Bluetooth connections. The device will appear as a USB drive when connected to a computer and code can be flashed using drag and drop.[11]

Other editors for the BBC micro:bit include:

Other programming language for the BBC micro:bit:

History

Development

The Micro Bit was designed to encourage children to get actively involved in writing software for computers and building new things, rather than being consumers of media.[2] It has been designed to work alongside other systems, such as the Raspberry Pi,[19] building on BBC's legacy with the BBC Micro for computing in education. The BBC planned to give away the computer free to every year 7 (11- and 12-year old) child in Britain starting from October 2015 (around 1 million devices).[3][13] In advance of the roll-out an online simulator was made available to help educators prepare, and some teachers were to receive the device in September 2015.[2] Thereafter, the device was planned to be on general sale by the end of 2015.[2][20] However, problems delayed the launch until 22 March 2016.[21]

The BBC had a difficult decision to choose which year group would be the first to receive the free Micro Bits, and the BBC's head of learning said that "The reason we plumped for year seven [rather than year five] is it had more impact with that age group … they were more interested in using it outside the classroom".[20]

Planning for this project began in 2012 as part of the BBC Computer Literacy Programme and by the time of the launch in July 2015 the BBC had taken on board 29 partners to help with the manufacturing, design, and distribution of the device.[22][23] The BBC has said that the majority of the development costs were borne by the project partners, and it intends to license the technology as open source and allow it to be manufactured around the world for use in education, and it has formed a non-profit company to oversee this.[20][22]

Partnerships

The development of the Micro Bit is a product of a number of partners working with the BBC:

A prototype device and software stack created by BBC R&D, demonstrated in the initial announcement,[29] was used to test the proposition in schools, and to provide a reference specification for the partnership to build upon.[30]

Microbit Educational Foundation

After a successful roll-out of the micro:bit across the UK, the BBC are handing over the future of the BBC micro:bit to the newly formed, not-for-profit, Microbit Education Foundation.[31] The Foundations CEO Zach Shelby, formerly Vice President of Marketing for Internet of Things at ARM Holdings, is set to increase the uptake of the BBC micro:bit in education throughout Europe and then the rest of the World.[32]

The announcement was made on the Oct 18, 2016 to a small group of journalists and educators at Savoy Place in London,[33] that included a review of the past year and their plans for the future.

The transition from the BBC to the micro:bit Education Foundation is a phased transition which started with the official home of the micro:bit moving from https://www.microbit.co.uk/ to http://microbit.org/.

Official Resellers

In addition to the partnership that was established to produce and support the micro:bit, the BBC also established a small list of approved resellers so that once the initial schools rollout was complete the micro:bit could be made available to the general public. The BBC micro:bit is now available from the following sources:

Manufacturing

Premier Farnell are responsible for managing the manufacturing of the BBC micro:bit. They source all of the components and produce the micro:bits in their own manufacturing plants.[34]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Computing at School Community". Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Anthony, Sebastian (7 July 2015). "BBC Micro:bit—a free single-board PC for every Year 7 kid in the UK". arstechnica.uk. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Sherwin, Adam (7 July 2015). "BBC micro:bit: Can a pocket-sized computer 'inspire digital creativity' in Britain's children?". The Independent. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  4. 1 2 Wired: Micro bit hands on
  5. ↑ Bell, Lee (7 July 2015). "BBC teams with ARM, Microsoft and Samsung to launch Micro:bit and get kids coding". The Inquirer.
  6. ↑ Austin, Jonathan (7 July 2015). "Working with the BBC on micro:bit: Part 1 – using the mbed HDK". …we plugged them into a Nordic NRF51822 development kit, which uses the same chip as the micro:bit…
  7. ↑ Introducing the BBC micro:bit (Shockwave Flash) (Television production). BBC. 7 July 2015. Event occurs at 00:39.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Franklin-Wallis, Oliver (7 July 2015). "BBC unveils final Micro:Bit computer design". wired.co.uk. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  9. ↑ BBC micro:bit; mbed.org.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "BBC micro:bit". mbed.org. Retrieved 8 July 2015. The BBC micro:bit is based on the mbed HDK. The target MCU is a Nordic nRF51822 with 16K RAM, 256K Flash. As well as the nRF51822 there's also an onboard accelerometer and magnetometer from Freescale.
  11. 1 2 Williams, Alun. "Micro Bit reunites BBC and ARM for grand education initiative". Electronics Weekly. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  12. 1 2 3 "Groundbreaking initiative to inspire digital creativity and develop a new generation of tech pioneers". BBC. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  13. 1 2 Anderson, Tim. "Why the BBC is stuffing free Micro:bit computers into schoolkids' satchels". The Register. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  14. ↑ "New BBC Micro:bit Is Free for Preteens in the UK". Make:.
  15. ↑ Code Kingdoms
  16. ↑ Williams, Alun. "Hands on with the BBC Micro-Bit user interface". ElectronicsWeekly.com. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  17. ↑ "The Story of MicroPython on the BBC micro:bit". ntoll.org. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  18. ↑ "MicroPython for the BBC micro:bit". GitHub. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  19. ↑ Stuart Dredge. "BBC Micro Bit will complement Raspberry Pi not compete with it". The Guardian.
  20. 1 2 3 Dredge, Stuart (7 July 2015). "BBC to give away 1m Micro:bit computers to schoolchildren". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  21. ↑ "BBC defends delay of 'truly transformational' micro:bit". Wired. 18 September 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
  22. 1 2 3 Brian, Matt (7 July 2015). "How the BBC's Micro:bit came to be". Engadget. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  23. ↑ Stainer, Katie. "Microsoft and the BBC micro:bit: a million ways to inspire a generation". Microsoft. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  24. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bell, Lee. "BBC teams with ARM, Microsoft and Samsung to launch Micro:bit and get kids coding". The Inquirer. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  25. ↑ "A Million Children". Python Software Foundation News. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  26. ↑ "BBC launches MicroBit". Python Software Foundation News. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  27. ↑ http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/bluetooth-sig-creates-stack-for-bbc-microbit-2016-03/
  28. 1 2 3 4 5 6 https://www.microbit.co.uk/partners
  29. ↑ Wakefield, Jane (12 March 2015). "BBC gives children mini-computers in Make it Digital scheme". BBC News. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  30. ↑ Sparks, Michael (7 July 2015). "Prototyping the BBC micro:bit". BBC. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  31. ↑ http://microbit.org/news/2016/10/18/news-microbit-foundation.html
  32. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-37682405
  33. ↑ https://www.kitronik.co.uk/blog/microbit-educational-foundation-launch/
  34. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 http://microbit.org/resellers/
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