AI Tool Guides
Best for
First physical computing projects
Works on
Hardware + Browser (MakeCode)
Alternatives
Arduino, Raspberry Pi Pico
Watch out
Hardware required ( £15); simulator available for free
What It Does
The BBC micro:bit is a pocket-sized programmable computer with built-in sensors (accelerometer, compass, temperature, light, microphone on V2), a 55 LED matrix, buttons, Bluetooth, and GPIO pins for connecting external components. It is designed for education and is used in schools across the UK and in over 60 countries. You program it in blocks (MakeCode), Python, or JavaScript, and the code flashes to the board in seconds.
Setup in 5 Minutes
or
python.microbit.org and start coding in the browser.
- Click Download to flash your program to the board.
- No software installation required.
Try This
Program the micro:bit to display a different emoji on the LED matrix
depending on whether you tilt it left, right, forward, or backward (using
the accelerometer). Then add a clap detector using the V2 microphone that
toggles between modes. You have just built a gesture-controlled interface.
Follow Along
Follow Along — Build a Step Counter.
and start a new project.
- Use the accelerometer to detect a step: read accelerometer.get\_y() in a loop and trigger a count when the value crosses a threshold.
- Display the running step count on the 55 LED matrix using display.show().
- Add a reset button: when Button A is pressed, reset the count to zero.
- Flash the program to your micro:bit, clip it to your belt, and walk around the room to test accuracy.
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