Day 10 - Camera Controlled by the micro:bit

The micro:bit can control other Bluetooth devices. For this you will need an ANDROID tablet/phone. Install the micro:bit app on your device and then do what is says in the link below.

https://www.microbit.co.uk/mobile

When you are on the app press on 'Create Scripts'. Then select the block editor and drag on the When A pressed block and When B pressed block.Under A, put a tell camera to stard recording. Then, dothe opposite to the whan B press block.

Day Nine - I lost my code!

So, before I start this blog I need to explain my situation before the tragedy. 

I was planning to make a Lego smartphone controlled car with the micro:bit. I can't reveal the code yet though. But I can tel you the design! I would make a Lego car with a flat block long and wide enough to hold a micro:bit. I would then attach Lego wheels to the bottom. With the micro:bit on the car I would  attach a motor to the pins along the bottom of the micro:bit. They would drive a Lego wheel round with the wheel acting as a fan on the edge.

This is how I lost my previous code : I was about to test run my code (from the s mobile app) and then nothing was there! But here is the lesson I learned! Always save your program no matter what. See you next week, Bit by Bit.

Day Eight - Introduction to Kodu Game Lab with the BBC micro:bit

Today we will be using Kodu Game Lab to create a game where a Kodu collects apples, and every time the Kodu eats an apple the Kodu scores a point. Plus we will be using the BBC micro:bit to control the Kodu.

When you start, click on the Kodu icon. Then double tap and press on the Kodu.

After that right click the Kodu and press 'program'. Under the 'WHEN' tab select the micro:bit icon and next to it press tilt. Under the 'DO' tab put move and quickly.

On the second row, under the when tab, put in bumped and then the apple icon, eat and in the other line put WHEN bumped apple: change score by one.

Then, add in apples using the technique we did for adding in the Kodu. 

Next, press on the brush tool in the bar and drag it while clicking to add in more land.

Then create a balloon and then program it to: When see not apple - Do win.

 And we're done!

Day Seven - Space Invaders

Hello everyone, bit by bit here and today I will explain how I made a basic Space Invaders game.

 First I will explain the enemy's code. There is a while true block: it's use is like a forever loop. The repeat 4 allows the enemy to move with the change X block and the pause ms slow down the enemy. This apply's for both loops except the other one goes in the opposite direction. 

The bomb mechanism works by changing the y of the bomb. It spawns on the position of the enemy with the set sprite block (it was also used at the top of the section of code, generating the ship at (2,4) and the enemy at (0,0). Then, it immediately fires with the change y block, which is in a repeat 4 block. It is slowed down by 200ms. But if the bomb misses, which the micro:bit can tell with the if statement, y of bomb is bigger or equal to row 4. Next, the bomb is sent back to its original position and its brightness 0 so it isn't seen. Above that is the if statement, bomb touching ship: game over.  Then duplicate it on to the other movement loop.

 OK, so now lets see how the ship is controlled. There is a when button A pressed: change  x of  ship by -1. This is the same for when B is pressed except -1 is 1.

Now, lets get on to the ship's firing system. When A + B are pressed together, missile is generated at ship, then there is a repeat 4 loop under and the y of the missile is changed by  -1 (or up as the micro:bit grid is the opposite of our up.) The next if statement is similar to the bomb one. If missile is equal to or greater than 0, it resets the position and the brightness is 0. In the first if statement is a second, if missile is touching enemy: change score by one.

My channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBM75CLZnKs5J2Ri2UpmAg 

Day Six - Python Animation

 MicroPython Animation

Animation is the process of making the illusion of motion and change^{[Note 1]} by means of the rapid 
display of a sequence of static images that minimally differ from each other. The illusion—as in motion pictures in general—is thought to rely on the phi phenomenon. Animators are artists who specialize in the creation of animation. Animation can be recorded with either analogue media, a flip book, motion picture film, video tape, digital media, including formats with animated GIF, Flash animation and digital video. To display animation, a digital camera, computer, or projector are used along with new technologies that are produced.
From Wikipedia.

Today, I'm going to explain to you about how to make a python animation.
If you go on to the MicroPython editor it will look like this :


If you put in this bit of code,you can adjust the brightness of each light (by putting in numbers 1-9,nine as brightest) and if you put all the pictures together it can make an animation.

any_name_you_want = Image("00000:"
                          "00000:"
                          "00000:"
                          "00000:"
                          "00000")

Example of an Animation:

any_name_you_want1 =Image("00000:"
                          "00000:"
                          "00000:"
                          "00000:"
                          "90000")
any_name_you_want2 =Image("00000:"
                          "00000:"
                          "00000:"
                          "09000:"
                          "80000")
any_name_you_want3 =Image("00000:"
                          "00000:"
                          "00900:"
                          "08000:"
                          "70000")
any_name_you_want4 =Image("00000:"
                          "00090:"
                          "00800:"
                          "07000:"
                          "60000")
any_name_you_want5 =Image("00009:"
                          "00080:"
                          "00700:"
                          "06000:"
                          "50000")


all_any_name_you_want = [any_name_you_want1, any_name_you_want2, any_name_you_want3, any_name_you_want4,any5]_name_you_want
display.show(all_any_name_you_want, delay=200)
Also, you can plan out your animation with a 5x5 grid. 

Day Five - Fixed and a Crossbar Challenge!

                        The micro:bit is fixed!!

Thanks very much to my dad for repairing my micro:bit by soldering the connector back on.

:)

                           Crossbar Challenge and Counter!

In this video I will explain to you about how to make a crossbar challenge counter. The micro:bit will count up by one every time it shook and when you pressed button A it would clear the screen and start again.

Day 4 - Is this the End?

                   My micro:bit is broken!

I was planning to do a video on my crossbar challenge counter. The micro:bit was attached to the crossbar of  the goalposts and every time the ball hit the crossbar or the micro:bit shook the counter would go up by one and when you pressed button A it would restart. The micro:bit could do so as it had an accelerometer built in which detects vibrations and movement.
Before we started filming I hit the micro:bit with the ball ... and it broke! :(

Next time I'll put the micro:bit in a box. But because I broke the micro:bit I might not be blogging very much. So goodbye for now!

Day Three - Stopwatch Part Three

                                       Code Improvement

As I said in my last video, I will improve my code because it wouldn't stop entirely. Now here it is!
The issue was that when I pressed B it would only stop for five seconds. In the video I will explain how to enhance a micro:bit stopwatch with the main point of making the variable 'counter'.

After this video the micro:bit should:

1. When A is pressed, start counting.
2. When B is pressed, stop until A is pressed again.

Day Three - Stopwatch Part Two

                                The 100m Sprint

Here is my micro:bit stopwatch challenge. Unfortunately, the micro:bit wouldn't
stop entirely because I set the pause to five seconds. I'll do another video on it later.

Day Two - Stopwatch Part One

Get in! I made my first micro:bit program. Here is how I made a basic stopwatch.

Step One                                         

Go on to the block editor on microbit.org. At first there will be a blank screen.

Step Two

Drag the 'set item to' block in the variable row on to the screen and rename the variable 'stopwatch'. Grab the block in the maths row that says zero. Snap it on to the previous block.Then cover this with the 'on A pressed' loop.

Step Three

Next, put a 'show number' block down with the variable name 'stopwatch' block in the number section under that, place a 'change item by one' block down. Change the item button to 'stopwatch' and put a forever loop over it.

Step Four

Now we're getting on to the tricky bit!(well for me it was) Duplicate step two but replace A with B, and crate a new variable called pause and replace it with 'stopwatch'

Step Five

Under the section you made in step two, at the bottom of the code use the variable row to add in set pause to false'. Your code should look like this: 

    

Step Six

Add this into the forever loop:

If pause = True
                      do  pause(ms) 5000                     

Step seven

This is the last step! Add in loose(don't connect it to anything else) 'set pause to ...false' Then, press compile and plug in your micro:bit. Drag the hex file to the micro bit file and... you're done!

My Verdict.

At first found it a bit difficult but hopefully it was easier for you as I tried to explain the instructions as clear as I could. Also for more micro:bit ideas go to: http://www.101computing.net/category/bbc-microbit/


For the video:

Day One - Opening my BBC micro:bit!

                   MY MICRO:BIT

Today I got my BBC micro:bit. It came in a light blue box and had a portable AAA battery pack, a USB wire and two AAA batteries.

The micro:bit itself has two buttons: A and B for functional uses, a 5 x 5 light grid, compass navigation,Bluetooth and several connecting rings. Also, you should not touch the circuit board.
I've decided to use the Block Editor and MicroPython Editor for coding.

I can't stop looking at it even now! I should probably be going to bed but I'll finish the blog first. Anyway, for my first project  I'm going to be creating a stopwatch to time myself running from one end of the garden to another. Hopefully, I'll be faster than Usain Bolt. OK, maybe not that fast. Can I sprint 100m in 13 seconds? Find out tomorrow in my next blog!