What is Micro:Bit? The FAQ

We're getting lots of questions from parents, teachers and students about the BBC Micro:Bit which has just been launched with the announcement that they will be given to Year 7 students across the country in the new term.

We've put this page together to try a fair and unbiased view of what the Micro:Bit is, what it can do and how it fits in alongside other tech currently available.

What is the Micro:Bit?
The Micro:Bit is a small battery powered circuit board that uses a microchip similar to those found in many mobile devices. It has two switches, 25 LEDs, an accelerometer, a digital compass, Bluetooth LE and USB connectivitiy and all this fits in the palm of your hand. It can be connected to your PC or Mac via USB and programmed in a 'Scratch' style graphical way or by more traditional text-based language not dis-similar to BASIC or C.

How much memory does the Micro:Bit have?
The Micro:Bit has 16Kb (Kilobytes) of RAM. This is a very small amount. Interestingly, the same amount as the original BBC Micro Model A from back in 1981!! But this is a good thing! Understanding how to write compact, efficient code with low memory overheads is a skill, and one that in the world of mobile devices is still requires. It also has 128Kb of flash memory. This is the memory used to store the program that you download to the device over USB.

What 'microchip' does the Micro:Bit use?
The main microcontroller on the Micro:Bit is an ARM M0 chip. ARM chips are in the vast majority of the mobile phones we have today. They are also used in hard drives, engine management systems and a myriad of other end-user products. There are other chips on the board that look after the USB connectivity and movement sensing.

Do we need to buy a software development environment?
No, you can write your 'code' online via the Micro:Bit website and download it to your Micro:Bit over USB. It is very easy, no additional software is required, just your Micro:Bit and an Internet connection. 

Is it better than Raspberry Pi?
No, not even comparable. The Raspberry Pi can connect to an HDMI monitor, play HD video, has an ethernet connection, runs a Linux operating system, supports USB and SD Card storage and so much more. The Raspberry Pi is FAR more capable than the Micro:Bit. So does this mean the Micro:Bit is rubbish? Nope! The Micro:Bit is great. It is aimed at a younger audience and has a lower barrier to entry in terms of both the students skills and the tech infrastructure required to support it.

You shouldn't really compare them. You could use the Micro:Bit as a 'Wii' style controller to feed data to a Raspberry Pi! You can be sure that there will be some pretty cool projects that use both of them together in interesting ways.

In our opinion, and it is just our opinion!, we would recommend the Micro:Bit for younger students or students that have little tech experience, and the Raspberry Pi for your tech-savvy-teens. But that is generalised. Give us a call at the museum to disccuss your specific needs. We're happy to help. 

Is the Micro:Bit trackable?
No, on it's own, the Micro:Bit can only sense direction of movement. It does not have any GPS (Global Positioning System) that can report its exact location. However, with its Bluetooth LE connectivity, it is feasible that it could be connected to a GPS device. It also does not have any way to transmit data over GPRS, 3G or 4G like your mobile phone does. Again, it could communicate VIA your mobile phone, but you'd have to write some heavy duty code to do so!

What happens beyond the current Year 7 students?
A fair question. Once the first traunche of Micro:Bits have been distributed the BBC will look to create a not-for-profit partnership or company to make the Micro:Bit available to anyone at what we guess will be a low cost.

Does the Micro:Bit fit in with the National Computing Curriculm?
The computing curriculum does not specify ANY specific hardware or software. So, no, there is no mention of the Micro:Bit in the curriculum, but then again there is no mention of Raspberry Pi or any other devices either. However, the Micro:Bit is ideal to build into lesson plans and can be used to teach many parts of the curriculm.  Whilst the BBC consider the Micro:Bit suitable for Year 7 and above, we consider that it is suitable for sligthly younger students too.

My son or daughter will be getting a Micro:Bit but I know nothing about it! 
How can I support my children in their learning?
This question has come up many times. Not just regarding the Micro:Bit but also the Raspberry Pi and probably even your parents were asking the same question regarding the 'new fangled' BBC Micro or Sinclair ZX81 back in the early eighties! Tech has an unfortunate way of alienating parents! But do not fear. You are not alone! The museum runs 'not for kids' workshops based around Raspberry Pi and we will be offering similar workshops for the Micro:Bit. These will be aimed at parents who want to understand the technology so they can support thier children. We can't promise to get you ahead of the game, but we can give yo a good understanding :)

We're sure lots of other organisations around the country will do something similar. If we're too far away for you to attend, just ask - we may know other organisations near you.

How do schools get the Micro:Bits?
Schools will need to register here : http://bbcmicrobitschoolregistrationform.co.uk
They will not be automatically sent to all schools, so make sure you apply for yours as soon as possible.

Are the Micro:Bits for the schools or the students?
The free Micro:Bits are for the children to own and take home with them. We are really pleased that children will be free to play with the Micro:Bit at home. Whilst we have the utmost respect for teachers and the work they do, we feel that once inspired by those teachers, those students who have an interest in coding and electronics will learn far more in thier own time and in their own way, than any of us can possibly teach. It has always been the way in tech. My technology teacher inspired me, but I learned most of what I know 'hacking' at home into the early hours of the morning! 

Are there alternatives to the Micro:Bit?
Yes, there are lots of alternatives. The Micro:Bit is actually based on the ARM Mbed platform which has been around for many years. You could take a look at these. There are LOADS of cheap boards available, even on eBay, and Mbed has the similar online development environment to Micro:Bit. There are also Arduino boards. These too are cheap, come in many variations from simple controller boards through to highly capable systems. They are very popular in the maker community and have a huge amount of online support. There are also PIC microcontrollers. Again, there are many variations and can be programmed in assembler or in higher level languages like C. And as we have already mentioned, the Raspberry Pi is a very powerful (for it's size and cost) board, much more akin to a microcomputer, where as the above are microcontrollers.

We love all of these! For lots of different reasons!  

What's the difference between a Microcomputer and a Microcontroller?
A microcomputer can display output to a screen and take input from a keyboard, just like your average PC or Mac. A microcontroller does not usually have a keyboard or screen and is often built into a device to control it. Microcontrollers are built into a huge number of devices from toys to car-park barriers!     

Will the Micro:Bit be open sourced?
As far as we understand, from a presentation by the BBC that we attended, the Micro:Bit will be open sourced at some point. This will mean that anyone will be able to freely copy the design and make, and even sell, their own Micro:Bits. This will ensure the continued supply and give more people a reason to get behind the Micro:Bit.

Can the Micro:Bit be used for commercial purposes?
With the initial limited supply (with 1,000,000 being produced and 800,000 of those being given to the students) they will not be available to buy on a commercial basis. BUT, once they are open sourced, we would assume there will be no such restriction. Indeed, the board with it's accelerometer, compass, GPIO and Bluetooth LE connectivity could be a desirable product for building into other products! We'll have to wait and see what happens ...  

*Please note : All these answers are 'as far as we know'. Things may change, we may be mis-informed or just flat-out wrong. As always, when researching on the web, get verification from other sources!

We'll add more questions to this page as they're asked, so bookmark this page!

If you have any feedback or comments, feel free to contact me on Twitter @ComputerMuseum or by email : jason@computinghistory.org.uk

 

Date : 17-07-2015

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