News

Kitronik launches Micro City at Bett 2019

New BBC Micro:bit product range and lesson plans designed for primary schools, enabling key stage 2 children to begin to code.

Kitronik is pleased to announce that the launch of the first two products in its :Micro City range, a series of new BBC micro:bit project kits designed for use in the primary education sector. The new products will be launched at The Bett Show, which takes place on 23-26 January 2019, with further products due to be available later in the year.

As one of the original partner organisations collaborating with the BBC to develop the micro:bit project and as a distribution partner for the micro:bit Educational Foundation, Kitronik a leading developer of electronics project kits and learning resources for schools, makers and coders is on a mission to create products and resources to ensure users realise the full potential of the device.

These latest additions to its BBC micro:bit product range, the STOP:Bit Traffic Light and the LAMP:Bit Street Light are the first two products in Kitronik’s :Micro City range – a series of electronics projects that will enable primary school teachers and children to create their own city layout…all powered by the BBC micro:bit.

Kitronik co-founder and director Kevin Spurr explains: “We believe that children should begin to learn to code as early as possible and therefore wanted to create a range of products that enable primary school children to begin coding using the BBC micro:bit. Our idea with :Micro:City is that teachers and children can build their own ‘City’ with a range of products powered by the micro:bit. As children’s coding skills improve, they can drive our :Move Mini Buggy through the town they have created.”

“We hope it will be a fun, creative project that will mean children are not just coding on a computer, but are using the power of the micro:bit to control a range of devices they have built themselves over the course of a school term.”

The STOP:Bit Traffic Light for BBC micro:bit

The STOP:bit is a bolt-on/clip-on board for the BBC micro:bit. Replicating a traffic light, it can be used within Micro:City and its design makes coding and building the traffic light easier for primary school children as the board pre-assembled, meaning there is no need for a soldering iron!

The PCB has been designed to have the same physical features of a traffic light, with the addition of a BBC micro:bit as the pedestrian crossing control box. The STOP:bit has 3 10mm diameter LEDs. Each of these LEDs is driven from one of the BBC micro:bit IO pins. Power to the LEDs is supplied from the BBC micro:bit connections. STOP:bit is supplied with 4 countersunk screws which gives you the option of bolting the microbit directly onto the STOP:bit. Alternatively, crocodile clips can be used between the pads on the STOP:bit and the corresponding pads on the micro:bit.

Kitronik has also added custom blocks to the MakeCode Editor to make the job of coding this project much more simple, allowing teachers to complete it in class with younger students. This is further reinforced by STOP:bit being pre-assembled, so there is no soldering or fiddly mechanical fixings, other than those used to secure the micro:bit, to worry about.

 

 

 

Tags: