Hello and welcome, one and all! We are very happy you joined us today for our official announcement of our micro:bit product launch! We actually released all of these products for pre-order about a month ago, but we wanted to make a big deal about them today since we are so excited to be carrying them! On top of the stand-alone micro:bit Board and the simple-to-set-up Go Bundle, we are also happy to introduce three new adapter boards for the micro:bit, as well as five new kits. Alright, let's jump in and see what we have today!
Now imagine this same video coming from the Micro Machines Man.
To get started, you are going to need one of these fine products. On the left is the stand-alone micro:bit Board, and on the right is the micro:bit Go Bundle, which includes all of the basic cables and power requirements you need to get hooked up. Both have been available for sale for some time, and we have covered them in great length already, thanks to Shawn's Getting Started videos. We wanted to make sure to show these items off one more time because most of the following boards and kits do not include a micro:bit itself.
At the flip of the switch you can get your micro:bit moving!
Robots are fun, and the micro:bit is the perfect controller for learning how to build and program robots! Combining the micro:bit with the SparkFun moto:bit carrier board creates a flexible, low-cost robotics platform for robot enthusiasts young and old! With the SparkFun micro:bot kit you will be able to create simple robots quickly without spending hours learning how to build and program your latest creation. Available as both a kit and a stand-alone board, neither requires any soldering or in-depth programming experience.
Know what's happening outside BEFORE you venture out.
When combined with the micro:bit, the SparkFun weather:bit provides you with a fully functional weather station. With this bit you will have access to barometric pressure, relative humidity and temperature readings
The SparkFun micro:climate Kit is a full weather station kit that is built on top of the weather:bit carrier board. Unlike previous weather kits we’ve carried, the micro:climate kit includes our tried-and-true Weather Meters and Soil Moisture Sensor, so whether you’re an agriculturalist, a professional meteorologist or a hobbyist, you will be able to build a high-grade weather station powered by the micro:bit. You can even talk via wireless communication between two micro:bits with this kit to be able to monitor the weather without being exposed to it!
w3 l0v3 m1cr0:b17!
We love games! We love writing games, building games and, yes, even building game consoles. That’s where the SparkFun gamer:bit and micro:arcade kit for the micro:bit comes in! The gamer:bit carrier Board (which is included in the kit), gives you access to a number of pins in the form of buttons laid out in a similar form factor to the classic Nintendo NES controller. With the micro:arcade kit you will be able to turn a classic controller into an arcade cabinet by connecting just a few buttons and switches. You can even easily control a moto:bit board with a micro:bit attached with the gamer:bit, providing you with an easy-to-set-up robotics platform.
The micro:bit even has its very own SIK!
The SparkFun Inventor’s Kit (SIK) for micro:bit is a great way to get creative, connected and coding with the micro:bit. The SIK for micro:bit provides not only the micro:bit board but everything you need to hook up and experiment with 12 electronic circuits! With the SIK for micro:bit you will be able to complete circuits that will teach you how to read sensors, move motors, build Bluetooth devices and more.
Don't worry, educator friends, we have you covered as well! The micro:bit Educator Lab Pack includes 10 micro:bit boards and everything you need to get you started with the new learning platform. The Lab Pack has everything you need, including micro:bits, cables, battery packs and a few parts to experiment with. This package provides an easy way to introduce your students to the micro:bit without any difficulty or parts hunting.
The SparkFun micro:bit Breakout (available with headers as well as without headers) is a board that connects to the micro:bit and expands the capabilities of the development platform by providing access to more pins and allowing for connections to the I2C and SPI buses. This breakout board for the micro:bit’s edge connector allows intermediate and advanced users to connect the micro:bit to breadboards and other sensors, motors, LEDs and more!
You will want to keep your micro:bit safe, and that's where the MI:pro, a simple and compact protective case, comes in! These cases feature a three-layer construction style with ability to wall-mount the whole assembly onto any surface you want while still providing access to all buttons and ports on the micro:bit. Though these cases do feature wall-mountable tabs, the biggest benefit of using a case is to not accidentally short out the pads on the back of the micro:bit.
Finally, if you possess just the micro:bit Board and don't have any way to power it, make sure to pick up this battery holder. This specific power supply is equipped with a JST-PH connector, which the micro:bit requires. A typical JST connector won't work, so make sure you have the correct one!
Whew... that was a lot to get through, but we made it! There are a lot of things to do with the micro:bit, and we hope with some of these new products you will be able to use the new board to its fullest potential! As always, we can't wait to see what you make with these parts! Shoot us a tweet @sparkfun, or let us know on Instagram or Facebook. We’d love to see what projects you’ve made!
Thanks for stopping by. We'll see you next week with even more new products!
