The Kitronik :MOVE Motor for BBC micro: bit provides the perfect platform for learning about programmable buggies and Robotics. Aside from the wheels, it comes assembled and ready to go. Just pop on the wheels, pop in the microbit, then add some code, and off it goes.
This fully-featured robot allows you to explore movement, light and sound, and the onboard sensors allow you to code autonomy that is capable of reacting to its environment. If you also use it in conjunction with the micro:bits built-in Radio module, the possibilities become endless.
Getting Started:
:MOVE Motor ships with an instruction booklet that has been designed to get you up and running quickly. The booklet covers all of :MOVE Motors features and also serves as an introduction to writing code for it.
Kitronik has also created custom MakeCode blocks, specifically for :MOVE Motor. This not only makes the job of coding as simple as possible, but it also opens up activities to younger children. The booklet contains all the information the novice will need to get going straight away.
Instructions on how to add the custom blocks are contained in the booklet that :MOVE Motor ships with, they are also included in all six of the additional tutorials below.
Additional Online Resources For :MOVE Motor:
- Drawing Robot Tutorial.
- Lights & Sound Tutorial.
- Line Following Tutorial.
- Advanced Motor Adjustment Tutorial.
- Ultrasonic Sensor Tutorial.
- Radio Control Tutorial.
The features of :MOVE Motor are such that, as you grow it can grow with you. With that in mind, Kitronik has produced a series of online resources designed to continue your forward momentum once you outgrow the booklet.
We have also fully embraced new features of the Microsoft MakeCode that allow us to create online tutorials directly inside the MakeCode environment. These features will mean that you won't need a second monitor or a PDF on the desk to learn.
Note: At the time of writing, these new features are still in beta testing. So, as well as providing links to the beta testing MakeCode environment we have also included PDF downloads for each.
Drawing Robot Tutorial For :MOVE Motor
The :MOVE Motor has a pen mount hole right in the middle of the wheels. This makes it ideal for drawing shapes. We have found that Sharpies are ideal as they fit the hole perfectly. This tutorial will walk you through coding the micro:bit/buggy to then draw a variety of shapes.
Lights & Sound Tutorial For :MOVE Motor:
:MOVE Motor has been fitted with 4 full-colour ZIP LEDs and also a Piezo Sounder. The ZIP LEDs are individually addressable and can either be coded to perform independent tasks or work together as one. This tutorial will show you how to make headlights, indicators and then to combine the ZIP LEDs with the sounder to create a Police car.
Line Following Tutorial For :MOVE Motor
Is it even a Robot buggy if it can't also follow a line? We don't think so! For that reason, we've also included line following sensors on the underside of the board. This tutorial will walk you through how to write code to then fully take advantage of these sensors.
Advanced Motor Adjustment Tutorial For :MOVE Motor
The main problem you encounter when utilising pairs of motors in your robots is that it is almost impossible to get pairs of motors that spin at exactly the same speed. In this tutorial, you will learn how to adjust the motor outputs to ensure that your buggy drives in a straight line unless you really want it not to!.
Ultrasonic Sensor Tutorial For :MOVE Motor
The buggy comes pre-fitted with an Ultrasonic Distance Sensor. This allows you to write code that ensures your buggy can detect a collision before it happens and then take evasive action. This tutorial walks you through how to write code for this. If you want to code an autonomous robot that can get itself out of a jam, then this tutorial is essential viewing.
Radio Control Tutorial For :MOVE Motor
The micro:bit has a built-in radio module. This module is crazy useful when it comes to buggies and robots. Autonomy is great and everything, but sometimes you can't beat a bit of hands-on control. This tutorial walks you through how to set this up for :MOVE Motor.
Although all of the other resources are available in two formats, this tutorial is only available as an online tutorial.
Next Steps:
Now that you've worked through all of the online tutorials, what now? For those that want an extra challenge, we've also produced some example MicroPython code. Work through the code and then see how to take control of :MOVE Motor with Python.
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