BETT is an educational trade show bringing together 850 leading companies, 103 exciting new edtech startups and over 34,700 attendees. For this year's show, the micro:bit foundation wanted to have a pair of more visible micro:bits for their stand.
![Supersizing The microbit megabits](https://resources.kitronik.co.uk/images/blogs/2019/04/supersize-microbit-megabit-hero-1000.jpg)
Kitronik often works closely with the
Foundation, and so when we were asked if we could help with such a fun thing, of course, we said yes. The brief was to make a mega:bit, but even more MEGA sized.
Supersizing The microbit megabit:
![Supersizing The microbit megabit they said i'd never be able to draw it, I showed 'em](https://resources.kitronik.co.uk/images/blogs/2019/04/microbit-much-more-mega-mega-bit-main-1000.jpg)
The first thing to do was to figure out how big. After some initial sketching on the whiteboard. We settled on 20 times increase as a good size without becoming impossible to make or move.
![Supersizing The microbit megabit banana for scale](https://resources.kitronik.co.uk/images/blogs/2019/04/supersize-microbit-megabit-banana-scale-1000.jpg)
Once the size was agreed on, artwork for the front and back of the MEGA:Bits was prepared. This was then printed by a signage firm to give a lightweight but stiff and strong panel.
![Supersizing The microbit megabit witing](https://resources.kitronik.co.uk/images/blogs/2019/04/supersize-microbit-megabit-wiring-1000.jpg)
Upping the size meant we had to increase the thickness as well. Which handily gave a nice place to put all the additional electronics.
![Supersizing The microbit megabit leds](https://resources.kitronik.co.uk/images/blogs/2019/04/supersize-microbit-megabit-front-1000.jpg)
The front of the micro:bit has 25 LEDs, so Sean, our designer, got busy with the CAD and the 3d printers to make 50 (2 micro:bits worth) giant surface mount LEDs. These each have one of our 3 led modules (35137) inside, and a perspex cover.
![Supersizing The microbit megabit power supply](https://resources.kitronik.co.uk/images/blogs/2019/04/supersize-microbit-megabit-power-supply-1000.jpg)
To make sure the LEDs are suitably bright Phil, one of our electronics engineers, made an intermediate board to drive them from the incoming 5V power supply.
![Supersizing The microbit megabit giant jst connector](https://resources.kitronik.co.uk/images/blogs/2019/04/supersize-microbit-megabit-jst-connector-1000.jpg)
The micro:bit doesn’t breakout all the pins required to drive a mirror of the LED matrix, so Phil, who is very good at soldering, attached some tiny wires to an existing micro:bit to get hold of the signals we needed. This micro:bit is then mounted inside the supersized JST connector so that the USB for programming is still easily accessible, and the micro:bit is not shielded inside the casing - so the radio and Bluetooth functions still work.
![Supersizing The microbit megabit assembly](https://resources.kitronik.co.uk/images/blogs/2019/04/supersize-microbit-megabit-power-assembly-1000.jpg)
With all the bits designed and mostly made it was then ‘just’ a case of assembling them all.
.
![Supersizing The microbit megabit shake test](https://resources.kitronik.co.uk/images/blogs/2019/04/ezgif.com-crop.gif)
Of course, we had to check that the micro:bit still worked completely. So, a quick game of Shakey Duck was in order.
![Supersizing The microbit megabit done!](https://resources.kitronik.co.uk/images/blogs/2019/04/supersize-microbit-megabit-hero-1000.jpg)
The end result turned out nicely, and both MEGA:bits went down well with the show attendees.
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