BBC micro:bit and Adafruit hardware with zbit:connect
Nevil Hunt demoed a nifty system to connect boards like Adafruit’s displays and sensor breakouts to the BBC micro:bit. The zbit:connect system uses simple screw and bolt connections to attach boards and send power & data. This is great for quickly swapping out devices without soldering or even stacking boards for a compact project build. This looks great for using with MicroPython on the BBC micro:bit too! Nevil writes:
‘zbit:connect’ is a range of add-on boards for the BBC micro:bit developed by innovations in education which use a unique custom connector system allowing multiple boards to be simply ‘bolted’ onto the micro:bit allowing additional boards to be connected in the X, YandZdirection thus enhancing and expanding the micro:bit’s educational possibilities!
Auxiliary connectors on these boards make it easy to add a vast range of 3rd party Sensors, Displays and Wireless Interface boards. The ‘zbit:connect multi display board’ demonstrates 5 Adafruit display boards and 2 Adafruit sensor boardscontrolled by a micro:bit with software written in Micro Python,connected by a number of zbit:builder and zbit:toolbelt boards and powered by zbit:power.
The ‘zbit:connect’ range is still in development but will be demonstrated at the IoT Tech Expo Global 2017 at Olympia, London 23rd – 24th January.
Make a robot friend with Adafruit’s CRICKIT – A Creative Robotics & Interactive Construction Kit. It’s an add-on to our popular Circuit Playground Express, FEATHER and other platforms to make and program robots with CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. Start controlling motors, servos, solenoids. You also get signal pins, capacitive touch sensors, a NeoPixel driver and amplified speaker output. It complements & extends your boards so you can still use all the goodies on the microcontroller, now you have a robotics playground as well.
