WHAT TO EXPECT
• Time Needed: 1 hour
• Cost: $25–$30 (including re-usable electronics)
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Safety Issues: Use care with electronics and batteries, especially
with younger children.
SKILLS YOU WILL USE
• Learning different ways to connect a micro:bit to a robot
• Using strings as actuators (components that move parts of a robot)
• Testing and improving the design of a robot
ELECTRONIC SUPPLIES
• micro:bit V2 microcontroller (v1 will also work, but won’t include sound)
• USB data cable with a USB micro-B plug and an end that fits
your computer
• Micro servo (positional, not continuous) — often labeled as 9g
• a cable with a plug that takes male jumper wires
• a servo horn with 4 arms — at least two of them long
• 3 alligator clip-to-male jumper wires in different colors (preferably
red, black or brown, and yellow or orange to match the servo wires)
• Optional:
• extra-long USB data cable (3 feet or more), so your bot can move
around while connected to the computer for power and updating
the program
• additional male-to-female jumper wires for longer distance
remote control
• battery pack for the micro:bit
• the punch-out cardboard battery pack holder that comes with
some micro:bits is handy for holding the board and batteries
together; print and cut out your own from the micro:bit site
(microbit.org/get-started/user-guide/battery-pack-holder).
• you can also get a larger pack that holds two AA batteries and
has an on/off switch
Chapter 5: Making Robots Playful 179
Make_Simple_Robots_interior_FIN.indd 179Make_Simple_Robots_interior_FIN.indd 179 4/26/22 1:57 PM4/26/22 1:57 PM