Project: Radio project

For this project, students should work in pairs to design a project that incorporates radio communication to send and receive data in some way. Some projects may have two separate programs: One that receives data, and one that sends data. Students might each choose to submit one program in that case.

In other cases, a pair of students might submit one program that has both sending and receiving code in it, and the same code is uploaded to two or more micro:bits.

Project Ideas

Stop, thief!

Design an alarm system for your bedroom that alerts you with a screen animation when someone opens your door. You can mount one micro:bit on your door and use the accelerometer to send a signal over the radio when it is being moved.

Interactive art

Create a piece of interactive artwork that receives something as input over the radio from another micro:bit, and displays something based on that as output.

3-Note keyboard

This is a simple three-note keyboard that uses wooden paint stirrers and copper tape to make a connection to each of the three pins on the micro:bit.

Keyboard with copper tape connections

When a key is pressed, it sends a number over the radio to a second micro:bit that plays the appropriate tone over a set of earbuds. This allows you to use each of the three pins on the first micro:bit to play a different tone.

Second micro:bit that plays the notes

3-Note keyboard program

let sound = 0
radio.onDataPacketReceived( ({ receivedNumber }) =>  {
    if (receivedNumber == 0) {
        sound = 349
        music.playTone(sound, music.beat(BeatFraction.Half))
    } else if (receivedNumber == 1) {
        sound = 392
        music.playTone(sound, music.beat(BeatFraction.Half))
    } else if (receivedNumber == 2) {
        sound = 440
        music.playTone(sound, music.beat(BeatFraction.Half))
    }
})
input.onPinPressed(TouchPin.P0, () => {
    sound = 0
    radio.sendNumber(sound)
    basic.showLeds(`
        . . # . .
        . # . # .
        . # . # .
        . # . # .
        . . # . .
        `)
    basic.pause(500)
    basic.clearScreen()
})
input.onPinPressed(TouchPin.P1, () => {
    sound = 1
    radio.sendNumber(sound)
    basic.showLeds(`
        . . # . .
        . # # . .
        . . # . .
        . . # . .
        . # # # .
        `)
    basic.pause(500)
    basic.clearScreen()
})
input.onPinPressed(TouchPin.P2, () => {
    sound = 2
    radio.sendNumber(sound)
    basic.showLeds(`
        . # # # .
        # . . # .
        . . # . .
        . # . . .
        # # # # .
        `)
    basic.pause(500)
    basic.clearScreen()
})
basic.showLeds(`
    # # # # #
    # # # # #
    . . . . .
    . . . . .
    . . . . .
    `)
basic.clearScreen()

Radio tennis

In this project, the tennis racquets alternate displaying a ball on the micro:bit LED screen. When you swing the racquet, the ball disappears from one micro:bit display and shows up on the other micro:bit’s display.

Radio Tennis racquets (made from cardboard)

Reflection

Have students write a reflection of about 150–300 words, addressing the following points:

• What kind of Project did you do? How did you decide what to pick?
• How does your project use radio communication?
• Are there separate programs for the Sender and the Receiver micro:bits? Or 1 program for both?
• Describe something in your project that you are proud of.
• Describe a difficult point in the process of designing this program, and explain how you resolved it.
• What feedback did your beta testers give you? How did that help you improve your design?

Assessment

Competency scores: 4, 3, 2, 1

Radio

4 = Effectively uses the Radio to send and receive data, with meaningful actions and responses for each.
3 = Effectively uses the Radio to send or receive data, with meaningful actions and responses for each.
2 = Use of Radio is incomplete or non-functional and/or tangential to operation of program.
1 = No working and/or meaningful use of Radio.

micro:bit program

4 = micro:bit program:
* Uses Radio blocks in a way that is integral to the program
* Compiles and runs as intended
* Meaningful comments in code
3 = micro:bit program lacks 1 of the required elements.
2 = micro:bit program lacks 2 of the required elements.
1 = micro:bit program lacks all of the required elements.

Collaboration reflection

4 = Reflection piece addresses all prompts.
3 = Reflection piece lacks 1 of the required elements.
2 = Reflection piece lacks 2 of the required elements.
1 = Reflection piece lacks 3 of the required elements.

radio