When you run a program that uses this function in a browser, click and drag the compass needle on the screen to change the compass heading.
Compass Heading
Find which direction on a compass the micro:bit is facing.
The micro:bit measures the compass heading from 0
to 359
degrees with its magnetometer chip. Different numbers mean north,
east, south, and west.
input.compassHeading();
Returns
- a number from
0
to359
degrees, which means the compass heading. If the compass isn’t ready, it returns-1003
.
Example
This program finds the compass heading and stores it in the
degrees
variable.
let degrees = input.compassHeading()
Example: compass
This program finds the compass heading and then shows a letter that means whether the micro:bit is facing north (N), south (S), east (E), or west (W).
let degrees = 0
basic.forever(() => {
degrees = input.compassHeading()
if (degrees < 45) {
basic.showArrow(ArrowNames.North)
} else if (degrees < 135) {
basic.showArrow(ArrowNames.East)
} else if (degrees < 225) {
basic.showArrow(ArrowNames.South)
} else if (degrees < 315) {
basic.showArrow(ArrowNames.West)
} else {
basic.showArrow(ArrowNames.North)
}
})
Calibration
Every time you start to use the compass (for example, if you have just turned the micro:bit on), the micro:bit will start to calibrateCompass (adjust itself). It will ask you to draw a circle by tilting the micro:bit.
If you are calibrating or using the compass near metal, it might confuse the micro:bit.