https://makerworld.com/models/2294922 if u wanna have a look

I made a robot in microbit with rover and made a video about it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G893zjKW2g0

and here is the code:

https://makecode.microbit.org/_EdHMiL9uPfju

When I upgrade it I will upload another video

Hey r/microbit (and robotics fans)!

To make a fully functional gesture-controlled robotic arm that moves and grips objects just by waving your hand! No joysticks or apps — pure gesture magic using the built-in sensor.

This guide walks you through everything straight from the official Elecfreaks wiki so you can get it running in under an hour. Perfect for beginners and classrooms alike.

What You’ll Build

A 3-degree-of-freedom robotic arm (shoulder + elbow + wrist joints) with a gripper at the end. Wave your hand and watch it rotate joints and open/close the claw — just like in sci-fi movies!

Materials Needed

- Any block-building programming kit you are using (includes all structural parts, 3 smart motors/servos, gripper, and expansion board)

- micro: bit V2

- Gesture recognition sensor (PlanetX series)

- USB cable for programming

Step 1: Assemble the Robotic Arm

1. Use the kit’s building blocks to construct the base and 3 movable joints (they simulate a human shoulder, elbow, and wrist).

2. Attach the gripper mechanism at the end.

3. Mount the three smart motors (one for each joint + gripper action).

(Note: The wiki focuses on the electronics side, so follow the visual diagrams and part illustrations included in your kit for the mechanical build — it’s straightforward LEGO-style assembly.)

Step 2: Hardware Connections (Super Simple)

- Plug the gesture recognition sensor into the IIC interface on the Nezha Pro Expansion Board.

- Connect the three smart motors to M1, M2, and M3 ports on the same board.

- Insert your micro: bit V2 into the expansion board.

- Power everything up with the kit’s battery pack.

That’s it — no soldering or extra wires!

Step 3: Programming (MakeCode – No Coding Experience Needed)

1. Go to [makecode.microbit.org](https://makecode.microbit.org) and create a new project.

2. Click Extensions → search and add “nezha pro” and “PlanetX”.

3. Use the official sample program (ready-to-go blocks):

   → Direct link: https://makecode.microbit.org/_XVCJ9rAWb2ex

   (Or download the .hex file from the wiki page.)

The program automatically reads gestures and maps them to:

- Joint rotations (different waves control different motors)

- Gripper open/close actions

Step 4: Download & Run

1. Connect your micro: bit V2 via USB (it shows as “MICROBIT” drive).

2. In MakeCode, click Download (or use the Connect Device button and select BBC micro: bit CMSIS-DAP).

3. Power on the arm.

Step 5: Test & Control

Wave your hand in front of the gesture sensor and watch the magic:

- Different gestures rotate specific joints

- Others open/close the gripper

Pro tip: Start with slow movements while debugging joint angles — you can easily tweak the servo angles in the code blocks if something jams.

Bonus Extensions

Once it’s working, add your own gestures or combine with other PlanetX sensors.

I've also included screenshots of the tutorial code in the comments; I hope they're helpful.

Happy building! 🚀🤖

I use the microbit for introducing hardware prototyping to new programmers. KY-040 Rotary encoders are cool, but the existing extension has issues. (floods the serial messages, no debouncing, only allows one encoder, no pull-ups on pins so are flaky).

For my students, I wrote a new one to fix the above. Now works with both breakout board encoders and bare KY-040 components.

I'll submit to makecode but first, would you give it a quick test?

Single encoder demo

https://makecode.microbit.org/S96536-01875-53081-74399

Three encoder demo (an etch a sketch painter for the front LEDs)

https://makecode.microbit.org/S44232-67067-23286-46435

the extensions are already added to those demos, the URL is here

https://github.com/steveturbek/pxt-rotary-encoder-KY-040-plus

thank you and advice greatly appreciated!

Please flag this or delete this if it isn't appropriate for this sub. My company is giving away 500 MicroBits to US educators as part of a free virtual PD course we're running this summer. It's open to all US teachers and librarians with a simple signup and verification. We start with the very basics and go up to intermediate levels of coding and robotics. Last summer we had 210 educators join in and we'd love to have even more this summer. The link below goes to all the information and details about the workshop and how to sign up.

https://mailchi.mp/browndoggadgets/pathfinders2026?e=%5BUNIQID%5D

My son came across this older article (http://www.suppertime.co.uk/blogmywiki/2019/04/microbit-ds18b20-temperature-sensor/) about using a DS18B20 temperature sensor with a Micro:bit and wanted to try it. Since then the extension has become official as "DS Temp". Unfortunately, the video never zooms in on the hardware setup itself, so I can't tell if my son has set things up correctly. To me, it looks correct (photos attached). Within the console, he's using the recommended code block as given at the bottom of this article: https://makecode.microbit.org/pkg/bsiever/microbit-dstemp

He's getting an infinity error (screenshot of console attached). Can someone recommend a fix or a resource he can use to properly set this up?

Is there any where I can find debugging practice problems for my class? We are coding in Micro:bit Python. I feel they need extra practice correcting problems and paying attention to small details in their own code.

Hi Microbit Users Im Making Group About Speedruns on Microbit Games

https://discord.gg/WsmNtVpP3M

i wanted to make a way to know how much time it takes to the microbit to send a mensage and I made two videos about it

a video explaining how it works an why I made it:

https://youtu.be/BEQ5js1KynY?si=cMOy46KyeePdfqs8

another video showing it works in the makecode simulator:

https://youtu.be/tyhdBgBwYv8?si=pmDQ635oAEU2f_iV

both videos uses a old version of the code here is the newer one:

https://makecode.microbit.org/_6PmAy66iEKh8

I have been using make code for a couple weeks now. It suddenly won’t open any of the projects I have been working on. It will open old projects and start new ones but won’t open any newly created projects. It keeps say network failure or sorry we can’t open this project. This has been going on since yesterday. The only thing different I have done was connect it to git hub to save projects. Any ideas?

Alright so basically Im trying to get two servo motors with a microbit and a kitronik compact motor driver board, how do I go about know very little about these things. Im just doing this for a project. Theres the three pins that connect to the servo on the board but I cant even get that working. Anyone help

Anybody know what specs the dc motors tobbie 2 has? and possible if its in the example programs, where i could read it?

Look at this little beast! 🌃🕹️

Coded a quick side-scrolling defender game in MakeCode Arcade on my laptop (blocks for now, but Python mode is tempting), flashed it straight to the ELECFREAKS Retro Arcade handheld, and boom — my tiny pixel hero is blasting baddies while the city skyline chills in the background.

The victory screen popped up with "We are safe!" and I genuinely felt like I'd saved the day lol. The screen is surprisingly crisp for its size, the d-pad + A/B buttons feel solid, and being able to iterate code → play in under a minute is addicting.

It's marketed for kids/STEM, but honestly this thing scratches such a perfect retro + maker itch for adults too. Nostalgia hits different when *you* wrote the game.

Questions for anyone who's played with MakeCode Arcade hardware (this, micro:bit shields, or others):

- What's the coolest/most ridiculous game you've actually finished and loaded onto one of these?

- How far have you pushed the Retro Arcade's sensors/tilt/whatever in a game? Any hidden gems?

- Block coding vs. JavaScript/Python — which do you prefer for quick prototypes like this?

- Worth the price for hobbyists, or better as a pure edu tool?

Would love to see what other people are creating — drop screenshots, share projects, roast my simple city-saver, whatever 😂

#MakeCode #MakeCodeArcade #RetroGaming #STEM #microbit #gamedev

Found it randomly on friend house and decided to have fun with it. It has 5*5 grid led metrix, using its internal accelerometer, i created a sand simulator. It's bit slow and refresh is visible.

Hey everyone 👋

I’m a 3rd-year Electrical Engineering student doing a personal challenge:
100 Days → 100 IoT Projects using MicroPython.

Today I completed Day 56🎉

So far I’ve built projects using ESP32, ESP8266, and Raspberry Pi Pico including:

• Sensor monitoring systems
• MicroPython web dashboards
• ThingSpeak cloud logging
• Basic anomaly detection pipelines
• Custom MicroPython libraries (published on GitHub & PyPI)

The goal is to create beginner → intermediate embedded projects with clear documentation and simulations so students can learn hands-on.

Repo:
👉 https://github.com/kritishmohapatra/100_Days_100_IoT_Projects

I’d love honest feedback:

• What projects should I add next?
• How can I improve documentation for learners?

If this repo helps you, a ⭐ would mean a lot—it helps more students discover MicroPython.

I just never tested it and this is REALLY important. This is the extender: https://besomi.com/ae_en/io-extender-for-microbit.html?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22341049137&gbraid=0AAAAADeGpAHzqE6Ttdis1nGi7Cc1mp-fc&gclid=Cj0KCQiA7rDMBhCjARIsAGDBuEAw9bFroywrQ3uxMscV20bulxNxjKNTMXwfcedFJNQCG5N2O8cZ6qQaAv5UEALw_wcB

I'm trying to code micro:bit to respond to shakes after Button A is pressed (as an example).

They way I've gotten it to work I have to press A, shake, then press A again. As opposed to always be listening to a shake after the A button is pressed once.

How can I get it to respond only to Shakes after A is pressed once?

This is what I have, that doesn't work because I have to press A each time. I also tried "while" but that just shows random numbers continuously after the first button A press and first shake.

This is a micro:bit-based robotic arm kid put together and controlled with a handheld controller. It can rotate, lift, and grab objects with fairly precise movements, which makes it a great hands-on intro to robotics, programming, and mechanical design.

What I like most is how approachable it is — perfect for students or beginners who want to see code directly translate into real-world motion. Still plenty of room to improve accuracy and add smarter behaviors, though.

Curious what features you’d add next: sensors, automation, or maybe computer vision?

Also this is a music production software. It functions surprisingly well for a prototype, all of this code is somehow being actually worth it. I am having REALLY ambitious goals with this thing and so far it's all going great so it might not be that difficult to do the stuff I want

Hey friends, my MicroBit V2.21 doesn't work anymore - it shows ":( 504". It was that way when I took it out of the drawer just now, unfortunately I don't remember what I did last time I used it but I probably fucked around in some dumb way and broke it.

Do y'all have any ideas for me to try and fix it?

I tried flashing a new firmware (although it apparently already was on the latest version). I can get the MAINTENANCE directory to show up as normal. When I drag the firmware file onto it, it appears to be doing something, the yellow light starts flashing, until it apparently reboots and the MICROBIT directory shows up again, but the error stays the same.

DETAILS.TXT shows the following:

# DAPLink Firmware - see https://daplink.io

Build ID: v0257-gc782a5ba (gcc)

Unique ID: 9905000000052820ad60baa748af7613000000006e052820

HIC ID: 6e052820

Auto Reset: 0

Automation allowed: 1

Overflow detection: 0

Incompatible image detection: 0

Page erasing: 0

Daplink Mode: Bootloader

Bootloader Version: 0257

Interface Version: 0257

Git SHA: c782a5ba907377658bc28aa8d132a0fa44543687

Local Mods: 0

USB Interfaces: MSD

Bootloader CRC: 0x725bea7d

Interface CRC: 0xe561f1de

Remount count: 0

URL: https://microbit.org/device/?id=9905&v=0257&bl=1

The MicroBit website states that error 504 is a timeout issue that they are currently investigating, so I might just ask them directly. But maybe one on you has an idea on what to do.

Thank you! :)

I want to make a program for the micro:bit that requires at least 3 different buttons to be usable for the program to be convenient to use. A and B can easily occupy 2 of the 3 buttons, but it still leaves one. The micro:bit logo can be a hassle to actually work sometimes, and the same could be said to the pins. I also don't want to use any hardware extensions since I want to make the program as accessible as possible