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