Getting Started with the micro:bit

2 A Tour of the micro:bit

Now that you’ve had a quick introduction to what the micro:bit is and what it can do, it’s time to take a look at this impressive little device and see what’s packed onto its small surface (4.5 × 5 cm—it’s been billed by the BBC as being about half the size of a credit card). I usually introduce new users to a device like this by examining each component one by one, moving clockwise around the board, and that seems like a perfectly reasonable route to take now. I’ll refer to the side of the micro:bit with the USB power connector and the micro:bit logo as the back, and the side with the array of LEDs and the two push buttons as the front (Figures 2-1 and 2-2).

Starting at the top (12 o’clock position) on the back, ...