Monk Makes is an innovative brand that combines technology and education to create engaging and hands-on learning experiences. Their range of products includes electronics kits and educational resources designed to inspire curiosity and creativity in learners of all ages.
From DIY electronics projects to coding adventures, Monk Makes empowers individuals to explore the world of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) in a fun and interactive way. Their products foster critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and a deep understanding of technology concepts.
The Monk Makes Air Quality Kit for micro:bit is based around the Monk Makes Air Quality Sensor. This add-on for the microbit measures the quality of the air in a room - how stale the air is. The outputs of the Air Quality Sensor board are analogue: one for temperature and one for eCO2 (estimated carbon dioxide). These outputs can be read by a micro:bit and either displayed, for instance, as an air quality meter or logged over a period of time for all sorts of interesting experiments.
As well as the Air Quality Sensor itself, the kit also includes a set of alligator clip leads to connect it to the micro:bit and also a Speaker for micro:bit that can be connected to provide a warning of low air quality. A full-colour 24-page booklet of instructions is also included.
To measure both temperature and air quality, the Air Quality Sensor requires four connections to the micro:bit: GND and 3V (to supply it with power) and two of the other micro:bit rings for the temperature and eCO2 readings. It does not matter which colours you use for the leads, but it is a good idea to stick to black for GND, red for 3V and any other colours for the other two leads. This just makes it less likely that you will accidentally connect power the wrong way around – although if you do make that mistake, don't worry, it won't damage the board.
The MonkMakes Connector for micro:bit makes it super-easy to connect I2C, SPI and other devices to your micro:bit without losing the main connector rings. Unlike other connectors that are designed to break-out all the micro:bit pins, this connector just breaks out the useful ones that are not in use by the micro:bit for other purposes. Handy!
Most importantly, you don't lose access to the micro:bit's normal connector rings for adding all sorts of other components with your projects!
This kit gives you everything you need to start learning about connecting electronics to your microbit. Everything is connected using the supplied alligator clips, so no soldering is required. This kit is suitable for children as young as 10 with some adult help.
The instruction book leads you through getting started with your micro:bit and then building the following projects: Movement Alarm, Lighthouse, Shout-o-meter, Thermometer, Fan speed Controller, Automatic Fan and a Theramin-like ‘Magic’ Musical Instrument.
Features:
Learn electronics and coding with the micro:bit.
Includes a 30 page instruction booklet (DOWNLOAD).
Control a light bulb and motor from your mico:bit and play sounds.
Measure sound, temperature and light using your micro:bit.
Programs supplied for MakeCode blocks and MicroPython (use whichever you prefer).
The MonkMakes Relay for the BBC microbit is a solid-state (no moving parts) relay that allows an output of a micro:bit to turn things on and off.
A micro:bit can turn an LED on and off directly, but anything more powerful requires something like a relay or a transistor. Using a transistor to switch something on and off requires a shared ground connection with the micro:bit and a knowledge of electronics that you or your students may not be ready for. The MonkMakes Relay for micro:bit is much easier to use, acting like a simple micro:bit controlled switch.
This relay can be used to switch low voltage devices such as light bulbs, a motor, a small heating element or even a string of 12V LED lighting. The voltage needs to be kept under 16V, but the relay will automatically protect itself against too much current.
Features:
Solid-state relay (No moving parts).
Resettable ‘polyfuse’ to protect against over-current.
The MonkMakes RGB LED for micro:bit provides a colorful add-on to your micro:bit. Connect it up with alligator/crocodile clips and then use the three outputs of your micro:bit to control the red, green and blue channels to mix up any color of light you want.
Connecting to the micro:bit: Connect the RGB LED to the micro:bit with alligator/crocodile clips. When attaching the clips to the micro:bit, make sure that the clips are perpendicular to the board so that they are not touching any of the neighbouring connectors on the micro:bit edge connector.
The MonkMakes Sensor Board allows you to detect sound levels, temperature and light levels. It features ring pad connectors for use with crocodile clips make it easy to connect to the board to a microbit.
Sound Level: It senses sound level with a MEMs, which is a microphone on a chip that also features a pre-amplifier circuit. You can then use the plot bar graph block in the Microsoft MakeCode editor to display the result on the microbits LED matrix.
Temperature Level: The temperature output from the board is a voltage that indicates the temperature. This is then measured using an analog input on the micro:bit. If you want your temperatures in Fahrenheit, then multiply the temperature in degrees C by 9, divide the result by 5 and then add 32.
Light Level: The light sensor uses a photo-transistor to measure the light level and produces an output voltage that increases as the light level increases.
Features:
3V and GND connections can be made from either side and allow you to power a second board such as the MonkMakes Relay Board or MonkMakes Speaker.
LED ‘power on’ indicator.
Reverse polarity protection.
All three sensors are analog and can be connected to pins P0, P1 and P2 using alligator clips.
Detects sound level with a MEMs (microphone on a chip) and a pre-amplifier.
Uses a thermistor to measure temperature.
Light level detection with a photo-transistor (0 to 1023).
All three sensors are analog and can be connected to pins P0, P1 and P2 using alligator clips.
The MonkMakes Servo for microbit board provides a really easy way to attach up to three servomotors to a BBC micro:bit. The board requires a power supply or battery pack to provide 5 or 6V to the servomotors. It includes a voltage regulator that will supply 3V back to the micro:bit, so that you don’t have to power it separately.
The board has been designed to allow for alligator/crocodile connections to the microbit. This means that there is no need for mechanical assembly or soldering. You can write code for the attached microbit using either the MakeCode editor or MicroPython (linked in the resources selection below).
Features:
Allows you to control up to 3 servos with the microbit.
When powered the board will supply power to the servos and microbit.
Connect it to the microbit with alligator/crocodile clips.
Use the MakeCode blocks/javascript or MicroPython editors .
The Servo Kit for micro:bit makes it easy to connect up three servomotors from your micro:bit. The kit is supplied with the servo board, three servos, a battery cage, and alligator/crocodile leads. The MonkMakes Servo for microbit board provides a really easy way to attach up to three servomotors to a BBC micro:bit. The board requires a power supply or battery pack to provide 5 or 6V to the servomotors. It includes a voltage regulator that will supply 3V back to the micro:bit, so that you don’t have to power it separately.
The board has been designed to allow for alligator/crocodile connections to the microbit. This means that there is no need for mechanical assembly or soldering. You can write code for the attached microbit using either the MakeCode editor or MicroPython.
Features:
Allows you to control the 3 servos provided with the microbit.
When powered the board will supply power to the servos and microbit.
Connect it to the microbit with alligator/crocodile clips.
Use the MakeCode blocks/javascript or MicroPython editors.
Solar farming. Learn how to harvest and then store energy from the sun with the MonkMakes Solar Experimenters Kit for micro:bit. With the Solar Experimenters Kit, you will use a practical and experiment-led approach to learn how small amounts of energy can be harvested from the sun, converted to electrical energy and then be stored for later use. Connect the kit to a micro:bit with the included alligator clips and work through the 6 experiments, learning as you go.
The kit is supplied with a; Solar Store board, Solar Panel, bulb, motor with fan, set of alligator clip leads, and a full-colour instruction booklet. First, the booklet gets you set up and acquainted with the parts, then it guides you through your solar farming learning adventure. There are 6 practical experiments included in the Instruction booklet, designed to be worked through in order. The first three experiments are very basic and are designed to get you familiar with the harvesting concepts and the features of the kit. Once you have a solid grasp of the basics, the final three experiments are more challenging and involved.
The hub of the kit is the Solar Store board. The micro:bit, solar panel, and connected device (bulb, motor) all connect to the Solar Store board. The connections on the board are as follows;
Charge% (output) – stored charge indicator. A voltage between 0V and 3V that can be connected to a micro:bit pin.
Level (output) – stored charge (raw). A voltage between 0V and 5V that can be looped directly to the enable pin, to auto-enable when charged. Note: Do not connect to micro:bit
Enable (input) – enables the power output, so that any stored energy can be used by the attached device.
Power (input) – provides power to the Solar Store board, primarily so that the Charge% output works. Connect 3V and GND to micro:bit.
Solar Power (input) – connect this to your Solar Panel to harvest energy, which is stored in the Solar Store. Accepts a voltage up to 10V. Make sure that + goes to the + on the Solar Panel, and - goes to the - on the Solar Panel.
Power (output) – connect your attached device here. This output is only enabled when the Enable pin is active and there is sufficient stored energy in the Solar Store. The LED (D3) will light when there is enough stored energy.
Power LED – indicates that power is provided to the Solar Store and the Charge% indicator connection to the micro:bit is working.
As the kit is supplied as a single boxed unit it is also the perfect choice for anyone who wishes to learn about measuring air quality at home.
Features:
Learn how to harvest and then store energy from the sun with the MonkMakes Solar Experimenters Kit for micro:bit.
Work through the 6 practical experiments and learn as you go. The experiments included in the booklet are;
Project 1 – Sun Finder. Project 2 – Garden Light. Project 3 – Self Charging Cooling Fan. Project 4 – Adding an Energy Meter. Project 5 – Energy Logger. Project 6 – Intelligent Cooling Fan.
All connections are made via the supplied convenient alligator clip leads.
No soldering is required.
The kit is supplied with a full-colour instruction booklet packed full of useful information.
This kit is supplied with everything you need in order to learn about solar farming in a hands-on way. Just add micro:bit and go!
This add-on will make the perfect gift for any micro:bit user.
The MonkMakes speaker for the BBC microbit is a neat little amplified speaker that connects to your microbit with crocodile clips. Despite its diminutive size, the speaker is quite loud.
The Monk Makes Slider for micro:bit allows you to interact with your micro:bit by sliding a control left and right. The board uses a 10kΩ linear variable resistor (pot) to output a voltage between 0 and 3V that can be measured in your micro:bit programs using one of the micro:bit connections as an analogue input. The kit includes the Slider for micro:bit itself plus a set of 5 alligator clip leads. Comprehensive instructions with example projects are provided as a free download.
You can use the slider board to control other devices connected to the microbit, such as servos. Other uses include volume control, speed control, dimmer slider, and much more.
The Monk Makes solderless breadboard labelled for the Raspberry Pi Pico is the perfect prototyping solution for the Pico. Each of the Picos pins is labelled on the breadboard. When used in conjunction with a Pico with pin headers already attached, finding the right hole for your jumper lead couldn't be more simple.
The board has 400 tie points, 2 power buses and features an adhesive backing for securing your projects/prototypes. The board accepts wires, legs and male jumper connectors and allows you to build complex solderless circuits easily. The point spacing is a standard 2.54mm, making it compatible with any components/devices with a pin pitch of 2.54mm.
This RoHS compliant breadboard is rated for low voltage, low current only. Maximum for the Breadboard being 50V at 2A.
Features:
A solderless breadboard labelled for the Raspberry Pi Pico.
Each of pins on the Pico is labelled on the breadboard.
When used in conjunction with a Pico with pin headers already attached, finding the right hole for your jumper lead couldn't be more simple.
The board has 400 tie points, 2 power buses and features an adhesive backing for securing your projects/prototypes.
The ServoClip is a convenient adaptor board that allows you to connect a servo motor to a ring-based microcontroller (like the micro:bit or Adafruit Circuit Playground) using crocodile clips.
Convenient adaptor board that allows you to connect a servo using crocodile clips
Ideal for use with ring-based boards such as micro:bit or Crumble
This board is designed to make it easy to attach a high-brightness bulb to a Raspberry Pi, Pico, Arduino, ESP32 or other microcontrollers.
Most microcontrollers and single board computers (SBCs) like the Raspberry Pi have digital outputs that can only supply a current of a few milliamps. This means that you can only use them with low-power LEDs, but if you want to control a high-power LED light bulb then you need to use the microcontroller or SBC's output pin to switch the LED light bulb on and off (using a transistor).
The illuminata includes a transistor to switch its three high-brightness LEDs on and off. This is why the Illuminata has three pins. Two are for power and the third is the control pin that switches the lamp on and off.
A prototyping board designed for the Raspberry Pi Pico with the Pico pinout marked on the PCB. If you liked the Breadboard for Pico and are ready to take your prototype to solder, you will love this board! This prototyping board is inspired by the MonkMakes Breadboard for Pico and has all the Pico's pin names on the PCB making it easy to make your project more permanent and robust.
You can solder the Pico to the prototyping board using the castellations around the edge of the board, or using header pins, or even solder header sockets onto the Pico Proto PCB so that you can easily swap out the Pico. There are also solder bridges to connect power busses.
The layout of the Pico Proto PCB is modelled on a 400-point breadboard, and after the Pico is soldered to the PCB, there are 10 more rows that can be used for your own through-hole components. Once complete, fit the project into your enclosure using the M2.5 mounting holes.
The MonkMakes Amplified Speaker is an easy to use amplified speaker on a circuit board. The board needs a 3.3 to 6V power supply that can be provided by a Raspberry Pi or Arduino. Audio input will normally be to the 3.5mm stereo audio jack socket, which is mixed to a mono signal.
The product includes a separate input with low-pass filter for use with PWM/PCM audio. Compatible with: