SENSORS FOR MICRO:BIT

The Octopus CO2 Gas Sensor, part of the OCTOPUS series, features a consistent design with the same outlook, PCB fixing holes, and connections as its counterparts. As CO2 concentration increases, the output voltage decreases, allowing users to easily obtain CO2 readings through our brochures and coding samples.

The CO2 probe is crafted from industrial-grade materials, rendering it highly responsive to CO2 while resisting interference from alcohol and CO. It excels in performance with rapid response times, even in varying temperature and humidity conditions. Additionally, the onboard heating circuit efficiently converts 5V to a stable 6V voltage, enhancing the adaptability of the CO2 Gas Sensor.

Please note that this sensor requires a breakout board for operation, and it is typically paired with the Elecfreaks IOT:BIT board by the manufacturer.

Add passive infrared detection (PIR) to your project with this PIR Motion sensor large lens version. Its 2.54mm pitch connector pins makes the job of connecting it to your project an easy one.

It features a large lens which allows for a long range and a wide viewing angle. Typical values for detection are; up to 9m detection range and a viewing angle of up to 120°.

The operating voltage is between 3V - 5.5V with a max current of 100uA. So, it's operating requirements won't be much of a drain on power, which is good news if your power is being supplied by batteries.

Features:

It has a long detection range, up to 9m.

It features a wide viewing angle, up to 120°.

Very low power consumption.

Dimensions:

Length: 36mm.

Width: 26mm.

Height: 21mm.

Pin Pitch: 2.54mm

The Grove Ultrasonic Distance Sensor is an ultrasonic transducer that utilizes ultrasonic waves to measures distance. It can measure from 3cm to 350cm with the accuracy up to 2mm. It is a perfect ultrasonic module for distance measurement, proximity sensors, and ultrasonic detector.

This module has an ultrasonic transmitter and an ultrasonic receiver so you can consider it as an ultrasonic transceiver. Similar to sonar, when the 40KHz ultrasonic wave generated by the transmitter encounters the object, the sound wave will be reflected back, and the receiver can receive the reflected ultrasonic wave. It calculates the time from the transmission to the reception, and then multiplies it by the speed of the sound in the air(340 m/s) to calculate the distance from the sensor to the object.

Compared with traditional ultrasonic module, the HC-SR04, the Grove Ultrasonic Distance Sensor integrates a single-chip microcomputer, and the transmitting signal and the receiving signal share one pin by time division multiplexing, so only one I/O pin is occupied. Another difference is that HC-SR04 only supports 5v voltage, while Grove - Ultrasonic Distance Sensor supports 5v and 3.3v. As we know, the Raspberry pi I/O only supports 3.3v. Therefore, Grove - Ultrasonic Distance Sensor can be directly connected to the I/O of the Raspberry Pi, but HC-SR04 needs to use a voltage conversion circuit.

Features:

3.3V/5V compatible, wide voltage level: 3.2V ∼ 5.2V.

Only 3 pins needed, save I/O resources.

Wide measurement range of 3cm ∼ 350cm.

Easy to use, grove connector, plug and play.

Possible Applications:

Distance measurement.

Ultrasonic detector.

Proximity alarm.

Smart car/buggy/robot.

Dimensions:

Length: 50mm.

Width: 25mm.

Height: 16mm.

Add line following functionality to the Kitronik MOVE mini MK2 for the BBC micro:bit with this easy to assemble add-on kit. This version of the line following add on has been designed to fit both the new :MOVE mini MK2 and the original version. The assembly instructions for both can be found in the Resources section below.

This add-on comes with all the parts required to add line following functionality to the :MOVE mini and does not require any soldering. Once built, the sensitivity of the left and right sensors can be individually tweaked to ensure smooth operation.

See the resource section below to download the line following code example we created. By default the code will cause the buggy to follow a dark line on a light background but the code can be altered to do the opposite.

There is no soldering required but the kit does require some mechanically assembly.

Features:

Add line following functionality to the :MOVE mini for the BBC micro:bit.

Can either follow a dark line on a light back ground or a light line on a dark background.

The line following sensitivity can be adjusted with a screwdriver.

No Soldering required.

Example line following code is provided.

This product is backwards compatible with the first version of :MOVE mini. There are two sets of assembly instructions in the resources section below.

Contents:

1 x :MOVE Sensor Interface for the BBC micro:bit.

1 x :MOVE Line Following board for the BBC micro:bit.

1 x Connector Cable.

2 x CS M3 8mm Screws.

2 x M3 Hex Full Width Nut.

5 x CS M3 12mm Screws.

2 x 6mm Spacers.

2 x 12mm CS Screws.

The Mini Prong soil sensor is a short version of the original Prong sensor that has been specially adapted for use with the Kitronik Greenhouse Kit for BBC micro:bit. The Mini Prong soil moisture sensor for BBC microbit is a sensor board that can be connected to a BBC micro:bit with crocodile clips to monitor the moisture present in the soil. The two conductive tines are placed into the soil. Any water or moisture in the soil will conduct to give an analogue voltage that can be read by the BBC micro:bit.

Mini Prong is powered from the 3V supply of the BBC micro:bit. Use either the USB or JST connector on the BBC micro:bit to power the circuit. The board has been designed to work with croc-clips, to connect between the Mini Prong and the BBC micro:bit. When fitted to the Mini Prong moisture sensor, the micro:bit can be coded via any of the micro:bit editors, such as the Microsoft MakeCode editor. The Datasheet at the foot of this page includes technical information and a MakeCode blocks coding example.

Note: To ensure that the mini Prong moisture sensor has a long and fulfilling life, it is better to write your code to perform a moisture check every so often rather than continuously. When the check is performed continuously it promotes rapid erosion of the electrodes.

Features:

Measure soil moisture levels.

Attach to the micro:bit with crocodile clips.

Compatible with both BBC micro:bit V1 and BBC micro:bit V2.

Write code for it with any micro:bit coding editor.

Dimensions:

Length: 33mm.

Height: 43mm.

PCB Thickness: 1.6mm.

Expand the scope of your :MOVE mini Robotics projects to include sensory input via our :MOVE Sensor Interface Board for the BBC microbit. The board acts as a breakout board for the microbit while it is attached to a Servo:Lite board and allows you to add things such as line following boards, ultrasonic sensors, and much more.

Sensory input can allow for your projects to become more autonomous as they react to their surroundings and perform actions based on this. There is no soldering required, the board is screwed directly to the BBC microbit and Servo:Lite assembly with the five screws that are supplied with the board.

Features:

Add external sensor input to the BBC microbit.

Expand the scope and function of your :MOVE mini Robots.

Adding sensors to :MOVE mini allows it to react to its environment.

Contents:

1 x :MOVE Sensor Interface for the BBC micro:bit.

5 x CS M3 12mm Screws.

2 x 5 PCB pin headers.

1 x small Kitronik keyring.

Dimensions:

Max Height: 48mm.

Max Width: 52mm.

PCB Thickness: 1.5mm.

The Prong soil moisture sensor for BBC microbit is a sensor board that can be directly mounted to a BBC micro:bit to monitor the moisture present in the soil. The two conductive tines are placed into the soil. Any water or moisture in the soil will conduct to give an analogue voltage that can be read by the BBC micro:bit.

Prong is powered from the 3V supply of the BBC micro:bit. Use either the USB or JST connector on the BBC micro:bit to power the circuit. Prong and the BBC micro:bit can also be powered from the Mi:Power board to create a compact stand-alone unit.

The board has been designed so that the BBC micro:bit can be bolted on using 3 x M3 nuts and 3 x M3 screws. Place the screws through the P1, 3V and GND holes of the PCB and BBC micro:bit, then use the M3 nuts to fasten together on the back of BBC micro:bit. Alternatively, croc-clips can be used to connect between the Prong and the BBC micro:bit.

If using the Mi:Power board then additionally connecting P0 means the BBC micro:bit can sound an alarm if the soil becomes too dry. When fitted to the Prong moisture sensor, the micro:bit can be coded via any of the micro:bit editors, such as the Microsoft MakeCode editor.

Note: To ensure that the Prong moisture sensor has a long and fulfilling life, it is better to write your code to perform a moisture check every so often rather than continuously. When the check is performed continuously it promotes rapid erosion of the electrodes.

Features:

Measure soil moisture levels.

Attaches directly to the microbit.

Use in conjunction with the Mi:Power board to provide power and an audible alarm.

Code with any microbit coding editor.

Contents:

1 x Prong Soil Moisture Sensor for microbit.

3 x M3 Hex Nuts.

3 x M3 Countersunk Screws.

Dimensions:

Length: 68mm.

Height: 53mm.

PCB Thickness: 1.6mm.

Add obstacle detection to your robotics, electronics, or Arduino project. This module has been specially selected to work on the voltage range typically found with the Arduino range of products. This economical sensor provides 2cm to 400cm of non-contact measurement functionality with a ranging accuracy that can reach up to 3mm. Each HC-SR04 module includes an ultrasonic transmitter, a receiver and a control circuit.

There are only four pins that you need to worry about on the HC-SR04: VCC, Trig, Echo and GND. VCC and GND are for power and Trig, Echo and GND are for your signal. GND is in with the signal set since it's needed for a baseline. You can easily add this to your project and even use with the microbit if you use a separate 5V power supply.

Features:

Add obstacle detection to your robotics, electronics, or Arduino project.

It can also be added to micro:bit projects provided a separate power supply is used.

It provides 2cm to 400cm of non-contact measurement functionality

It has ranging accuracy that can reach 3mm.

Each HC-SR04 module includes an ultrasonic transmitter, a receiver and a control circuit.

The pins are; VCC, Trig, Echo and GND

Dimensions:

Length: 45mm.

Width: 20mm.

Max height: 15mm.

Pin Pitch: 2.54mm

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 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.

Dimensions:

Length: 63.2mm.

Width: 55.7mm.

Thickness: 1.6mm.