BBC MICRO-BIT V1
Nordic nRF51822 Multi-protocol Bluetooth® 4.0 low energy/2.4GHz RF SoC
32-bit ARM Cortex M0 microprocessor (16MHz) 16kB RAM, 256kB Flash
LED matrix ‘screen’ made up of 25 programmable LEDs Two programmable buttons
USB Plug (Micro-USB plug) Reset button Status LED
Accelerometer Compass Bluetooth Smart Technology Antenna AAA Battery Holder Dimensions 40mm x 50mm
Five Ring Input and Output (I/O) including power (PWR) and ground (GRD). PWR, GRD, I/O x 3. Each I/O ring is programmable to be either analogue or digital. The rings are suitable for crocodile clips or 4mm banana plugs, meaning an external sensor can be connected to measure things like temperature, moisture, proximity to other devices. The PWR and GRD rings supply 3 volts and could be used to power a separate device.
Edge Connector: 20 pins, 1.27mm pitch and extend 7.62mm from board edge suitable for standard connectors. This allows the micro:bit to be connected to another device, eg Arduino, Galileo, Kano and Raspberry Pi through a standard connector.
Micro-USB controller: This is controlled by a separate processor and presents the micro:bit to a computer as a memory stick. This means the program can be dragged onto the micro:bit in the same way a file is dragged onto a memory stick.
Programming: The BBC Micro Bit is programmed through a web-based editing environment. Editors support Microsoft’s Touch Develop language, JavaScript, Python, C++ and Blocks. A user writes the programs for the Micro Bit in their preferred language and this is sent to a server to be compiled into code the Micro Bit can run.