Micro:bit V2.21 - The Educational Development Board

As humans, we are all blessed with curious minds that are capable of taking interest in and learning all about extremely complex tasks, processes and concepts, and it’s because of these curious minds that we now have exceptionally advanced technologies all around us in our modern lives. However, while taking an interest in something is definitely a great first step toward learning how it works and then of course how to replicate it, it’s not always easy to continue from there if you don’t quite know how to get involved, especially if the barrier to entry for a subject is complicated and difficult. This is what the incredible BBC Micro:bit Educational Stem Boards are designed to cater to, as these boards make learning about electronics as easy as possible, drastically reducing the knowledge and skills required to enter into the world of Electronics, and providing an amazing launchpad for you to kickstart your electronics knowledge and skills – while also fuelling your interest for the topic even further.

These Micro:bit V2.21 Educational Development Boards are enhanced and refined versions of the classic Micro:bit Educational Dev’ Board, and bring a surprising number of new features on top of all of the classics that the previous version offered. Of course, if this is the first time you’re hearing about the Micro:bit Series, then we invite you to quickly take a read through the Original Micro:bit Description, but if you’re already well ware of just how awesome the Micro:bit series is, then let’s dive straight into the cool new features that make the Micro:bit V2.21 even more functional, user-friendly, and enjoyable to use:

• Fresh New Interactive Senses – While the previous Micro:bit board was certainly amazing in the fact that it included integrated accelerometer and Magnetometer to detect motion and orientation, the V2.21 steps up this feature-set in a big way by also including sound and temperature sensing, as well as a touch-sensitive logo. This gives it a total of five different Sensors to play with, allowing you to create motion-based controls, clap-activated lighting, capacitive touch control, as well as unique interfacing by using a mix of all of these.
  
  
• Faster Processing & Better Communications – The next key upgrade that we love about the Micro:bit V2.21 is the upgrade of the onboard radio capabilities, going from Bluetooth BLE 4.0 to BLE 5.0. This greatly enhances the reliability of radio communications, extends the maximum distance, reduces the power consumption and allows for more simultaneous data throughput. So, while this may sound like gibberish to some, what it essentially means is that the Bluetooth on the V2.21 is improved in almost every way, while also helping to future-proof the board too.
  
  
• Improved Connectors for Easier Interfacing – The last feature that we want to talk about is the improvement to the connection interfaces and power delivery techniques in this board, as these allow for a better user experience. In terms of the connectors, the V2.21 features notched ring connectors that help to prevent mistakes and short-circuits by keeping croc clips securely centred on the large pads. This is quite important, especially around the external power pins, as it’s easy to make a mistake and short two pads together when using large connectors, and shorting pins could easily result in popped components or blown modules, ultimately leading to an immediately halt in fun and sudden, unnecessary disappointment. Fortunately, with notched connectors, croc clips and other large connectors can stay securely centred once connected, preventing shorts and keeping your circuits safe and happy.

Of course, while we could go on for hours about just how awesome the Micro:bit V2.21 Educational Development Board is, we instead invite you to take a few minutes to browse through the original Micro:bit page featured in the additional resources sections down below, as they have loads of fun beginner-friendly videos, tutorials, guides and other handy resources to help you understand precisely what you (or a soon-to-be electronics learner) can expect with this awesome Micro:bit Development Board for Learning, Experimentation, Education & Fun.

Additional Resources:

• To find out more about Micro:bit and their fantastic focus on helping anyone and everyone learn about electronics and microprocessor control, check out the Official Micro:bit Website, where you can find tutorials, guides, demonstrations and many more great resources for learning about and using Micro:bit Educational STEM Boards.
  
  
• Next up, to get a nice explanation of each of the unique features that the Micro:bit V2.21 STEM Board offers, check out this Micro:bit Features-In-Depth Page, which includes a variety of fun videos that explain everything in a nice and easy to understand way.
  
  
• Finally, To ensure that learning is made easy and fun, Micro:bit have also created this amazing Micro:bit Online Coding Platform, where you can write simplified code for your Micro:bit boards, find cool projects to build with your boards, as well as find tutorials on how to use all kinds of onboard and external sensors and modules.

To experience the fun learner-friendly style while exploring some of the key elements that make this dev’ board so awesome, the following video made by BBC gives a great run-down of what you can expect to find on the Micro:bit V2.21, and how these features can be used for learning, experimentation and just plain fun:

An open source brand with a heart for computer education, Micro:Bit began with the release of their small development board in 2016. The brand shot into teacher’s classrooms and into the hands of children and adults alike, who were ready to learn. The Micro:Bit board does everything in the most tangible way, allowing you to learn practically at every step. Soon, the Microbit Education Foundation sprung to life and produced a website full of free educational resources and lesson plans. Students have the chance to create games, explore coding and design robotics projects. All with the help of Micro:Bit’s easy to understand educational platform! We stock an array of Micro:Bit products, including full educational kits and robotics projects for you to build. Let Micro:Bit bring fun to your first ever electronics project, and enjoy embarking on a whole new creative journey.