Micro:Maqueen Plus V2 – Advanced STEM Educational Robot for Micro:bit

If you’re a robotics enthusiast or have been looking for a way to become one for a while now, you’ll know that the complexities of robotics often result in the classic question, “Where do I even start?” Fortunately, while in the past we had to go to university or get employed by a company just to get a taste of robotics, nowadays we have access to everything we need to enjoy Hobbyist Electronics and robotics in the comfort of our own homes. All kinds of incredible Modules, components, embedded systems and microcontrollers are accessible to us through fantastic brands like Micro:Bit. Awesome Robotics Kits like this one help make learning and experimentation both easy and affordable, allowing us all to enjoy the wonders and marvels that are modern-day electronics and Robotics.

The Micro:Maqueen Plus V2 is a reasonably Advanced STEM Educational Robot designed especially for the Micro:bit Educational Development Board. It is built to make learning and experimentation as easy and accessible as possible. Unlike the Micro:Maqueen Plus version 1, this Micro:Maqueen Plus V2 arrives partially assembled, with only the SR04 ultrasonic left to install. Many small and big improvements set this version apart as an optimized kit for learners of all things Robotics. The Micro:Maqueen Plus V2 caters for high school students, college students and workshops. So, as you can expect, this kit includes advanced features nearly identical to the Micro:Maqueen Plus V1 for students to learn about power, diverse operations, upgradability, Sensors and modules. However, the Micro:Maqueen Plus V2 is streamlined for convenience. The major differences include a frosted acrylic protective bottom plate, a drop from 6 line-tracking sensors to 5 for more convenient programming, a change to the easy-to-instal SR04 Ultrasonic sensor, and 4 added RGB ambient lights with LED car lights. With the incredible Micro:bit online resources, work your way up to becoming the Robot Overlord you’ve always dreamed of being.

The Awesome Features of the Micro:Maqueen Plus V2 STEM Robot:

In terms of the functionality, there’s a lot that the Micro:Maqueen Plus V2 has to offer, so to start, we invite you to take a look through the Micro:Maqueen Plus V1 Description to get a basic idea, and on this page, we’ll go over what’s improved, added and integrated to make this kit even more exciting than the V1 edition:

• More Durable and Reliable – Utilising the same steady smooth motors of the previous Maqueen, the Micro:Maqueen Plus V2 also benefits from proper mechanical structurethat allow it to take a reasonable amount of force in terms of carry-weight, impacts and other real-world stresses. In addition to that, this version of the Maqueen robot employs a frosted acrylic protective plate to reinforce the bottom of the machine.
• Preassembled to Start Quickly with Optimized Programming – The Micro:Maqueen Plus V2 is partially preassembled, which means the car body and components are already put together. The separate SR04 Ultrasonic sensor is easy to install. All you need is to plug in your Micro:bit Development Board to get started right away! To help you practice your optimized programming, the Micro:Maqueen Plus V2 includes 5 line-tracking sensors with one-key calibration.
• More LED’s and Expansion Interfaces – The Maqueen Plus V2 takes it to the next level, with seven general purpose I/O expansion ports for adding inputs, outputs, sensors and other components, two 3.3V and one 5V I2C ports for even more serial modules, as well as three dedicated 5V servo ports for all kinds of mechanical addons like turrets, scoops, cranes and much more.
• Diverse Upgradability – Finally, as if to add the proverbial cherry on top of the metaphorical sundae, the Micro:Maqueen Plus V2 has a bigger body than its previous version, making expansion methods more flexible. One notable option is the HuskyLens AI Camera which works so well with the Micro:Maqueen Plus V2 that includes two copper pillars for you to attach it easier. This robot kit also supports more than just the Micro:bit Series of MCUs, and is compatible with other development boards like Arduino and Espressif Systems. This lends itself well to those looking to advance their Robotics skills even further by tinkering with upgrades.

Please Note: This awesome little robot kit will require a microcontroller to work and is compatible with both the original Micro:Bit Dev’ Board, as well as the newer Micro:bit V2 Dev’ Board, so take a look at these and choose the one that suits you best so that you can operate your Micro:Maqueen Plus V2. Furthermore, this Plus variant of the Micro:Maqueen is also compatible with Arduino Boards and ESP32 Boards as well, allowing for even more versatile and personalised applications.

Additional Resources:

• Although we tried to touch on all of the key features in this description, we also invite you take a look through the original DFRobot Micro:Maqueen Plus V2 Product Page, as this page features a range of visual demonstrations, examples and other handy info to help you understand just how awesome this little (but powerful!) robot is.
• Next up, keep an eye on the Micro:Maqueen Plus V2 GitHub for useful guides, documents and tutorials.
• Finally, if you want to explore some of the finer details, take a minute to look through the DFRobot Micro:Maqueen Plus V2 Wiki Page, which goes quite in-depth into the cool features, as well as a Quick Start Guide to get your robot zooming around in no time.

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.