Running Your Script
Either copy and paste, or re-create the following code into your own MakeCode editor by clicking the
open icon in the upper right-hand corner of the editor. You can also just download this example by
clicking the download button in the lower right-hand corner of the code window.
Note:
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environment and simulated circuit!
Code to Note
Let’s take a look at the code blocks in this experiment.
If you are having a hard time viewing this code, click on the image above to get a better look!
A “variable” is a placeholder for values that may change in your code. You can create a variable
using th
Make
Variable
option underneath the Variables group. You can then name it, which then
creates a block for your given variable.
Set To
To store a value inside of your newly created variable you use the
set
to
block. The
set
to
block
allows you to select from a list of the variables that exist in your program and then add a value that
you want to store or set that variables to.
Analog Read
In this program you are reading the voltage from the potentiometer which is 0 to 3.3 volts. The
micro:bit reads that value as a 10 bit number which is a value range from 0 to 1023 using the
analog
read
block. The
analog
read
block is a value based block, meaning that you have to insert it into a
block with a matching shape. We insert it into the
set
to
block to store its value as a variable.
Analog Write
Just like the
analog
write
block the
analog
write
block deals with a range of values, but instead of
reading a pin as an input the
analog
write
block outputs an analog value to a pin. We see this as a
brightness range with this led, but it could be a tone from a buzzer, a motor speed, etc. We set our
analog output to the variable we stored the potentiometer value in.
What You Should See
You should twist the potentiometer. You will notice that the LED will get brighter or dimmer based on
the position of the potentiometer. If you turn the potentiometer all the way one direction it will be fully
on and the other end will be fully off.