micro:bit Breakout Board Hookup Guide
Introduction
The micro:bit, by itself, offers a vast array of possibilities and potential projects, considering it includes an onboard
temperature sensor, accelerometer, compass, LED array, Bluetooth radio, and more. However, when you're ready
to branch out beyond those initial capabilities, like connecting to an SD card for logging, or taking advantage of
one of our many Qwiic boards, you'll need to break out some of the pins on the micro:bit's card edge connector.
For that, we've got you covered with the micro:bit Breakout Board.
SparkFun Qwiic micro:bit Breakout (with Headers)
BOB-16446
There's also a version without headers, if you care to solder your own or use wires instead.
Required Materials
To follow along with this project tutorial, you will need the following materials:
micro:bit Breakout Board Hookup Guide SparkFun Wish List
SparkFun Qwiic micro:bit Breakout (with Headers)
BOB-16446
The SparkFun micro:bit Breakout is a board that connects to the BBC micro:bit and expands the capabilities of the …
LED - RGB Diffused Common Cathode
COM-09264
(3)
EverResistor
hear of a 330
thingOhm
called1/6th
RGB?Watt
Red, PTH
Green, Blue? How about an RGB LED? These 5mm units have four pins - …
COM-08377
1/6th Watt, +/- 5% tolerance PTH resistors. Commonly used in breadboards and perf boards, these 330Ohm resist…
Breadboard - Self-Adhesive (White)
PRT-12002
This is your tried and true white solderless breadboard. It has 2 power buses, 10 columns, and 30 rows - a total of …
Jumper Wires - Connected 6" (M/M, 20 pack)
PRT-12795
These are 6" long jumper wires with male connectors on both ends. Use these to jumper from any female header o…
micro:bit Board
DEV-14208
The BBC micro:bit is a pocket-sized computer that lets you get creative with digital technology. Each order contains…
Suggested Reading
If you have not yet used the micro:bit, check out this guide first.
Getting Started with the micro:bit
MARCH 21, 2017
The BBC micro:bit is a compact, powerful programming tool that requires no
software installation. Read on to learn how to use it YOUR way!
If you aren't familiar with the Qwiic system and plan to use the Qwiic connectors on this breakout board, we
recommend reading here for an overview.
Qwiic Connect System
If you aren't familiar with the following concepts, we recommend checking out these tutorials before continuing.
How to Solder: Through-Hole Soldering
How to Use a Breadboard
This tutorial covers everything you need to know about
through-hole soldering.
Welcome to the wonderful world of breadboards. Here
we will learn what a breadboard is and how to use one
to build your very first circuit.
Resistors
Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs)
A tutorial on all things resistors. What is a resistor, how
do they behave in parallel/series, decoding the resistor
color codes, and resistor applications.
Learn the basics about LEDs as well as some more
advanced topics to help you calculate requirements for
projects containing many LEDs.
Hardware Overview
The micro:bit Breakout board allows you to utilize all of the pins on the micro:bit and opens up some previously
inaccessible communication ports, like I2C and SPI.
Pins
Most of the micro:bit's pins can be configured for one or more functions.
Pin
Function 1
Function 2
Description
GND
Ground
GND
Ground
3V3
3.3V
0
Analog In
Connected to large pin 0
1
Analog In
Connected to large pin 1
2
Analog In
Connected to large pin 2
3
Analog In
LED Column 1
Controls part of LED array
4
Analog In
LED Column 2
Controls part of LED array
5
Button A
Connected to Button A on micro:bit
6
LED Column 9
Controls part of LED array
7
LED Column 8
Controls part of LED array
8
Open GPIO pin
9
10
Analog In
11
12
LED Column 7
Controls part of LED array
LED Column 3
Controls part of LED array
Button B
Connected to Button B on micro:bit
Open GPIO pin
13
SCK
GPIO or SPI clock
14
MISO
GPIO or SPI MISO
15
MOSI
GPIO or SPI MOSI
16
Open GPIO pin
19
SCL
GPIO or I2 clock
20
SDA
GPIO or I2 data
Power Pin
The pin listed as 3V3 can be used as an input (regulated 3.3V, do not exceed 3.6V!) or an output if you plug a
battery pack or USB into the micro:bit.
LCn Pins
The pins labeled with LCn (e.g. LC1, LC8) refer to pins that are used to control the LED array on the front of the
micro:bit. You can use them as GPIO, but you'll often get weird patterns to show up on the LEDs, or when you
write to the LED array, you may see unexpected behavior. If you use them as GPIO, we recommend disabling the
LED display.
Qwiic Connectors
We've added a couple of Qwiic connectors on either side of the breakout board to take advantage of the I2C bus.
For more information on the qwiic system, head on over to the Qwiic Connect System Landing Page.
Board Outline
Click on the image for a closer view
Hardware Assembly
Attach Headers
If you have the version of the breakout board without headers, solder some breakaway headers to the board. You
can also solder wire directly to the breakout.
Build Example Circuit
Note: The micro:bit must be facing up in order to make electrical connections to the pins.
To begin, let's light up an RGB LED. Attach the micro:bit to the breakout board, place the breakout board onto a
breadboard, and connect an RGB LED through 330 Ω resistors. Use the image below to aid you in wire up the
circuit.
Remember, LEDs are polarized parts and can only work properly in one orientation. The longest leg of the LED
goes where the black GND wire is in the circuit.
Having a hard time seeing the circuit? Click on the wiring diagram for a closer look.
Example: Cycling Colors on an RGB LED
You can download the code from the emulator, or check out the project's page here:
Simulator
Blocks
JavaScript
on start
led enable
false
analog write pin
P6 (write only)
to
0
analog write pin
P8 (write only)
to
0
analog write pin
forever
P9 (write only)
to
0
for
index
from 0 to
Microsoft MakeCode
3071
Terms of Use
Privacy
Download
Copy the .hex file to your micro:bit drive, and you should see a fancy array of colors appear on your LED!
Resources and Going Further
With the micro:bit breakout board, you can start introducing more sensors, lights, and motors into your project! For
more information, check out these resources:
Schematic
Eagle Files
GitHub Hardware Repo
micro:bit Main Site
Microsoft MakeCode
MicroPython for micro:bit Editor
Qwiic Connect System
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