BBC Micro:bit with boosted specs and onboard mic to go on sale from next month
- Reference: 1602577809
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/10/13/updated_bbc_microbit/
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The latest revision of the open-source, credit-card-sized machine will offer a sizeable performance upgrade against its predecessor with RAM, storage, and processor speed all boosted. In addition, the board will arrive with a built-in speaker and microphone, as well as an onboard capacitive touch sensor.
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For the 2020 edition of the Micro:bit, the BBC has selected the [2]Nordic Semiconductor nRF52833 SoC as its microcontroller of choice. This is a major upgrade compared to the Nordic nRF51822 chip that shipped on the [3]previous bit . Storage is boosted from 256KB to 512KB. RAM is increased from 16KB to 128KB, and the Arm Cortex-M4 core operates at 64MHz – up from 16MHz.
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The BBC claimed this makes it more capable for AI and ML tasks, which the Micro:bit Educational Foundation has promised to support in the near-future via software and documentation.
Early tests have successfully shown the device working with Espruino and Tensorflow Lite, allowing the use of physical gesture recognition. Other experiments have shown the device using rudimentary voice recognition to identify specific custom keywords.
This added functionality and performance hasn't come at the expense of power efficiency, with the 2020 Micro:bit using less juice than its predecessor while performing tasks like capturing logs from any connected sensors. There's also an "off" switch, which allows users to turn off the device without having to manually unplug it, or disconnect a battery.
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The onboard speaker is based on a 9mm magnetic sounder, while the microphone is a Knowles MEMS sensor, which is accompanied by an LED light. This, the BBC said, is to help facilitate classroom discussions around privacy.
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One major change is found on the board's Micro:bit logo, which now houses a capacitive touch sensor. Similarly, the "edge connector", which handles GPIO, is also capable of registering touch inputs.
It also comes with banana crocodile clips to connect to more devices and sensors.
The BBC Micro:bit has its origins in [7]the BBC Micro computer . Harking back to 1981, the Acorn Computers-manufactured Micro introduced the nation to programming, thanks to its built-in BASIC interpreter and reasonably affordable price.
Hands on with the BBC's Micro:Bit computer. You know, for kids [8]READ MORE
The Micro:bit hasn't quite followed in those footsteps. It cannot, for example, be used as a standalone computer. Manufacturing has not been performed by the (long-defunct) Acorn Computers, but rather by another British-born ( [9]albeit American-owned ) tech institution: Farnell.
That said, times change, and the Micro:bit does fill an important niche. It's more approachable than an Arduino, and also cheaper and more straightforward than a Raspberry Pi. Collectively, this makes it ideal for low-stakes classroom computer science education, particularly in primary and early secondary classrooms. It's also [10]an excellent drone hijacking tool (we kid, we kid).
The 2020 Micro:bit will go on sale in November at the same launch price of its predecessor – £12.99. ®
Get our [11]Tech Resources
[1] https://regmedia.co.uk/2020/10/12/bbc_micro_bit_work2.jpg
[2] https://www.nordicsemi.com/Software-and-tools/Development-Kits/nRF52833-DK/GetStarted
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2016/03/22/bbc_microbit_kids_computer_first_look/
[4] https://regmedia.co.uk/2020/10/12/green_fringe_in_hands.jpg
[5] https://regmedia.co.uk/2020/10/12/crocs_micro_bit.jpg
[6] https://regmedia.co.uk/2020/10/12/kiddo_led_micro_bit.jpg
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2011/11/30/bbc_micro_model_b_30th_anniversary/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2016/03/22/bbc_microbit_kids_computer_first_look/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2016/08/22/datwyler_shrugs_in_defeat_as_avnet_set_to_acquire_premier_farnell/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2017/07/29/bbcs_microbit_drone_hijacking_tool/
[11] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
more capable for AI and ML tasks
To me that sounds very much like bandwagon-jumping marketing puff. Don't get me wrong, I think this is a cool little thing, and I'm sure that if I was a schoolkid now I'd be having as much fun with it as I had with the class' BBC Model B back in the day, but something like this as an engine for AI/ML has more than the faint whiff of bulls**t about it.
A whiff of BS like a cloud of teargas and AI/ML is no use whatsoever for the intended user base
More capable than near zero and still very near zero for AI/ML tasks - is about right.
Other than that, it's a good starting point for some fundamental computing concepts.
Not sure I agree - the examples given are all relevant ML/AI tasks, that can be performed in situ with no offload.
You dont always need a monster cluster to run ML. For education purposes creating a link between the basic stuff in the bit and the great slab of shiny that them/their parents are using for TouchID or FaceID isn't a bad thing.
Why BBC ?
This is a vanity project, they should have backed Raspberry Pi instead
Re: Why BBC ?
I only partially agree. I think they serve different use cases and different age groups. The beeb should back both.
If you think of the bit as a gateway drug to Pi-land it makes a lot of sense.
Re: Why BBC ?
This is a different class entirely. Where the Raspberry Pi runs a full-fletched operating system, this one remains transparent. You can have it start at address XY and write everything is has to do from there yourself.
The biggest improvement I’d like to see is an improved accellerometer, with a wider range of accellerations.
Oh, and it’d be nice to program it in BBC Basic - for old time’s sakes! Although I recognise that this is the most pointless improvement that they could make too.