So far we have learned how to:
- Output a signal from a Microbit to an output device (e.g. turning on an LED)
- Receive a signal from an input device (e.g. Pressing a push button)
But how to we send signals from one Microbit to another? Well it’s quite easy!
You simply need to connect an output from one Microbit to the input of another Microbit and vise versa!
Wired networking is great, but what if we want to communicate wirelessly? In this case we can use the Microbit’s on board radio transmitter to transmit data!
The Microbit’s on-board radio in mainly used for transmitting using Low energy Bluetooth, but it can be set up to transmit in a much simpler ‘shockburst’ radio mode.
Advantages of Microbit Shockburst mode:
- Simple to set up, you just specify a network group
- Can communicate with multiple devices at once.
Disadvantages of Microbit Shockburst mode
- Can only transmit strings and integers natively
- No encryption built in, so communication can be intercepted
- No authentication so Microbit identity can be ‘spoofed’
Features of Shockburst radio
- Operating distance – up to 20m
- Transmission rate – 1Mbps
Source – Lancaster University
