First steps

This activity is part of the Citilab Course. Check it out!

Microblocks is a free programming environment that allows working with different electronic boards (Citilab ED1, micro:bit, M5Stack-Core, micro:STEAMaker, etc.) and robots (3dBot, CoCube, ED1 Fantàstic, etc).
The code is visualized on the computer but executed directly on the board. This means that it can be disconnected and continue to function without any additional operation.
It is available both to install on different systems (Windows, MacOS, Linux) and to use it online. There are also versions available to download and run without the need to install (standalone executables).
The web version has the advantage of always being up to date. The downloadable versions detect boards automatically and are faster.

The same block on different boards

ED1 front view

ED1 back view

Download the program directly from here or go to the web version (a recent version of Chrome or compatible is required).
With some boards you need to install a driver in case the system does not detect the board automatically. In the case of the ED1, this driver is needed.
If the board is not prepared for microBlocks, it's necessary to install the corresponding firmware with the option update firmware on board on configuration menu .
Once the computer detects it, the program should automatically connect to the board. In the web version, the connection must be made manually by clicking on the Connect button. In this case a menu appears that requires you to connect via USB via Bluetooth BLE or open Boardie. For now, choose USB, the rest of the options will be explained later.

Like many block programming environments, we have a palette of blocks divided into categories.

We will start by using the display block of LED Display category by taking it and dragging it to the programming area.
We will also take the "when started" block from the Control category and connect it to the previous one.
Click on the start button or the when started button the to see how it works.
Unplug the board, connect it to a power source and turning it off and on to check that the program has indeed been saved on it.

Let's start programming

Challenge

Solution to challenge 1

Solution challenge 1

If we want to repeat an action several times, for example making a drawing change to perform an animation, we can use the iteration blocks like forever or repeat _ (among others) that we have in the Control category.

forever and repeat blocks

You will also need to wait a little between the blocks to give time to visualize the changes on the screen, otherwise it will happen too quickly and you won't be able to appreciate it.

Wait block

Challenge

Solution to challenge 2

Solution challenge 2

There are other repetition blocks that are also very useful, such as the repeat until _ and the for i in _ block.
In the first, the repetition is repeated until a condition occurs, for example if we press a button on the board.

repeat until block

In the case of the second, the value of i will start at 1 and will grow at each iteration until reaching the established value (by default 10). It is also used to iterate through lists, as we will see later.

for i in block

Challenge accepted

Solution to challenge 3

Solution challenge 3 a

And also:

Solution challenge 3 b

For this board we have a library available to use the buttons. If it is not loaded automatically, we can add it by clicking on the button(Add Library) and going to Kits and Boards→ED1 Buttons.
Buttons return a digital value (true or false) represented as a green or red switch. This type of block can be inserted into any other block that has the slot represented in the same way.