¶ Supported Boards
MicroBlocks runs on dozens of microcontroller boards.
This page highlights supported boards that are especially useful for learners and educators. These boards are carefully tested by the MicroBlocks team. The MicroBlocks firmware can be installed on them directly from the MicroBlocks IDE, and they are suitable for beginners with no prior experience with microcontrollers.
In addition to the supported boards listed on this page, MicroBlocks runs on dozens of other boards. Those boards are for users comfortable with compiling and installing software on microcontrollers, and they are not as frequently tested as the supported boards.
Some boards support drag-and-drop firmware updates (or other command-line tools) and you can find some pre-compiled firmware images in the vm folder of the website. For others, you will need to compile and install the MicroBlocks firmware yourself using PlatformIO or the Arduino IDE. The source code and compilation instructions can be found here.
The list of all supported boards can be found in the platformio.ini file. Firmware can be easily compiled and installed to any board using PlatformIO:
pio run -e <env_board_name> -t upload
Additional technical information about boards (e.g., special purpose pins) can be found here.
¶ BBC micro:bit v1 and v2 ($18)
The micro:bit is one of the most popular microcontroller boards for education. Over five million micro:bits have been distributed in over sixty countries (ACM 2020) and the micro:bit Educational Foundation reported that over twenty million students have used micro:bits as of 2019. That number is higher now.
The micro:bit has a rich set of features, including two buttons, a 5x5 LED array that can display graphics and text, a radio that supports peer-to-peer messaging, and sensors for light, motion, and temperature. The micro:bit also has an edge connector that allows additional devices to be connected if desired, but adding components is not necessary. The many built in features of the micro:bit allow beginners to do interesting things immediately without wiring. That simplicity allows the micro:bit to be used by elementary school children (grades 3-5) as well as teens and adults. The micro:bit has a low floor and a high ceiling.
MicroBlocks supports both the original micro:bit and the new micro:bit v2, which adds a speaker, microphone, touch sensor, and other improvements to the original design.
¶ Calliope mini ($50)
The Calliope mini is a German variant of the micro:bit, with a few changes and extensions. The most obvious change is the shape of the board, which was optimized for use with alligator clips. The Calliope mini also has a built-in speaker, a microphone, and an RGB LED. While it lacks the micro:bit's edge connector, it has two Grove connectors for connecting additional components.
In the US, the Calliope mini is available from Adafruit.
¶ Circuit Playground Express and Bluefruit ($25)
Circuit Playground Express Circuit Playground Bluefruit
The Adafruit Circuit Playground Express and Circuit Playground Bluefruit are also popular with educators. These boards feature a set of buttons and sensors similar to those of the micro:bit, but replace the 5x5 LED display with a circle of 10 programmable RGB LED "NeoPixels" than can be used to create colorful, eye-catching animations. These boards also have good built-in speakers and eight alligator-clip friendly GPIO pins. Less obviously, these boards have beefy power supplies that can drive multiple external devices such as servo motors or NeoPixels strips. THat makes these boards especially useful in art projects.
The Circuit Playground Bluefruit (but not the Express) has a radio that can communicate with the micro:bit and Calliope mini.
¶ Citilab ED1 (€38.50-€45.00)
The ED1 board and the related robot kit were developed by the Citilab Cornellà EduLab specifically for K-12 education. EduLab has led workshops for thousands of school children using MicroBlocks on the ED1.
Over the past several years, the ED1 board and robot kit have gone through multiple design-and-test cycles, and it shows. Their robot uses stepper motors (the motor controller is built into the board) for precision. As a result, it can turn and move by exact amounts and, when dragging a pen, is capable of drawing geometric figures accurately.
The ED1 has a 128x128 color display that can be used to display text and graphics. There is even a Logo Turtle library for it. The display can simulate the micro:bit's 5x5 LED display, so the ED1 can run micro:bit programs. The board includes a nice built-in speaker, six touch buttons, motion, light, and temperature sensors, an IR receiver, and a set of GPIO pins for connecting additional devices.
Finally, the ED1 supports WiFi. Using MicroBlocks libraries, you can create a simple HTTP server that you can use to remotely control the ED1 from a web browser or from a Snap! program.
¶ Raspberry Pi Pico and Pico W (RP2040) ($4)
Raspberry Pi Pico and Pico W (RP2040)
The $4 Raspberry Pi Pico RP2040 module is bare-bones: the only built-in peripheral is a user-LED. But because it provides a powerful processor at an extremely low price, this module forms the core of many other boards that provide a wide range of peripherals and functionality. One of our favorites is the new PicoBricks board from Robotistan.
MicroBlocks also supports the $5 Pico W, which includes a WiFi chip.
¶ Adafruit Clue ($40)
When it first appeared, the Adafruit Clue was featured on the cover of Make: magazine. Like the ED1, it has a color display (240x240) and speaker. It also has an impressive collection of built in sensors (motion, magnetometer, proximity/light/color/gesture, sound, humidity, temperature, and barometric pressure/altitude) and features a radio that can interoperate with the micro:bit. A useful feature of the Clue is a micro:bit-compatible edge connector that allows the Clue to take advantage of the many extension boards created for the micro:bit.
¶ M5Stack Core Grey ($40-50)
M5Stack's products feature plastic cases that make them look more like consumer products than most microcontroller boards. The M5Stack Core series features a large color display (320x240), three buttons, speaker, WiFi, and a built-in rechargeable battery. A set of GPIO pins are accessible through slots in the sides of the unit. Some models also include a motion sensor.
Note: The M5Stack product line changes frequently. The original M5Stack Gray, Black, and Basic Core models have been discontinued, and MicroBlocks does not yet run on the new Core2 model that has replaced them.
¶ ESP8266 ($4) and ESP32 ($8)
Created by the Chinese company Espressif, the ESP8266 and ESP32 are WiFi-enabled microcontroller modules used by the WiFi-capable boards listed above. But ESP modules are also available as inexpensive bare-bones boards designed for electronics hobbyists such as the NodeMCU (left), ESP-32S (center) and Wemos d1 mini (right). Such boards don't have much built in -- at most a single programmable button and one or two LED's. They are designed to be plugged into an electronics prototyping board and connected to additional components.
Since some wiring is required to make these boards do interesting things, they have a steeper learning curve for beginners than the other boards listed here.
However, their low cost and WiFi capabilities makes these boards useful for advanced students or makers who want to explore IoT applications. It's a good idea to check reviews before buying one of these boards. Some boards are too wide to be conveniently used in electronic prototyping boards while others lack USB-serial chips.
¶ Discontinued Boards
The following boards will be phased out as supported boards in 2023.
Although users will no longer be able to install the firmware for these boards directly from the MicroBlocks UI, it will still be possible to build and install the firmware using PlatformIO or the Arduino IDE.
If you are an educator using these boards and this will be a problem for you, please email interest@microblocks.fun to discuss.
¶ M5 StickC Plus ($20)
The M5 StickC Plus features a tiny color display (160x80), a motion sensor, two buttons, an IR transmitter, WiFi, and a small rechargeable battery. Small and light, the M5 StickC Plus can be worn on the wrist and used to create your own fitness device or smart watch.
Note: The M5 StickC Plus replaces the original M5 StickC, which has been discontinued.
¶ M5 Atom Matrix ($10)
The M5 Atom Matrix is tiny -- only one inch (24 mm) square! Instead of a display screen, it has a 5x5 grid of programmable RGB LED's and the entire top is a button (but that's the only button). It has a built-in motion sensor, an IR transmitter, and WiFi, but it does not have a built-in battery.