Atmospheric Pressure Sensor with micro:bit

Get readings from an atmospheric pressure sensor and the micro:bit

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Written By: Cherie Tan
)">

Difficulty

Easy

Steps

11

Time Required

Introduction

A barometric pressure sensor can measure the air pressure and temperature around you. 

In this guide, we will connect a BMP280 barometric pressure sensor to the micro:bit, and program it using MakeCode. 

Complete this guide to start getting pressure and altitude readings with the BMP280 and micro:bit.

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    • Before we begin, let's take a closer look at the atmospheric pressure sensor module. It has 6 pins, but we will only be using 4 of them today:

      3.3V  :  'VCC' stands for Voltage Common Collector. We'll connect the VCC pin to 3.3V on the micro:bit

      GND: In electronics, we define a point in a circuit to be a kind of zero volts or 0V reference point, on which to base all other voltage measurements. This point is called  ground or GND.

      Serial Clock (SCL)

      Serial Data (SDA)

    • Voltage is the difference in potential between two points. As it is difficult to talk about voltage without a reference point, we need another point to compare it to. 

    • Let's get started with coding! Open up the MakeCode editor.

    • Then, click on 'New Project ...' 

    • Click on Advanced 

    • Click on Extensions 

    • Type this in the search box: bmp280 

    • Click on the magnifying glass icon to search

    • Click on BMP280 package and it will be automatically added to the MakeCode editor

  8. let pressure = 0
let temp = 0
basic.forever(function () {
    temp = BMP280.temperature()
    pressure = BMP280.pressure()
    basic.showNumber(temp)
    basic.showNumber(pressure)
    basic.pause(1000)
})

    • Copy and paste this code into the Javascript interface 

  9. let pressure = 0
let temp = 0
basic.forever(function () {
    temp = BMP280.temperature()
    pressure = BMP280.pressure()
    basic.showNumber(temp)
    basic.showString("degree Celsius")
    basic.showNumber(pressure)
    basic.showString("Pa")
    basic.pause(1000)
})

    • Replace the existing code in the Javascript interface with the following.

    • The temperature reading here will be in Degree Celsius (°C)

    • The pressure reading will be in Pascals (Pa).

    • When you upload this code, there will be two readings on the micro:bit's LED screen, first the temperature in degree Celsius, and the second will be the atmospheric pressure in Pascals.

  10. let t = 0
let prev_p = 0
let p = 0
let damping = 0
damping = 15
prev_p = Math.round(BMP280.pressure() / damping)
basic.forever(function () {
    p = Math.round(BMP280.pressure() / damping)
    t = BMP280.temperature()
    if (p == prev_p) {
        basic.showArrow(ArrowNames.East)
    } else {
        if (p < prev_p) {
            basic.showArrow(ArrowNames.North)
        } else {
            basic.showArrow(ArrowNames.South)
        }
    }
    prev_p = p
    basic.pause(500)
})

    • We've talked about air pressure and temperature. Now let's look at the relationship between air pressure and height or altitude.

    • Air pressure decreases with increasing altitude or height. To see this for yourself, first, paste this code into the Javascript interface.

    • Air pressure is also how drones detect their height and stay stable in the air! 

    • See how  air pressure changes as you move the Micro:bit up and down. 

      When it is not raised, an arrow pointing east will be shown

      Raise it about a meter high up and the arrow will be pointing north

      Bring it back down and the arrow will be pointing south

    • To upload the MakeCode to the micro:bit, first connect the micro:bit to your computer using a microUSB cable

    • Over in MakeCode, click on the Download button on the bottom left-hand corner 

    • Find the hex file in the Downloads folder or wherever you might have moved it to

    • Open up Finder on the MacOS or Explorer on Windows, and drag the hex file into MICROBIT under 'Devices' on the macOS.

    • While the code is uploading, the micro:bit will flash for a few seconds. You should then see the temperature and pressure readings scrolling across the 5x5 LED matrix!