Adafruit CRICKIT for micro:bit

A friends to help you making robot with the Micro:bit

If you want to create your own robot friends then you are on the right page. Crickit is here to transform you favorite programming plateform into a robotic enabled plateform!

If you are wanting a companion, consider creating your own Johnny 5 robot. Robot are fun to program and open to your creativity (they will not complaint about the color used to paint him).

Adafruit designed Crickit to as a Creative Robotics & Interactive Construction Kit and this one is the perfect add-on to the BBC's micro:bit to create your friend by using MakeCode or Arduino.

Plug your Micro:bit into the Crickit 40 pin connector (it is a edge connector) and start controlling motors, servos, solenoids. Crickit also offers signal pins, a NeoPixel driver, several capacitive touch sensors and amplified output to wire a speaker. The crickit extends the functionnalities of your Micro:bit, you can still use all the features of your Micro:bit but now, woaw... you also get a lot of robotic oriented features.

Remark: at this stage, the Crickit is only supported on MakeCode and Arduino. MicroPython is not supported yet!

Under the hood, the crickit is powered by SeeSaw, an I2C multifunctionnal board created by Adafruit. Thanks to I2C, only 2 lines of signals are needed to control all the features of the Crickit board. The Seesaw on the Crickit board is like a co-processor handling the PWMs, sensors, timers, etc.

With Crickit, you get:

• 4x Digital Servo control - or Analog PWM output (with precision 16-bit timers)
• 2x DC motor control - Bi-directional , 1 Amp max each, speed control (with 8-bit PWM).
  The two output can be used to control one stepper.
• 4x High current output - using Darlington transistor to drive up 500mA with fly-back protection diode.
  Ideal for solenoids, relays, large LEDs or to control one uni-polar stepper.
• 4x Capacitive touch input with large hole to connect alligator clips.
• 8x Signal pins - those pins can be used either as digital in/out, either as analog inputs
• 1x NeoPixel output - a special driver to level up the NeoPixel signal to 5V.
  This driver is connected to micro:bit pin #16 allowing you to use the usual MakeCode block to control the pixels
• 1x audio amplifier - a Class D amplifier to drive 4-8 ohms speaker (3W max).
  This audio amplifier is wired on the pin #1 of the Micro:bit. So every song/sound played with MakeBlock will be automagically amplified on the Crickit board.
• All those goodness without the need to solder

5 Volts based board

All the feature are powered with 5V DC power supply. So this board can be used to propel 5V servos, 5V DC motors, steppers, 5V solenoids, 5V relays and so on.
There is no voltage mixing so this board is made to avoids fatal mistake. So remember 5V only (do not use with 9V or 12V robotic components).

eFuse protected board

Adafruit designed the board with a solid power supply system to minimize risk of damages.
So the Crickit can drive high-current devices safely.

The Crickit power supply have an 'eFuse' management chip that will automatically turn off:

• if the voltage goes above 5.5V
• If the voltage falls under 3V
• If the current goes over 4A (over-current protection @ 4A).

Every motor driver also have a fly-back protection diode.

Content

For each order, you will receive the Crickit completely assembled and tested.

To use this board, you will need additionnal component like a Micro:bit, a 5V power supply. A 5V 2 Amp power supply will do the job.
We recommend a 5V 4A power supply if you are planning to work with large motors or large servos.

You can also find motors, servos, solenoids and other goodies on our shop.