I can’t be the first person to try this, but I’m trying to get a Microbit to act as a digital “egg” for an egg drop contest. I have linked the code here, and I think it works (at least it does most of the time), but I’m adding it in case someone sees something I don’t.
The issue is that half the time I drop it, the Microbit resets. I think this is because the batteries in the battery pack jiggle loose on impact. I have them in a cardboard sleeve that has paper towels to absorb the shock, but it still isn’t good enough. I’ve been trying to find solutions everywhere, but I’m just finding suggestions that aren’t strong enough to keep the batteries inside the packets.
Here’s a video of the way I’m packing the digital “eggs.”
This is super cool! I’ll see if the rest of the team has insights about this as well, but I’m wondering if it’s possible that on some drops, the sleeve is hitting the reset button? From the video, it looks like you have a decent gap cut out in the sleeve, but maybe if it lands just right, it gets pressed?
It certainly is possible, but for a couple of reasons, I think it’s the battery. The first reason is that I’ve made about 1/2 dozen of these things, in a similar way, some with even bigger gaps, and the issue is pretty consistent.
The other reason is I’ve kind of solved it. Or at least found a few workarounds. I noticed that a small phone charger plugged into the USB port of the microbit works perfectly. It did, however, end up breaking off the accelerometer on one of my Microbits, so I’m trying to think of a way to protect it better before trying something like that again. I have a battery pack from Forward Education that I just secured the Microbit with tape, and that also works. So, if you have some of those resources, you can make a better version of the module I show off in the video. It’s bulkier though.
The fix that works with just what’s supplies in the Microbit kit is to use hot glue to secure the batteries in. a strupe below each battery, and one between the two batteries when they’re both settled into the pack. I don’t know how long this solution will work, but it seems pretty solid. I was able, with some difficulty, to remove batteries that had died from a pack I was testing with, and the battery pack is still usable. I’m going to remake the video I posted above, and include what I found out, as well as a cautionary tale about protecting the accelerometer. At least until someone has a better idea.
You want to expose the micro:bit to extreme g forces. You don’t want to expose the battery pack to extreme g forces. Therein lies the problem.
One solution is to get long thin wires to make an extension cord for the battery pack. Long enough to reach from the drop to the landing.
Another solution is to get a Power:bit from Elecfreaks. $5.90 USD. The button batteries are held very tight. Actually too tight. It should hold up at least as well as micro:bit itself.
at 10-15 feet drop, I’m not sure an extension cord would be practical (although it probably would work)
That board looks pretty interesting. I’ll look into it. I know that Forward Education has a rechargeable battery pack for about $6.00. Since it doesn’t work on AAA batteries that are spring-loaded, it would probably work better.
One thing I noticed was that USB charging ports work really well, but they make the packet a bit bulky. I had some success as well with hot glue in the battery packs. A little messy, but fully removable, with effort. I’m going to redo the video I posted with this updated information.