What is MakeCode?
MakeCode is a web-based code editor for physical computing made by Microsoft.
What does that mean for you? It means you can program your Circuit Playground Express to do almost anything you can dream up right from a website! You can code with blocks similar to the language Scratch, or you can do more advanced coding with Javascript. We'll be sticking to the block-based programming for this project.
More on MakeCode for Adafruit boards here.
Install the MakeCode CRICKIT Extension
Before we start programming, let's make sure you have the CRICKIT extension installed in MakeCode.
Detailed instructions on how to do that can be found in this guide.
Create a New Project with MakeCode
Head over to https://makecode.adafruit.com/ and create a new project.
Click the button below to access the code for this project.
- In a
forever loop, we call play the "Jingle Bells" tune by calling thejingle functions. As it's a forever loop, this code block loops forever regardless of other events that happen in the code! - When capacitive touch
input A3on the CPX is touched, we want to move the DC motor at25% speedfor5 seconds, then stop. - The "Jingle Bells" tune can be separated into 3 parts. The song starts with part 1, then goes to part 2, then back to part 1 then ends with part 3 before repeating again. Creating functions for these song parts then "calling" the functions later allows us to have much cleaner looking and more organized code. It also allows us to reduce the amount of code needed for the project making the program more efficient!
Uploading the Code
Now that we have the code for the project, we need to upload it to the CPX.
Let's name our file and download it.
- Choose a name at the bottom of the page.
- Then click the pink Download button.
Follow the directions and connect your CPX to your computer via the USB cable. Click the CPX Reset button once to go into programming mode (all NeoPixels will turn green).
In some cases, you may need to press the reset button twice to get into programming mode.
Next, look for the file in your downloads folder and drag it onto your CPLAYBOOT drive that should have showed up in your file manager/finder when you plugged in your board and entered programming mode.
You should now see the CPLAYBOOT drive disappear.
Power up CRICKIT
Connect CRICKIT to power with the 5V DC power cable and be sure the tiny on/off switch next to the black power input jack is on.
The code should now be running so try it out!
- When the board is powered up, the LED should turn and and "Jingle Bells" should start playing.
- When the tin foil is touched, the DC motor should move for five seconds.
If you are having issues getting things to work check out this extended guide here.
