MakeCode for Circuit Playground Express

MakeCode is this programming editor that runs in the Google Chrome web browser. It’s has an intuitive interface that’s both block based and text editor.

It works with Adafruit's Circuit Playground Express so you can make interactive projects with the on-board sensors and components. You can drag & drop blocks to make interactive programs using lights and sounds without having to solder or learning a new syntax.

You can alternatively upload code directly to the Circuit Playground Express with WebUSB, see the steps to do so here.

Setup Circuit Playground Express for MakeCode

To get started, we'll need to head over to the Adafruit MakeCode website and follow the steps below.

  1. Plug in your Circuit Playground Express with a USB Cable
  2. Press the RESET button. Green light means you're ready to MakeCode
  3. Download the UF2 file and drop it onto CPLAYBOOT.

Upload and Test Code

Once you have your CPX setup with the MakeCode UF2, try testing it out by uploading the code to the board.

Click the link below to open up the program in MakeCode. Click on the pink edit icon near the top of the title to open the code.

This will create a project in MakeCode and allow you to edit, modify and upload the code to the board.

on start block

when the CPX is turned on do the following

set strip

setup an external neopixel strip on the A0 pad of the circuit playground express

set brightness 

adjust the brightness of the LEDs on board the Circuit Playground

strip set  brightness 

adjust the brightness of the NeoPixel Strip 

strip set all pixels to (color)

on the strip, set LEDs to Orange

set all pixels to (color)

on the CPX, set LEDs to Purple

 

This guide was first published on Feb 19, 2019. It was last updated on Feb 19, 2019.

This page (Code) was last updated on Feb 19, 2019.

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