Tutorial: Serial Communication on Pi / Arduino / micro:bit (#87)

Hands-on demonstration and tutorial on using serial communications to communicate between micro-controllers.

1 Connecting micro:bit to micro:bit (using micropython)
2.Connecting micro:bit to Raspberry Pi (Raspbian and Python)

I describe the way that serial works on the wire, and capture some traffic using the logic analyzer, so we can see how the data is actually organized.

You can find the code for the three platforms on my Github:

Thanks all for your continued interest in my channel !

[ronnifletcher]

Thanks for sharing this, I've searched for days to try to find how to export my weather:bit via serial to a wemos d1 mini. I'm feeling a lot more confident now :D

[danielrichardson]

Really Helpful with my current project which is building a voice command powered robotic arm. so thanks a lot

[visualkandi]

Very interesting and more so with the Logic Analyser. Great to see you showing 'different' devices getting along and chatting! I have some sensors that run on '1wire', temperature sensors if I am remembering correctly, having a basic understanding of how things communicate helps tremendously with troubleshooting. Smashing video and thanks for taking the time.

[georgestewart]

Good video Martyn, nice simple explanation and easy to follow. Thanks for taking the time.

[gregconti]

excellent - packed with detail, calm. I need a 'hello world' from MicroBit to MIT AI2 using the block programming environments they offer. So useful for dyslexic programmers ! Anyone got anything to work??

[t.n.]

Good video, for real ! Thanks a lot. From A to Z, explained in detail.

[premprasad]

Excellent explanation.
Can you please make a video explaining how to communicate between python on the pc and python on the microbit. I need this to create a graphical user interface in guizero (or someother library) to control the gpio pins of the microbit

[somerandompersonontheinter]

thanks mate this was a really helpful explanation

[valentijn]

Great video explaining serial communication. But if I were to use an Arduino Nano, whose TX and RX pins run at 5V could I just use a resistor to lower the voltage down to 3.3V? Or would that interfere with the signal and render it useless? Thanks

[mitsuperboy]

Hi Martyn
I'm not a C or Python person, but I'm trying to read a Walt Disney World Magicband with a Mini RFID RC522 and I have got the Arduino code working with your bit of code inside. The example for the RC255. But I'm trying to rebulid your code in Makecode Blocks for the Microbit, but the Arduino seems to be either not sending to Microbit or the Microbit is Not receiving from the Arduino. Please can you help me wth this?
If it did work I would be looking into using it with a Pi as well in FUZE BASIC in the future...

[gartmorn]

Thanks for the tutorial it was really well explained. If you're looking for suggestions for tutorial type videos I'd love one on pic chips and programming. I've got a pic 2 programmer and a few chips but find the programming instructions hard to follow and have never felt confident enough to actually try to use it!

[edwintoapanta]

hello, I would like to know if can define any pin as rx or tx for uart connection. thanks