A free preview

Lessons for the EVN ALPHA and its simulator: programming a robot in MicroPython, step by step. This page is open to everyone; the lessons themselves need a licence key that unlocks them.

Module 1 · Hello, EVN

Your first hour with the EVN ALPHA and its tools, on a board or on the simulator. No Python experience needed.

Meet the EVN ALPHAWhat is on the board, and what each part is for.
Find your way around evn.coresg.techThe menu, search, and reading the API reference.
Download and install the extensionThe VSIX from Downloads, installed in VS Code.
Connect a board, or open the simulatorPython and mpremote, the firmware, or the simulator panel.
Hello, EVN!Your first program, the terminal, the prompt, and your first error message.
Light it upThe LED, wait(), loops, and the module challenge: SOS.

Module 2 · Obstacle course

The first challenge: get the robot from the start to the goal, around obstacles, in three levels. The simulator runs your program several times from slightly different starts and scores every run on speed and reliability; you hand in a sealed submission your teacher re-runs to check. From here on, every module is a challenge.

A taste

The first program of the module, the whole of it:

print("Hello, EVN!")

By the end of the module you program the robot's light:

from evn import led, wait

for i in range(5):
    led.on()
    wait(200)
    led.off()
    wait(200)