SparkFun gator:microphone Hookup Guide

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Contributors: santaimpersonator, Englandsaurus
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Introduction

Do you have an audio based science experiment?

SparkFun gator:microphone - micro:bit Accessory Board

SparkFun gator:microphone - micro:bit Accessory Board

SEN-15289
$7.50

The gator:microphone is a small board that combines a microphone and some processing circuitry. It provides not only an audio output, but also a binary indication of the presence of sound, and an analog representation of it's amplitude.

Required Materials

To get started, you'll need a micro:bit to control everything. Each of the products below includes a micro:bit, but the kit and bundle also include some additional accessories that you may want as well.

micro:bit Board

DEV-14208
10 Retired

micro:bit Go Bundle

DEV-14336
18 Retired

SparkFun Inventor's Kit for micro:bit

KIT-15228
2 Retired

To easily use the gator board ecosystem, a gator:bit (v2) will help breakout the necessary pins and you will also need alligator and/or banana cables to connect the gator:bit to the gator:microphone.

Alligator Test Leads - Multicolored (10 Pack)

Alligator Test Leads - Multicolored (10 Pack)

PRT-12978
$3.50
4
SparkFun gator:bit v2.0 - micro:bit Carrier Board

SparkFun gator:bit v2.0 - micro:bit Carrier Board

DEV-15162
$21.50
2
Banana to Banana Cable - Right Angle

Banana to Banana Cable - Right Angle

CAB-15368
$4.95 $4.46
1

(*These banana cables have a special diameter on the attachment points designed specifically for use with the micro:bit ecosystem. They may or may not be compatible with the banana cables used on your test equipment.)

You may already have some of these materials, so feel free to modify your cart as necessary.

Suggested Reading

The gator:microphone is pretty straight forward to use in application. However, you may find the following concepts useful along the way.

Logic Levels

Learn the difference between 3.3V and 5V devices and logic levels.

I2C

An introduction to I2C, one of the main embedded communications protocols in use today.

Sound Detector Hookup Guide

The Sound Detector is a microphone with a binary output. This guide explains how it works and how you can use it in your projects.

Electret Mic Breakout Board Hookup Guide

An introduction to working with the Electret Mic Breakout Board.

Qwiic 12-Bit ADC Hookup Guide

Need to add more analog inputs for your project? Check out the Qwiic 12-bit ADC.

If you aren't familiar with the micro:bit, we recommend reading here for an overview.

We would also recommend taking a look at the following tutorials if you aren't familiar with them.

Getting Started with the micro:bit

The BBC micro:bit is a compact, powerful programming tool that requires no software installation. Read on to learn how to use it YOUR way!

How to Load MicroPython on a Microcontroller Board

This tutorial will show you how to load the MicroPython interpreter onto a variety of development boards.

SparkFun gator:bit v2 Hookup Guide

The gator:bit v2 is a breakout board for the BBC micro:bit. The gator:bit exposes almost every pin on the micro:bit to clippable pad with circuit protection. It also has as built-in addressable LEDs and a built-in buzzer.