Connecting the Circuit Playground or micro:bit to Your Browser: A Step-by-Step Guide

Table of Contents

Technical Requirements for Connecting Your Board

1. Use the Chrome or Microsoft Edge browser (version 90 or higher)

The Circuit Playground and micro:bit can connect directly with your browser (Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge) in the Code.org standalone Maker units and the Physical Computing unit in Computer Science Discoveries! Please make sure you have only one browser tab open that is attempting to connect to your board any time you are using Code.org Maker Toolkit. If you have multiple tabs open, close all but one and refresh the page.

All Chromebooks (version 90 or higher) and versions of Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge released since March 2021 (version 90 or higher) directly support the connection to Circuit Playground and micro:bit boards. If you have an older Chromebook or an older version of Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge, you will need to update the version to 90 or higher.

2. Install the required Firmata firmware onto the device.

Firmware is type of software that is installed on hardware devices like the Circuit Playground and micro:bit. Firmata is protocol that allows the computer to communicate with the device.

You can check to see if you have the required Firmata firmware by going to https://studio.code.org/maker/setup and clicking on the 'Connect to Board' button.

If you are connecting a Circuit Playground Express, and after clicking on the 'Connect to Board' button, 'No compatible devices found.' is displayed in the window, please install the required Firmata firmware onto the board. Instructions are available here. Go to https://studio.code.org/maker/setup to confirm you have successfully installed the firmware.
If you are connecting a Circuit Playground Classic and you do not have the required Firmata firmware installed, the instructions for installing firmware on a Classic board are available here.
If you are connecting a micro:bit and do not have the required Firmata firmware installed, you will be prompted to install it after clicking on 'Connect to Board'.

The https://studio.code.org/maker/setup page runs a series of connection tests. If any of them fail, it should provide you with guidance on how to remedy the problem.

If you’re still having problems with downloading the Firmata firmware:

Refer to the Installing BBC micro:bit Firmata Firmware for Code.org support article.
Refer to the Installing the Circuit Playground Firmata Firmware for Code.org support article.
Please contact support@code.org if you are still unable to resolve connection issues and include a screenshot of the error messages you encountered.

3. Update your browser’s security settings so that connections to serial devices like the Circuit Playground or micro:bit are not blocked.

For Google Chrome

Click on the vertical dot menu in the upper righthand corner to open Chrome Settings
Select the “Privacy and Security” section on the left, scroll to the bottom and select the “Site Settings” page.
Under the “Additional permissions” section and click on the “Serial ports” option.
Ensure that the “Sites can ask to connect to serial ports” option is selected. You may need to contact your IT administrator to enable this option.

Once you have successfully connected a board to App Lab, a “Circuit Playground” section will appear on this page, with an entry for “https://studio.code.org”, indicating that Google Chrome has successfully granted access to App Lab to connect to the Circuit Playground.

For Microsoft Edge

Click on the horizontal dot menu in the upper righthand corner to open Edge Settings
Select the “Cookies and site permissions” section on the left, scroll to the bottom and click on the “Serial ports” option.
Ensure that the “Ask when a site wants to access serial ports” option is selected. You may need to contact your IT administrator to enable this option.

Debugging Common Issues

If something seems to not be working while using Maker Toolkit in App Lab, try the following steps:

Make sure you have only one browser tab open that is attempting to connect to the board any time you are using Code.org Maker Toolkit. If you have multiple tabs open, close all but one and refresh the page.
Try un-plugging and re-plugging the board, and then refreshing the webpage.
Visit the Maker Toolkit setup page and make sure all the steps are lighting up as green (e.g. your board is showing up as connectable)
1. If the first checkmark is green, but “Board plugged in” is red: there is a connection issue between the board and the computer. Try a different USB port, different USB cable, or different Circuit Playground board, or all of the above if possible.
2. If the first two checkmarks are green, but “Board connectable” is red: we’re able to identify the board, but the board isn’t responding. You will need update the board’s Firmata firmware. See Install the required Code.org Firmata firmware onto the device

How do I set up Maker Toolkit on my computer?

When you click “Run” in a level that uses a Circuit Playground or micro:bit board, you will be prompted to select a board to connect to. Pick the board you want to connect to from the list and click “Connect”. This will show a small icon in the title tab to indicate you are connected.

How do I enable Maker Toolkit in App Lab?

Maker Toolkit should already be enabled on relevant Code.org lessons. To enable it within a standalone App Lab project, follow these steps:

Go to the App Lab project you want to use or create a new one.
Click on the settings gear icon on the purple Toolbox header:
Click "Enable Maker Toolkit."
Click "Enable" in the warning dialog that pops up:

If you decide that you want to disable Maker Toolkit, follow steps 2-3 above (except that the menu will say "Disable Maker Toolkit" instead).

If you are still running into problems, email us at support@code.org!

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