Need help?Do you have a question about the Hiwonder Qbit and is the answer not in the manual?
The Qbit controller is based on the micro:bit, a device designed by the British Broadcasting Television Company (BBC) for youth programming education. The micro:bit is a collaborative effort involving Microsoft, Samsung, ARM, Lancaster University, and other well-known companies and universities. To enhance learning efficiency for children, we have developed Makecode programming software, which is built upon the micro:bit online web programming platform.
For greater accessibility, the Qbit supports programming via the micro:bit mobile phone app. Additionally, our company has developed a dedicated mobile phone control app, offering children various ways to interact with the Qbit. This manual provides a detailed explanation of how to program the Qbit using a computer and a mobile phone, how to use wireless remote control, and offers further courses and solutions for common programming and control issues.
When downloading a program to the Qbit, you need to connect the program download port on the computer control panel to the Qbit using a USB cable. The program download port is specifically for program transfer and does not support battery charging. If you need to charge the Qbit, use the USB port located on the bottom board.
The Makecode software is available in both offline and web versions. To access the web version, open your browser and navigate to https://makecode.microbit.org. This will open the Makecode programming home page.
If you frequently use Makecode without an internet connection, you can download the offline version. The offline version requires a network connection only during its initial setup.
To download the offline version, visit https://drive.google.com/open?id=1UFRCUTVTTA6ZofSeywbVcGOHyAnFY1S_.
For software installation, double-click the downloaded Makecode installation package. During installation, you will be prompted to select the language. Choose "English" and proceed. Next, select the installation location, typically C:\Program Files (x86)\Makecode. Ensure you have at least 348.8 MB of free disk space. Then, select "Create a desktop shortcut" and click "Next." Finally, click "Install" to begin the installation. Once the installation is complete, click "Finish" in the pop-up dialogue box.
The Qbit requires a specific software package. After installing this package, you can use command blocks to write Qbit control programs. In the command block area, click "Advanced" to add the package.
To add the Qbit package, enter the address https://github.com/LOBOT-ROBOT/Qbit in the pop-up interface, click the "search" icon, and then select the Qbit extension package file. The page will automatically return to the programming interface. If you see the Qbit command block label, it means the Qbit software package has been successfully installed.
If you encounter issues downloading the Qbit package through the search method, you can find the "Qbit package" file in the document folder. Drag this file to the Makecode programming interface, and the package will install automatically.
To program, use the left mouse button to click on any command icon in the menu. All command blocks in that category will appear. For example, clicking the "Basic" icon will display all command blocks in the basic module. You can drag the desired command blocks to the script area using the left mouse button.
Command block deletion: Method 1: Move your mouse over the command block you wish to delete, right-click it, and select "Delete Block" from the pop-up shortcut menu. Method 2: Press the left mouse button on the command block and drag it to the command block menu to remove it.
Copying a command block: Move your left mouse button over the command block you want to copy, right-click it, and select "Repeat" from the pop-up shortcut menu.
First, enter a program name at the bottom of the page, then click the saving icon. If you save the program to the disk named "MicroBIT," the Qbit car will run the program directly. The "micro:bit" disk drive is only visible when the Qbit program transfer port is connected to the computer. The saved program will automatically replace the original program. The yellow indicator next to the USB port on the micro:bit will flash, and the disk drive will automatically exit. The file saving is complete when the indicator stops flashing, and the "microbit" disk drive icon reappears in the computer.
If you wish to review or reuse this program later, you can save it to another location on your computer and then copy it to the micro:bit disk drive.
Open the Makecode software and click the "Import" button. In the pop-up page, click "Import File." Then, click "Select File" on the pop-up file selection page, find the .hex program you want to open, and click "OK" to complete the program loading.
For computer programming, the Qbit can also be programmed via a mobile phone, though Qbit software packages are not supported with mobile programming. Due to the instability of Bluetooth connections, uploads may fail or result in repeated errors. We recommend using a computer for programming.
The Qbit has a control program pre-installed. This program calls the Qbit related module, which affects the mobile phone Bluetooth module. Therefore, you need to import a program that will not affect the connection of the Qbit to the mobile phone to the connecting board to cover the previous control program. If the Qbit doesn't have a Bluetooth control program, you'll need to copy the "Qbit-paired guided program.hex" file to the "MICROBIT" disk drive and overwrite the previous program.
Download the Google Chrome app from the app store and install it. After installation, you will see the micro:bit and Chrome app icons on your phone.
Open the micro:bit app and click "Connect" on the first line. In the pop-up interface, click the yellow button "PAIR A NEW micro:bit." Then, quickly press the A+B buttons on the control panel and the reset button simultaneously. Wait for the micro:bit dot matrix to display English words, then stop pressing the A+B buttons. Finally, click the green button "NEXT."
Click the pattern appearing on the micro:bit dot matrix in the phone, then click the green icon "Next." Press the "A" button after the new interface appears, and the connection will complete.
Return to the main interface and select "Create Code." Your phone will redirect to the browser interface and the programming page. You can drag command blocks. After the program is completed, click the download icon and wait for the prompt to appear.
Select the language "English." The Android programming operation is similar to computer programming. Write the program by dragging the command blocks. After programming is complete, click the download button to download the program.
Click "flash" to upload the program to the micro:bit. Click the green "OK" button in the pop-up prompt box. The phone app will indicate that program transmission is complete. At this point, you will see the micro:bit executing the program you just uploaded.
Similar to Android, computer programming is generally recommended for the Qbit due to potential instability with mobile phone Bluetooth connections.
The Qbit comes with a pre-installed control program that calls the Qbit related module, which can interfere with the mobile phone Bluetooth module. To ensure proper mobile phone connection, you need to import a program that does not affect the Bluetooth module. Copy the "Qbit-paired guided program.hex" file to the "MICROBIT" disk drive and overwrite the existing program.
Download the micro:bit app from the App Store. After installation, you will see the micro:bit app on your phone.
Open the micro:bit app and click "Connect" on the first line. In the pop-up interface, click the yellow button "PAIR A NEW micro:bit." Quickly press the A+B buttons on the control panel and the reset button simultaneously. Wait for the micro:bit dot matrix to display English words, then stop pressing the A+B buttons. Finally, click the green button "NEXT."
Click the pattern appearing on the micro:bit dot matrix in the phone, then click the green button "Next." Press the "A" button after the new interface appears. Finally, click "Next," and the connection will complete.
Return to the main interface and select "Create Code." Your phone will redirect to the browser interface and the programming page. You can drag command blocks. After the program is completed, click the download icon and wait for the prompt to appear.
Click "flash" to upload the program to the micro:bit. Click the green "OK" button in the pop-up prompt box. The phone app will indicate that program transmission is complete. At this point, you will see the micro:bit executing the program you just uploaded.
To make it easier for children to use and control the Qbit, we have developed a mobile terminal control app called Wonderbit. Using Wonderbit, you can play with the Qbit without programming.
Android mobile phones require a 4.3 or above version system, while iPhones require a 9.2 or above version system.
Android APP download:
Method 1: Scan the provided QR code to download the app.
Method 2: Find the "5.Wonderbit-V1.0.apk" installation package in the folder, send it to your phone, and install it.
Method 3: Visit the official website (www.hiwonder.com), click "Learning course," then "educational robot," "intelligent car," and finally select the "Qbit" file. Scroll to the bottom of the page, find the software download section, click "Android APP download," and download the Qbit Android APP.
Apple APP download: Method 1: Scan the provided QR code to download the app. Method 2: Search for "Wonderbit" in the App Store and click "Install."
The mobile phone APP interface components and their functions are as follows:
After mastering the basic programming operations, we have prepared additional Qbit gameplay and learning courses. By exploring more than ten gameplays, you will gain a comprehensive understanding of the Qbit.
You can access the "3. Expanding Tutorial" folder within the learning course folder, or you can scan the provided QR code with your mobile phone to watch the online learning course.
Question 1: Why can't I use the mobile phone micro:bit software editor? Answer 1: After testing, we found that mobile phone micro:bit editor and device connections are very unstable. Transmission may fail or encounter repeated errors. Therefore, we recommend using a computer to write programs.
Question 2: Why does the system prompt "fail to import hex file"? Answer 2: In this case, you should determine the problem based on the webpage prompt. The specific solutions are as follows:
Question 3: Why does the micro:bit display "MAINTENANCE" and cannot download the program? Answer 3: In normal circumstances, after the micro:bit is connected to the computer, the name of the micro:bit disk drive is "MICROBIT," indicating that you can now write programs. (Tip: The process of writing the program is to drag it into the MICROBIT disk drive, but you can't see the file in the disk drive, and it means that it only has two files: DETAILS.TXT and MICROBIT.HTM, as shown in the image.)
If the disk drive turns to the "MAINTENANCE (G:)" image, it means the micro:bit has entered "MAINTENANCE" mode. There are two reasons for this:
Question 4: Why can't the car move after downloading a program? Answer 4: There are several possible situations where the Qbit cannot execute the program. Please follow these troubleshooting steps:
To Next Page
General