About Microsoft Makecode

Microsoft MakeCode is a popular visual programming platform that allows users to create programs for a variety of microcontrollers and devices. In this tutorial, we will show you how to connect Microsoft MakeCode to a Tello drone and control its flight using code.

Step 1: Setting up the Tello drone

The first step in connecting Microsoft MakeCode to a Tello drone is to set up the drone itself. To do this, you will need to follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer to assemble the drone and prepare it for flight.

Once the drone is assembled and charged, you will need to connect it to your computer or mobile device via Wi-Fi. To do this, turn on the drone and wait for the LED lights to start flashing. Then, go to your Wi-Fi settings on your computer or mobile device and connect to the Tello Wi-Fi network.

Step 2: Installing the Tello extension in MakeCode

The next step is to install the Tello extension in Microsoft MakeCode. This extension provides a set of blocks that allow you to control the Tello drone using code.

To install the Tello extension, open Microsoft MakeCode in your web browser and click on the “Extensions” button in the top menu. Then, search for “Tello” in the search bar and click on the Tello extension to install it.

Step 3: Connecting MakeCode to the Tello drone

Once you have installed the Tello extension, you can connect Microsoft MakeCode to the Tello drone using the following steps:

  1. Open a new project in Microsoft MakeCode.
  2. Click on the “Add Package” button in the bottom left corner of the screen.
  3. Search for the “Tello” package in the search bar and click on it to add it to your project.
  4. Connect your computer or mobile device to the Tello drone via Wi-Fi.
  5. Click on the “Connect” button in the Tello package to connect to the drone.

Step 4: Controlling the Tello drone with MakeCode

Once you have connected Microsoft MakeCode to the Tello drone, you can start controlling the drone using code. The Tello extension provides a set of blocks that allow you to control the drone’s movement, take pictures and videos, and get information about the drone’s battery level and other status information.

Here are some examples of how to use the Tello extension to control the Tello drone:

  1. Take off and land the drone:

To take off the drone, use the “takeoff” block. To land the drone, use the “land” block.

  1. Move the drone:

To move the drone forward, backward, left, or right, use the “fly” block with the appropriate direction and distance values. For example, to move the drone forward 50 centimeters, use the block “fly forward 50 cm”.

  1. Rotate the drone:

To rotate the drone left or right, use the “turn” block with the appropriate angle value. For example, to rotate the drone 90 degrees to the left, use the block “turn left 90”.

  1. Take pictures and videos:

To take a picture, use the “take picture” block. To start recording a video, use the “start video” block. To stop recording a video, use the “stop video” block.

  1. Get information about the drone:

To get information about the drone, use the “status” block. This block provides information about the drone’s battery level, altitude, speed, and other status information.

Step 5: Testing and refining your code

Once you have written your code to control the Tello drone, you can test it by downloading the code to the drone and running it. To download the code,

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