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BBC micro:bit wrist holders

With my handshake project, a microbit and AAA battery pack need to be worn on the wrist. They can be vigorously shaken. I don’t want the equipment flying off! So what can I use that will hold the microbit and batteries safely in place and is comfortable and safe to wear?

I tried a couple of armband holders aimed at iPods recently. Both of them are suitable for housing a BBC microbit and a AAA battery pack. Prior to this, I used a wrist holder that I made myself.

The advantages of repurposing an iPod arm band holder instead of making one yourself are:

  • Saves you the time of making one.
  • The clear plastic cover makes it easy to clean.

Please find photographs of the armband holders I tried out as wrist holders containing a microbit and AAA battery holder below. First a top-tip!

Velcro tabs to secure armband straps

Whichever armband you re-purpose to be a wrist holder, as the wrist is narrower than your arm, the end of the strap will no longer stick down. The end will flap free. As this end of the strap has the hook velcro on it and the rest of the strap is the loop kind, the strap will no longer stick down to itself. You need to make some double sided hook velcro tabs. See the photo below.

Double sided hook velcro tabs

These are lengths of sticky back hook velcro, stuck back to back. Place them on the loop velcro to enable the strap to stick to itself when used on the wrist.

TuneBelt Armband for iPod touch 4G

The TuneBelt iPod touch 4G armband holder can be used to hold a microbit and AAA battery pack as shown in the photo below. Use some double sided velcro hook ‘gender bender’ strips to allow the strap to stick to itself when used on the wrist.

iPod touch 4G arm band in use as a microbit and AAA battery pack wrist holder

TuneBelt iPod touch 4G used as a microbit and AAA battery pack holder, front view

arm band in use as a microbit and AAA battery pack wrist holder

TuneBelt Sport Armband iPod touch 4G box

igagdgitz iPod classic armband holder

Larger than the iPod touch 4G holder. Costs about twice as much - about £10 from eBay. The build uses thicker neoprene. The rear panel folds down to allow easy installation and removal of the microbit and battery holder. This is made from a decent thickness of neoprene and is held securely in place with velcro on three sides.

The strap is longer and bulkier than the iPod 4G holder . If you know you are going to use this arm band as a wrist holder, it would be worth trimming the strap down. Then you would rely on the velcro double-sided tabs to stick the strap down unless you sewed some hook velcro on to replace the tab that you had cut off when shortening the strap.

iPod classic arm band in use as a microbit and AAA battery pack wrist holder

igadgitz iPod classic holder, front view, containing BBC microbit and AAA battery holder. There are two velcro tabs near the plastic to enable the strap to latch onto itself when worn on the wrist.

Rear view, showing fold down flap which allows acccess to the interior