With regards to worries about shorting the connector with crocodile clips on the large I/O pads - the adjacent contacts are 'guard' ones connected to the same p

With regards to worries about shorting the connector with crocodile clips on the large I/O pads - the adjacent contacts are 'guard' ones connected to the same place so there's no problem. I have been working with the micro:bit in my role as a volunteer STEM ambassador almost since it became available and it's a fun tool. My main STEM angles are computing and electronic engineering and initially it was very hard to get good info on the I/O functionality (coding and electronic), but things have come on in leaps and bounds, notably with the micropython guys, and I have concentrated on developing some fun 'advanced expansion' projects, such as a loud 3V audio amplifier (powered from the micro:bit), sound detector and a 5 band audio 'spectrum analyser'. Currently I am working on an alarm clock radio with the micro:bit being a plug-in add on controller (via its buttons and bluetooth). The LED matrix is good for a quick win with visuals, but adding a small OLED display makes a world of difference to what you can do - it would have been really cool if one of the small 0.91" OLED panels was baked in to the micro:bit. The biggest challenge I originally found was the lack of a focal point for teachers, volunteers and developers to share ideas - I subscribe to many educational forums and groups and the most active I have found is the micropython mailing list (but if anyone knows of others let me know) and there seemed to be little encouragement or management from the official micro:bit side to centralise and promote the community spirit, plus there was a huge delay in getting out the full technical specs and schematics - and boy was it was impossible to get hold of an edge connector for months - so there was a lot of poking and prodding needed to work things out; very kindly some of the tech guys from the companys involved in micro:bit distribution and add-on kits were extremely generous at sharing what they had found out in the early days, especially about the quirky way the LED matrix is wired and driven. A bit more oversight from the project originators in the early days would have really helped. PS: Totally agree about the RAM - 16K is just a tad tight and 32K would have been a better size.