Micro Bit

Very nice little board!

Hopefully it will capture a generation (or at least some of it).

Also noticed 18 pads on the front. Increased I/O anyone?

I agree. I think it's cute, and serves (at least to me) as a reminder that we can learn a lot from non-engineering people about design and functionality especially when the intended user is non-technical or a young child.

I wasn't sure about the bottom pads, I initially wondered if it was a fast connector for programming/resetting the boards, i.e. for teachers to be able to quickly wipe the board, or to rapidly download/upload scripts etc., in preparation for a class, without needing to plug the USB in each time. But now on closer inspection I think maybe it is I/O as you say, since they are numbered 1-18.

Yeah I initially though about ICSP, but as the common configurations are 6 and 10 pin I thought there might be more to it.

Also, the rings on the site, in addition to being aesthetically cool, look about right to mate with banana jacks found in any common-or-garden science/technology classroom.

Yeah, agree!

A brief shot in the BBC video suggested a coding approach of interlocking blocks similar to MIT AppInventor. No clue as to the functionality of the rest of it, apart from the array of LEDs

The BBC mentioned bluetooth. So there is a great potential for connected/communicating devices.

The BBC mentioned bluetooth. So there is a great potential for connected/communicating devices.

It all looks good -  the entire project seems quite far advanced/progressed overall.

Something the BBC and it's partners should be proud of - I think it will go well.

I hope so.

Looking at the video there appears to be a coin cell battery holder on the back.

If it's as well developed and supported as the BBC Micro was, then I think it will have a huge impact.

Back in the early 80's I used a BBC Model B to capture data at lowish speed, through its built in A to D converter, writing the data to floppy disk. I then transferred the data via serial into a Data General Eclipse. An "official" A to D board would have cost well over £2000 capital, which we didn't have and couldn't get. I think the BBC Model B was a touch over £200 and we squirrelled that from our revenue budget!!

Nice.

I was 5 years late for the launch of the BBC Micro when I started at school. The hype had gone and the staff knew nothing of the mystical dust collecting machine in the corner of the classroom.

Unfortunately I might be just a wee bit late to qualify for this programme too. Had they announced this 11/12 years ago there may have been a surge in geek dating.

gadget.iom The Model B was an amazing piece of kit; sadly, most owners didn't know what it could do and never found out.