Useful Accessories for Our micro:bit Courses

The following is a list of accessories that will either be important or desirable during our micro:bit workshops and courses.

You can never have too many toys or gadgets, but we are mindful of tight budgets, so we will do our best to indicate must-haves and nice-to-haves.

Most of the items are available from multiple sources, but the majority are listed in this Adafruit Wish List for one-stop shopping. Adafruit also offers an educator discount for orders totaling more than $250 (I think).

Adafruit Wish List (click here)

Must Haves

Early in the course, you will need a few alligator clips and 5mm or 10mm LEDs (of any color). You can either buy some or scrounge around your house or school to find what you need. (If you click on the wish list you can see photos of these items.)

  1. 2 – 4 alligator clips of any length, we really like these short ones from Adafruit.
  2. At least 2 LEDs, either 5mm or 10mm in size. Packs of both sizes are in our Adafruit Wish List

If you prefer to purchase from Amazon.com…

  1. 10 Alligator Clips ($5.99)
  2. 20 Assorted 10mm LEDs ($7.99)

New computers with USB-C ports…

If you are using a computer with USB-C ports, you will need either a dongle for converting USB-A to USB-C or a cable connecting USB-C to the micro:bit. Here are two options from Amazon.

Super Fun Stuff

(Also available from our Adafruit Wish List)

  1. Piezo speaker – $0.95 (Adafruit)
  2. NeoPixel Strip with alligator clips $12.50 – $14.95 (Adafruit)
  3. LED Sequins – $3.95 (Adafruit)
  4. Conductive thread – $6.95 (Adafruit)
  5. Conductive copper tape – $4.95 (Adafruit)

Make Stuff Move (robotics projects)

Super Handy for Robotics Projects

To power multiple servos and easily connect to more micro:bit ports, a servo (motor) board comes in very handy. No dangling alligator clips or battery packs, these boards make life easy!

Snap a micro:bit into a board like these and have enough power and connectors for controlling multiple servos (and other stuff too). Here are two of our favorites, with the Bit:Booster winning by a mile.

Lectrify Bit:Booster – $34.95 – Available from http://www.lectrify.it/bitbooster

Kitronik Servo:Lite board for :MOVE mini – $12.50 – $16, plus shipping (Available from Robotshop.com or Kitronik.co.uk)

Note: Kitronik is a British designer and distributor of clever micro:bit accessories. They deliver to the USA within a few days with reasonably priced shipping costs. RobotShop sells a lot of their products in the USA, but may actually take longer for their products to reach you. Check shipping costs and delivery dates carefully before you purchase.


Of course, our all-time favorite easy-to-use soup-to-nuts robotics kit for learners is the Hummingbird Bit Robotics Kit. Learn why we love it so much here.