Thames and Kosmos Microcontroller kit

My latest toy is a Thames and Kosmos Microcontroller kit. This is great fun. I think it's discontinued and I got this second hand. It only seems to be missing one of the transistors but I don't think that's a show stopper.

So far I've put it together and hooked up the first test. You have to assemble the pieces into the case, pressing the little clips into place, and placing the potentiometer, the microphone, the piezo and hooking up the power connections.

There's a lot of connections to be made in the diagram for the first test and I missed a couple. I actually missed a critical one and the test wouldn't run as it didn't have the pins connected pins on the microcontroller between 5v and start.

Then I got some of the LEDs installed backwards, and finally I realized how you can tell polarity: there's a small flat spot on the side of the LED. It's subtle but if you look closely it's there.

Once everything is hooked up properly, the LEDs will light in sequence, the first LED's brightness will be controlled by a light sensor, and the rate of the LED sequence is controlled by the same light sensor (bright makes it slow, dark makes it fast) and if you press on a clip switch, the piezo will beep and freeze the light sequence. Pretty cool.

Thankfully, there's a 9v barrel plug so I don't have to use batteries but it's left to you to find an appropriate power supply (after about a half hour I located something that would work in all of my electronic stuff).

Great fun, so far I'm having a blast.