Sometimes I dream of having a miniature pet dragon that would sit on my shoulder while I write code and build projects. Maybe its little snorts of fire could even heat up my soldering iron after I turn it on? An adorable fantasy, I know… So while we’re all waiting for genetic engineering to catch up with our desires, this DragonTail breakout will have to do!
The BBC micro:bit is a cute, all-in-one learning board, with LEDs, sensors, and even a Bluetooth LE radio built in. What it doesn’t have is a set of 0.1″ headers, for breadboard compatibility. Instead, there’s a PCB ‘card edge’ connector that can slot into a matching socket. Now, if you want to hook up a servo, some NeoPixels, or some other simple component, you could use our alligator-to-header cables, and that will let you connect one or two parts to the power and P0, P1 or P2 pads. But…those alligator clips can slip around, and you don’t get access to some of the more fun i/o pins, like I2C.
So, we made the Adafruit DragonTail for micro:bit. This breakout board has the card-edge connector for your micro:bit, and then breaks out all the pads so that it can be plugged in to any solderless breadboard. You even get two pads for the power railing! It comes fully assembled – no soldering required. And every pad is clearly labeled: by name, if it has an analog input, and when it is shared with the LED matrix.
Would you expect any less from your friendly pet dragon?
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Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
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Python for Microcontrollers – Adafruit Daily — Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: CircuitPython 2025 Wraps, Focus on Using Python, Open Source and More! #CircuitPython #Python #micropython @ThePSF @Raspberry_Pi
EYE on NPI – Adafruit Daily — EYE on NPI Maxim’s Himalaya uSLIC Step-Down Power Module #EyeOnNPI @maximintegrated @digikey
