littleBits Electronics Space Kit

Love littlebits and so do my kids. Great way to learn and experiment and get little brains thinking. Not sure why the red LED on the power unit has to be so blindingly bright though! Get them on Amazon and it's cheaper than the LB website.

I LOVED IT!!!it could use more stuff too include, like a bar graph or a fan.. but still it was amazing!!! i play with it for like, HOURS!! and i make a pretty cool rover as well... it was awesome. it pretty portable... kinda, i mean i can fit it in my bag and take it places but on the bright side, im still using it today.

kids had fun with it at first but quickly lost interest. too expensive for the amount of time it kept them occupied. sits on shelf unused now.

I got this for my two nine year old boys and they love it! It is so easy to use. They are able to do projects themselves with a little help for fine motor aspects. They love creating their own projects. A great buy (although pricey).

but I still leave two stars because I know other friends who's kids like it so I am sure its fun for some kids

First, let me caveat by saying I am an electrical engineer by degree and by practice. I also received this product for free in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.I can definitely see why this has won so many awards! This kit is pretty fantastic.The design is excellent. It's a collection of real electronic mini circuits, each with a particular function that fit together to form projects. The kit is expandable with other littleBits parts.Each of the "Bits" is a set of electronic components mounted on a board with simple text and bright color references telling you its function. Making a project is as simple as snapping the right bits together!The design is quite ingenious - most who approach circuit cards for the first time are either afraid of them or too careless (if you touch them wrong or connect them wrong generally you can damage them). But these designs, though exposed, are meant to be handled. Components are security on, and I assume design has been done to reduce the risk of elecrostatic damage. The connections are the best part though - the contacts are labeled, but they are also polarized by plastic keying features and by magnets which do not generally allow them to be hooked in incorrectly, greatly reducing the chance of damage and allowing one to simply snap them together and see what you can do!These are color coded - power is blue, input is pink, output is green, and orange modules are wire extensions. There is an order required, but it's not too hard...power first, then input, then output. You won't damage them if you mix them up, but they won't work properly.While the booklet offers several projects you can make, you can also try your own. Simple projects with instructions include, among other things, a voice amplifier, a light meter (measure the amount of light), a remote control, etc that are shown with the actual modules, and then moves onto more difficultprojects including a data link (transmitter/reciever), robotic arm (sort of...one motor), wave detector, and a mini mars rover. Instructions include lessons on scientific theory.This appears to be one of their more complete sets, but you can buy pieces individually...however, as much as this kit is VERY expensive, buying the pieces separately is kind of ungodly so. so really, I'd stick with buying one or two kits.This particular set has the following modules: battery connecto (x2) for a 9V battery, power (x2), remote trigger, microphone, light sensor, wire (x2), IR LED, Number display, speaker, Visible LED, DC motor, and a few mechanical aides (screw driver, motor mount, audio cable). It supports all the projects in the book and would allow quite a lot! I do wish there was a second motor though - would make a lot more possible for simple robots with multiple actuators (say multiple wheel axels or wheels + arm).All is fairly durable and after subjection to mild abuse (dropping on tile, spraying with mist, pulling, mild attempts to bend, misconnection, it all still works. That is VERY impressive. I suspect the weakest points would be the wires (connectors breaking or wires pulling out) the DC motor axel or the little switches on some of the modules (example the display module that controls the modes). But they shouldn't break easily.This kit would be great for someone wanting to experiment, learn some basic electronics prior to actually doing some circuit design, or start using simple robots. Great classroom aide assuming you could keep parts from walking away.Biggest complaints (which are why it's losing a star) is (1) the price and (2) that there is not information on the actual circuit designs. As knowledge grows, it would be useful for some users to actually see how the circuits are connected on the boards, so that if they were go get the components, they could build (much less nice looking) versions of their own and really understand how these work...even play with altering the design. As for price, it keeps it out of the hands of most kids, I fear. I get that with all the great design that goes into these (the design is fantastic) they really are a high end toy...also I'm sure they don't yet have the quantity to bring the price down without significant compromises on quality. But i still fear it will keep this kit out of the hands of many.

This littleBits kit is marvelously packaged and described. It's called a "space kit," has references to how NASA had something to do with it, and comes in a solid box with a photo of Mars on it. It contains a microphone, a light sensor, wires, infrared LED, speaker, 9V battery, and several other items and modules, along with a booklet and basic tools. The 12 modules snap together, and are color-coded by function (power, input, output, and wire) so that it's virtually impossible to connect them in a way that will cause damage, and greatly reduces the frustration factor (or, for those of us who are more old school, the learning factor). The illustrated booklet explains nicely, in language a young person can understand, how to make a variety of projects, which tend to require household items (depending on your household--cardboard, popsicle sticks, straws, hot glue gun, rubber bands, box cutter, etc.), which are designed to illustrate scientific principles.Some of the projects that can be made with this kit alone include a satellite dish that can be constructed out of household materials to illustrate how parabolas can be used to focus energy, and a "Mars Rover." Both are pretty challenging, and will require quite a bit of patience. (The satellite dish you see in the pictures isn't included, isn't what the instructions tell you how to construct, and as far as I've been able to determine isn't even available for purchase, so some kids might be disappointed.) Simpler projects include an amplifier and light reader. For those who are inclined to spend even more money there are other littleBits kits, and the modules can be used together, so there are many possibilities for projects.I think the kit will appeal to some older children and younger adolescents; without substantial adult assistance I'd say he or she would have to be at least 10 to get anywhere with it, and by the age of fourteen most kids who are interested in building such projects will probably want the challenge of building their own circuits rather than using lego-like snap-together modules.Like many of the reviewers of this product, I received my littleBits kit at no cost in return for an unbiased review. As a reviewer, I often take price into account; I assume many shoppers will want to know whether an item is worth the price, and how it compares to alternatives that may cost more or less. As far as that goes, I agree with many of the other reviewers who find this kit quite pricey, and regardless of my own ability to afford it, I personally wouldn't purchase it, for that reason alone. I see that the price is now even higher than when I first received it, making it even less appealing to me. I believe I could help my child learn about electricity and circuitry in a hands-on manner at substantially lower cost, and by using circuits and other components she puts together herself, she'd probably learn more. However, I realize there are parents who for whatever reason might not want to go that route, and for them I'd say the kit does have some real value as a teaching tool.

Great set even for those younger than 14 (what it says on the box). The parts are really high quality and the included projects are a great introduction into the world of littleBits

Good but over priced

My son was very happy with this item and this was his second time buying this product to add to his first one.

I gave it back, as I felt it was too expensive for what was worth. I bought it for myself (30+), but figured out it was better to buy basic electronic components and do my own projects.I got it in an Amazon Prime day, so I got like a 30pct discount. It's super intuitive and fund and I would really think it to give it to one of my children, but even then, I think the tag is quite high.

Technically good but pricey for what you get

Came broken. Return OK then it's quite a disappointment.