The Digispark is an Attiny85 based microcontroller development board similar to the line, only cheaper, smaller, and a bit less powerful. With a whole host of shields to extend its functionality and the ability to use the familiar for Arduino IDE the Digispark is a great way to jump into electronics, or perfect for when for Arduino is too big or too much. ^^ The Digispark is shipped fully assembled except for the two included and easy to solder headers. ^^ Support for the Arduino IDE 1.0 + (OSX/Win/Linux) ^^ Power via USB or External Source - 5v or 7-35v (12v or less recommended, automatic selection) ^^ 6 I/O Pins (2 are used for USB only if your program actively communicates over USB, otherwise you can use all 6 even if you are programming via USB)