The kit comes with 8 red LEDs, a preprogrammed microcontroller, a serial port connector and a AA battery case.

If you buy the kit from the adafruit shop, the preprogrammed code just blinks the LEDs in order. Other stores often have a preprogrammed image already in it, for example the Make store has "MakeZine!" as seen on the front page.

No sensor is included. There is a spot for a sensor on the PCB but that is more for people who are interested in modifying the kit. A sensor is not necessary for operation.

It doesn't! This kit is very simple, it just repeats whatever its programmed to display over and over again. That means if you wave your hand back and forth, it will appear backwards half the time

Sure, there are 4 holes for such a purpose.

For some reason, a batch of microcontroller chips (datecode 0627 ?)have been acting odd and shut themselves off after a few seconds. The problem seems to be that the RESET pin is being wonky, to fix this take a resistor (anywhere between 2Kohm and 20Kohm) and solder it to the top two pins of the microcontroller so that the RESET pin (pin #1) is connected through the resistor to the POWER pin (pin #20)

If this doesnt work, refer to the next question in the FAQ!

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