“Just like the name, the Explorer HAT is a great way to explore electronics with the Raspberry Pi. There is a nice tutorial on GitHub to get you started. I have had a lot of fun so far playing with it. If anyone is debating on whether to get the Pro or regular, get the Pro! It is extremely worth it and you will regret it if you don't get it!”
“The Explorer HAT and Explorer HAT Pro share a lot of similarities to the Pibrella - another great little board made by Pimoroni/Cyntech - but does a lot more besides.
The analog inputs, in addition to the digital inputs, are a great feature. Taking advantage of the built-in ADC, these channels allow you to connect up inexpensive analog sensors like the TMP36. Really nice feature.
Explorer HAT's capacitative touch buttons allow you to interface with connected components, but also to work separately to e.g. send an email/tweet/text message when you tap one of the buttons. Lots of possibilities. The four cap. touch pads with the brass contacts allow you to connect up croc. clips and fruit, although the software might need a little tweaking to get the sensitivity just right.
Breaking out some of the most useful pins from the GPIO is also a welcome feature, as otherwise you'd lose easy access to them.
The Python library is all very intuitive and the built-in tutorial is a really nice touch.
Seems to me that the Explorer HAT is the go-to board if you want to interface with your Raspberry Pi and is great fun for kids or grown-up kids like me.”
