diff --git a/stmhal/Makefile b/stmhal/Makefile
index 292bfdd61caf499e54121dc08507cc121bdc77c2..fbe8a450b8fec87376007dcc66e1725bd7bf3b38 100644
--- a/stmhal/Makefile
+++ b/stmhal/Makefile
@@ -72,6 +72,7 @@ SRC_C = \
 	malloc0.c \
 	gccollect.c \
 	pyexec.c \
+	help.c \
 	input.c \
 	pybmodule.c \
 	osmodule.c \
diff --git a/stmhal/help.c b/stmhal/help.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..9efe374524613514cf562aafab10c93ff556af9a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/stmhal/help.c
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+#include <stdio.h>
+
+#include "nlr.h"
+#include "misc.h"
+#include "mpconfig.h"
+#include "qstr.h"
+#include "obj.h"
+#include "map.h"
+
+STATIC const char *help_text =
+"Welcome to Micro Python!\n"
+"\n"
+"For online help please visit http://micropython.org/help/.\n"
+"\n"
+"Specific commands for the board:\n"
+"  pyb.info()      -- print some general information\n"
+"  pyb.gc()        -- run the garbage collector\n"
+"  pyb.repl_info(<val>) -- enable/disable printing of info after each command\n"
+"  pyb.delay(<n>)  -- wait for n milliseconds\n"
+"  pyb.udelay(<n>) -- wait for n microseconds\n"
+"  pyb.switch()    -- return True/False if switch pressed or not\n"
+"  pyb.Led(<n>)    -- create Led object for LED n (n=1,2,3,4)\n"
+"                     Led methods: on(), off(), toggle(), intensity(<n>)\n"
+"  pyb.Servo(<n>)  -- create Servo object for servo n (n=1,2,3,4)\n"
+"                     Servo methods: angle(<x>)\n"
+"  pyb.Accel()     -- create an Accelerometer object\n"
+"                     Accelerometer methods: x(), y(), z(), tilt()\n"
+"  pyb.rng()       -- get a 30-bit hardware random number\n"
+"  pyb.gpio(<port>)        -- get port value (port='A4' for example)\n"
+"  pyb.gpio(<port>, <val>) -- set port value, True or False, 1 or 0\n"
+"  pyb.ADC(<port>) -- make an analog port object (port='C0' for example)\n"
+"                     ADC methods: read()\n"
+"\n"
+"Control commands:\n"
+"  CTRL-A       -- on a blank line, enter raw REPL mode\n"
+"  CTRL-B       -- on a blank line, enter normal REPL mode\n"
+"  CTRL-C       -- interrupt a running program\n"
+"  CTRL-D       -- on a blank line, do a soft reset of the board\n"
+;
+
+STATIC void pyb_help_print_info_about_object(mp_obj_t name_o, const char *name_str, mp_obj_t value) {
+    if (name_o != MP_OBJ_NULL) {
+        printf("  ");
+        mp_obj_print(name_o, PRINT_STR);
+        printf(" -- ");
+    } else {
+        printf("  %s -- ", name_str);
+    }
+    mp_obj_print(value, PRINT_STR);
+    printf("\n");
+}
+
+STATIC mp_obj_t pyb_help(uint n_args, const mp_obj_t *args) {
+    if (n_args == 0) {
+        // print a general help message
+        printf("%s", help_text);
+
+    } else {
+        // try to print something sensible about the given object
+
+        printf("object ");
+        mp_obj_print(args[0], PRINT_STR);
+        printf(" is of type %s\n", mp_obj_get_type_str(args[0]));
+
+        mp_obj_type_t *type = mp_obj_get_type(args[0]);
+        mp_map_t *map = NULL;
+        if (type == &mp_type_module) {
+            map = mp_obj_module_get_globals(args[0]);
+        } else if (type->locals_dict != MP_OBJ_NULL && MP_OBJ_IS_TYPE(type->locals_dict, &dict_type)) {
+            map = mp_obj_dict_get_map(type->locals_dict);
+        }
+        if (map != NULL) {
+            for (uint i = 0; i < map->alloc; i++) {
+                if (map->table[i].key != MP_OBJ_NULL) {
+                    pyb_help_print_info_about_object(map->table[i].key, NULL, map->table[i].value);
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        if (type->methods != NULL) {
+            for (const mp_method_t *meth = type->methods; meth->name != NULL; meth++) {
+                pyb_help_print_info_about_object(MP_OBJ_NULL, meth->name, (mp_obj_t)meth->fun);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    return mp_const_none;
+}
+
+MP_DEFINE_CONST_FUN_OBJ_VAR_BETWEEN(mp_builtin_help_obj, 0, 1, pyb_help);
diff --git a/stmhal/main.c b/stmhal/main.c
index 9d882069784f7979e4c95550fcaf5c97c626be00..0a70512692b5c225ffac13c8933efefa1c54ee22 100644
--- a/stmhal/main.c
+++ b/stmhal/main.c
@@ -121,34 +121,6 @@ static const char fresh_main_py[] =
 "# main.py -- put your code here!\n"
 ;
 
-static const char *help_text =
-"Welcome to Micro Python!\n\n"
-"This is a *very* early version of Micro Python and has minimal functionality.\n\n"
-"Specific commands for the board:\n"
-"    pyb.info()     -- print some general information\n"
-"    pyb.gc()       -- run the garbage collector\n"
-"    pyb.repl_info(<val>) -- enable/disable printing of info after each command\n"
-"    pyb.delay(<n>) -- wait for n milliseconds\n"
-"    pyb.udelay(<n>) -- wait for n microseconds\n"
-"    pyb.Led(<n>)   -- create Led object for LED n (n=1,2)\n"
-"                      Led methods: on(), off()\n"
-"    pyb.Servo(<n>) -- create Servo object for servo n (n=1,2,3,4)\n"
-"                      Servo methods: angle(<x>)\n"
-"    pyb.switch()   -- return True/False if switch pressed or not\n"
-"    pyb.accel()    -- get accelerometer values\n"
-"    pyb.rand()     -- get a 16-bit random number\n"
-"    pyb.gpio(<port>)           -- get port value (port='A4' for example)\n"
-"    pyb.gpio(<port>, <val>)    -- set port value, True or False, 1 or 0\n"
-"    pyb.ADC(<port>) -- make an analog port object (port='C0' for example)\n"
-"                       ADC methods: read()\n"
-;
-
-// get some help about available functions
-static mp_obj_t pyb_help(void) {
-    printf("%s", help_text);
-    return mp_const_none;
-}
-
 int main(void) {
     // TODO disable JTAG
 
@@ -268,9 +240,6 @@ soft_reset:
 
     pin_map_init();
 
-    // add some functions to the builtin Python namespace
-    rt_store_name(MP_QSTR_help, rt_make_function_n(0, pyb_help));
-
     // we pre-import the pyb module
     // probably shouldn't do this, so we are compatible with CPython
     rt_store_name(MP_QSTR_pyb, (mp_obj_t)&pyb_module);
diff --git a/stmhal/mpconfigport.h b/stmhal/mpconfigport.h
index 59c91942a0dfa0f4c32d67a21a7d901029ee43d0..edaee63158d16b7560711cf8dfa6de10f7651825 100644
--- a/stmhal/mpconfigport.h
+++ b/stmhal/mpconfigport.h
@@ -19,9 +19,11 @@
 #define MICROPY_LFN_CODE_PAGE       (437) /* 1=SFN/ANSI 437=LFN/U.S.(OEM) */
 
 // extra built in names to add to the global namespace
+extern const struct _mp_obj_fun_native_t mp_builtin_help_obj;
 extern const struct _mp_obj_fun_native_t mp_builtin_input_obj;
 extern const struct _mp_obj_fun_native_t mp_builtin_open_obj;
 #define MICROPY_EXTRA_BUILTINS \
+    { MP_QSTR_help, (mp_obj_t)&mp_builtin_help_obj }, \
     { MP_QSTR_input, (mp_obj_t)&mp_builtin_input_obj }, \
     { MP_QSTR_open, (mp_obj_t)&mp_builtin_open_obj },