Can I ask - why are you using the web version?
It might be OK to use once the firmware is loaded but I would always use a downloaded program to do the initial firmware install
Just less things to go wrong 
Yes 
I've just checked and with the standalone version, 2 tries out of 3 were completed without the button press.
AAARGGG!!!!!
Another spanner in the works 
Just realised that the CH340 NodeMCU is a different width compared to the one that plugs into the motor shield
I think we might be able to get away with it but I've broken the only one I had while messing around so awaiting a new one to arrive!
This is a real 1 step forward - two steps backwards issue
I've sussed it out
My NodeMCU V3 Ch340 wasn't broken - I just didn't realise where the 5V to power the motor shield board needed to come from
So, if you plug the board in with just the right hand pins in the socket then all you have to do to get things working is link from 3 pin down from the top left over to the VIn pin on the motor shield and that will power up the board
The WeMos D1 Ch 340 in the Uno form factor arrived this evening.
If we can find a moment between conference sessions tomorrow, we'll see if we can establish communications with it.
My Arduino Motor Shield V1 clone board arrived and it turns out to be non-trivial to get it to work with my WEMOS D1
The motor shield is not not just a simple H-Bridge board and it's going to take some time to transcode it's library into something simple in Microblocks.
I'm now thinking that maybe just use a plain Arduino UNO clone together with this V1 motor shield and just go back to the concept of running a simple Arduino sketch to listen for a serial speed command like I did last month
This is fun game
[edit] And, of course, I can't even upload the simple Blink sketch to my Arduino Uno clones today!!!!
I think I'll have to resign my membership of the Physical Computing Society
[edit2] Silly me - I forgot to close down Microblocks and that was hogging the port!!! 
So using an Arduino Uno clone, I can control a motor using the an Adafruit V1 Motor Shield (also a clone) for total cost (UK ebay prices) for <£8
#include <AFMotor.h>
int pwm;
AF_DCMotor motor(1);
int incomingByte = 0; // for incoming serial data
void setup() {
Serial.begin(115200);
}
void loop() {
if (Serial.available() > 0) {
// read the incoming byte:
incomingByte = Serial.read();
if (incomingByte > 127) {
motor.run(BACKWARD);
motor.setSpeed(int((256 - incomingByte) * 2.55));
} else {
motor.run(FORWARD);
motor.setSpeed(int(incomingByte * 2.55));
}
}
}
