Gift suggestions for somebody who enjoys soldering and radio electronics
January 22, 2018 7:09 AM Subscribe
I need to buy a gift for someone who enjoys soldering and radio electronics. Price range is $100 to $200. Can you please give me some suggestions?
The venerable Heathkit is probably the gold standard for DIY kits, especially if your person likes vintage styling.
posted by Weftage at 7:33 AM on January 22, 2018
posted by Weftage at 7:33 AM on January 22, 2018
To give a really good suggestion, we'd need to know a lot more about them: how long have they been doing it, what equipment do they have already, etc. However, here are some ideas:
1 - really good lighting. Those resistors are tiny, and even with reasonable light and magnification the color codes are just about impossible to read, so a bright LED task light with a small footprint helps a _lot_.
2 - a build-your-own capacitor tester kit. Being able to stick a capacitor into the plugs and see the value is really nice. These are way below your price range. Surprisingly, not many people seem to have them.
3 - Find a really old beautiful radio case with or without working insides, IF you know the person and their tastes well.
4 - A gift certificate for basic massage. The shoulders, oh the shoulders, so abused.
5 - Fancy tweezers for electronic components. Check the Digikey catalog for these.
6 - Do you know if they already have a not-terrible "helping hand" clamp setup for soldering? There are much better ones out there than the ones from Radio Shack, which generally don't work that well.
Maybe some of these would require more knowledge than you have, currently, to select, BUT I think getting a bit electronics catalog, sitting down with your friend and going over a few that you think look promising, and just looking at specs and pictures together, and then _you_ take care of ordering and delivery, would still be a great gift.
posted by amtho at 7:40 AM on January 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
1 - really good lighting. Those resistors are tiny, and even with reasonable light and magnification the color codes are just about impossible to read, so a bright LED task light with a small footprint helps a _lot_.
2 - a build-your-own capacitor tester kit. Being able to stick a capacitor into the plugs and see the value is really nice. These are way below your price range. Surprisingly, not many people seem to have them.
3 - Find a really old beautiful radio case with or without working insides, IF you know the person and their tastes well.
4 - A gift certificate for basic massage. The shoulders, oh the shoulders, so abused.
5 - Fancy tweezers for electronic components. Check the Digikey catalog for these.
6 - Do you know if they already have a not-terrible "helping hand" clamp setup for soldering? There are much better ones out there than the ones from Radio Shack, which generally don't work that well.
Maybe some of these would require more knowledge than you have, currently, to select, BUT I think getting a bit electronics catalog, sitting down with your friend and going over a few that you think look promising, and just looking at specs and pictures together, and then _you_ take care of ordering and delivery, would still be a great gift.
posted by amtho at 7:40 AM on January 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Info : I don't actually know this person very well, and I can't really ask them for more details. It's a long story...
The recipient is in their 30s, so not a kid.
posted by panama joe at 7:45 AM on January 22, 2018
The recipient is in their 30s, so not a kid.
posted by panama joe at 7:45 AM on January 22, 2018
If they are in to music at all, the Moog Werkstatt is a fine, high quality synthesizer. As a kit, it's the best value for getting into Moog/synth stuff. It's right at the top of your price range, but could be just the awesome thing they would love.
posted by SaltySalticid at 9:14 AM on January 22, 2018
posted by SaltySalticid at 9:14 AM on January 22, 2018
In that case, I'd stay away from their area of expertise. They know what they need, they don't need more clutter (this is the most clutter-tastic hobby I've seen in a while), and they don't need the burden of something they're not interested in. Their interests will be very specific, and you probably don't want to guess them.
Task lighting or a nice lamp are usually very useful -- get something very bright -- but it's a little bit of a risk.
I'm going to emphasize what I thought was a decent idea: massage gift certificate. If they can't use it, they can at least pass it on to someone who will, like their mom or a friend, and it's a super valuable gift that most people don't get for themselves. Also, it won't clutter or use up resources.
posted by amtho at 10:56 AM on January 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
Task lighting or a nice lamp are usually very useful -- get something very bright -- but it's a little bit of a risk.
I'm going to emphasize what I thought was a decent idea: massage gift certificate. If they can't use it, they can at least pass it on to someone who will, like their mom or a friend, and it's a super valuable gift that most people don't get for themselves. Also, it won't clutter or use up resources.
posted by amtho at 10:56 AM on January 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
Best answer: If he's an amateur radio operator, he might like the QCX. It's a morsecode (CW) radio that is inexpensive with an impressive array of features, only $49 plus shipping. Another option is the uBitX (micro bit x), an all mode 6 band transceiver that comes with the board assembled but you have to solder on all the connectors and mount it in a box, $119 shipped from India.
posted by Grumpy old geek at 10:57 AM on January 22, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Grumpy old geek at 10:57 AM on January 22, 2018 [4 favorites]
I would really like whoever bought me the iFixit bit kit.
posted by gregr at 2:24 PM on January 22, 2018
posted by gregr at 2:24 PM on January 22, 2018
If he is not a Ham, is interested in Amateur Radio, and is in the USA, ARRL sells really good study guides for all three Amateur Radio license levels - Technician, General, and Amateur Extra. About $100 would get you the study guides for all of them.
ARRL - Licensing and Training Books.
Alternatively, if he is a Ham already, maybe an ARRL gift certificate would be useful.
posted by spinifex23 at 2:47 PM on January 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
ARRL - Licensing and Training Books.
Alternatively, if he is a Ham already, maybe an ARRL gift certificate would be useful.
posted by spinifex23 at 2:47 PM on January 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Ding ding ding! We have a winner. Just ordered the uBITX. Thank you all for your suggestions!
posted by panama joe at 7:52 PM on January 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by panama joe at 7:52 PM on January 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
« Older Travel visa for China, surrender passport?! | ChicagoLawyerFilter: Recommendation edition Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
It's a little hard to guess without more information. How old are they? Do you know what they've built in the past? How much equipment do they have? Are they a Ham? Etc?
Maybe a gift certificate to SparkFun or AdaFruit?
posted by gregr at 7:33 AM on January 22, 2018 [1 favorite]