Analysis
Farnell decks the halls with seasonal gifts
Ditch the socks, chocs and other schlock. Farnell wants to brighten the spirits for every engineer with gift ideas and exciting giveaways as part of its annual Engineer and Maker’s Wish List. So the element14 Community has selected a mix of popular and innovative products.
The list is created for engineers, by engineers.
Decking Out the Workbench:
- All Purpose Bit Set: This all-purpose kit has everything needed for quick repairs at home or on the go at a repair cafe or hackspace.
- Multicomp Pro 150W Soldering Station: Often needed for repairing electronics, this soldering station could even be used this season to fix broken ornaments.
- Bench Vise: Perfect for an engineer who could use another set of hands, this bench vise also includes an anvil.
Embedding Processing Power:
- Raspberry Pi Model B with 4GB RAM: The latest and fastest Raspberry Pi to date, with the same footprint and connectivity as its predecessors. The onboard WiFi and Bluetooth seal the deal, especially with the updated processor, USB 3 and Gigabit Ethernet.
- BeagleBone AI: Great for engineers looking to push their programming knowledge, it includes a fully open source, documented processor, board, schematics and the ability to embed it in your design from source or scratch.
Tools That Go the Extra Mile:
- Assorted Tool Kit: For the maker or engineer just starting out, this 153-piece set features the everyday essentials that a maker needs.
- BeagleBone Robotics Cape: This add-on cape expands the BeagleBone's capabilities to control the motors needed for robotics and drones.
- PiFace Control and Display: The PiFace add-on board for the Raspberry Pi is an ideal way to interface with heavy hitting hardware.
In addition to the dozens product recommendations vetted by the community, element14 is keeping the holiday spirit going throughout the rest of the year with three giveaway opportunities, open until December 30:
- The Test & Measurement Tools on the Go Giveaway features key products for frequently travelling engineers and includes the chance to win a USB oscilloscope, digital multimeter and a digital caliper.
- The Circuit Assembly Tools for All Giveaway includes everything an engineer needs to start building circuits, from a breadboard and jumper wires to Knipex Pliers and a nifty assembly turntable.
- The Raspberry Pi Essentials Giveaway offers Pi fans a chance to win a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ starter kit, Speaker pHAT and waterproof camera.