5 Ways for Makers to Spend Their Holiday Gift Cards

Did you get some gift cards for the holidays? Here is how to spend 'em.

Cameron Coward
3 years ago3D Printing / Robotics / Music

Gift cards are better than cash, because you can spend a gift card on something you actually want without feeling guilty about it. With any luck, you're going to end up with a handful of gift cards this holiday season. These are five ways that you, as a maker, might want to spend those gift cards.

Interested in more professional ideas? Check out this article on gift ideas for engineers.

An Arduino Kit

If you haven't yet jumped on the Arduino bandwagon, now is your chance. Arduino makes several models of microcontroller development boards, but the Uno is the most popular and has the best compatibility with other modules.

You can't do much with an Arduino board alone, which is while you'll want a kit. Kits like this one include a variety of components and modules, giving you everything you need to complete a range of fun projects. Along the way, you'll learn the basics of electronic circuits, microcontrollers, and programming.

An Oskitone Scout Synth Kit

This is the perfect project for music lovers. The kit contains all of the hardware you need to build your very own synthesizer. It's built around a microcontroller, which you can reprogram to customize the synthesizer to fit your style.

If you have access to a 3D printer, you can fabricate all of the plastic parts yourself to add to the fun. Otherwise, you can order a kit that contains the 3D-printed parts.

A Good Soldering Iron

Every maker needs a soldering iron and if you're still using a cheap model, then it is time to upgrade. Not only does a high-quality soldering iron give you better, more consistent temperature control, but you can also take advantage of additional features.

This hot air soldering station, for example, contains a soldering iron with digital temperature control and a hot air gun for reworking boards or soldering SMD (Surface-Mount Device) components.

If you prefer something more compact and portable, TS100 pen-style soldering irons are a popular choice. They're available under a plethora of brand names, but are all very similar.

A Robot Kit

Every maker dreams of designing their own robot, but before you can run you must crawl. The way to crawl is by assembling and programming a robot kit, which will help you learn the fundamentals of robotics without too many headaches.

There are many robot kits on the market for every age group. The Makeblock mBot is an affordable choice suitable for most ages. The Adeept RaspTank-Pro is a more full-featured option. Or you can go with a tried-and-true LEGO MINDSTORMS Robot Inventor kit.

A 3D Printer

3D printers never cease to be useful. If you were fortunate enough to receive some hefty gift cards this holiday season, then you won't regret using them to purchase a 3D printer.

The Creality Ender 3 is a very popular entry-level 3D printer that is budget-friendly and also capable of printing quite well. If you want to print huge models, the Anycubic Chiron offers a massive build volume. If you want a reliable workhorse with open source street cred, and have a healthy budget, you can't go wrong with the legendary Original Prusa i3 MK3S+.

Cameron Coward
Writer for Hackster News. Proud husband and dog dad. Maker and serial hobbyist. Check out my YouTube channel: Serial Hobbyism
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