Great Holiday presents
Great Holiday presentsDate of publication: 17-11-2023 Update date: 10-04-2026 🕒 16 min read
Finding a practical Holiday present, especially for a person with electronic engineering-related interests and expertise, often proves to be quite a challenge. To make this task easier, we have prepared a list of ideas for attractive gifts that will catch the eye of any DIYer. Happy Holidays!
- Not only for professionals, i.e. “something useful”
- More or less important computer accessories
- Useful DIY tools
- Perfect gifts for expert electronics fiends
- Arduino set as a Holiday gift
- Small computers for cutting-edge projects
Something for everyone
Let us start with the most universal suggestions for almost everyone, even those who do not have a flair for electronic engineering. With certain exceptions, these are affordable products, making perfect gifts for friends, neighbours or colleagues.
Screwdriver set
In this article, we will mention tools on several occasions, but let’s make it clear, screwdrivers will come in handy for almost everyone. What is more, this particular set contains special tools for working with electricity, and is therefore really safe and convenient to use. Apart from Phillips and straight-blade screwdrivers, the set also includes a voltage tester enabling you to safely inspect sockets, fuses, etc. As these accessories are provided by one of the world’s leading hand tool manufacturers, they will surely be appreciated by professionals and DIYers alike.
Home automation systems
Another interesting gift suggestion for ardent fans of electronic engineering is a home automation system device. Such products are more than just gadgets, so we can treat them as unconventional, but still very attractive presents. Here, we strongly recommend solutions provided by ZAMEL, the manufacturer of remotely controlled light switches, motor controllers and a diverse range of other state-of-the-art accessories.
Energy monitors and ready-made illumination sets are two product groups that might catch your eye. The former enable you to detect current flow in several circuits to identify points in which energy losses are generated. This is particularly important for households using renewable energy sources (e.g. PV systems), but also helps lighten the load on the budget in a grid-connected home. Measurement results are transmitted from the monitor over Wi-Fi, and can be displayed on a smartphone in a numerical or graphic form. Importantly, installing such a device does not require interfering with the existing installation wiring.
Zamel also offers illumination sets comprising four lamps, which are a particularly attractive gift idea. One lamp comes with an integrated, wireless switch and dimmer to control remotely all modules included in the set. All you have to do is install them and connect to any typical LED power supply module (12…24 V DC, 3 W). The set can be operated with a smartphone with the manufacturer’s app installed, but Zamel also offers compatible physical switches with Wi-Fi connectivity features.
QOLTEC surge protector strips
Another attractive product from the category of household and workshop accessories that could be a perfect Holiday gift is a QOLTEC surge protector strip equipped with surge protection filters ensuring that the connected equipment does not cause any interference and is also protected against harmful voltage spikes. Such surge protector strips can prove useful for powering illuminated decorations, and they are always an important element of an electronic engineer’s workstation. What is particularly important is that they come in 8-socket versions, and we all know someone that could do with a few extra sockets, don’t we?
Headphones and earbuds
Perhaps headphones or earbuds are not the most inventive gift suggestion, but they usually prove to be spot-on presents. The TME product catalogue includes products demonstrating diverse characteristics: we offer models that you can enjoy while going for a walk or relaxing at home, wired and Bluetooth models, or versions designed with gamers’ needs in mind. They can be a perfect gift for everyone, as we have something for all kinds of diverse interests and needs, not to mention a great variety of colour versions.
For computer geeks
Each of us is a computer user to some extent, and some of us are real geeks. The latter will surely be happy to have a high-quality computer accessory as a present.
Memory cards
The TME product catalogue comprises an extensive range of memory cards in universal formats. For example, by applying a correct search filter, you can find “industrial” SD cards. These are highly durable products, fully compatible with typical consumer applications. Another storage medium includes high-speed memory cards for cameras or camcorders. We offer products specifically designed for Nintendo Switch consoles, GoPro camcorders or single-board computers. The memory cards available in our product catalogue come with capacities up to 1 TB, are attractively priced and, at the same time, come from tried-and-tested brands, which guarantees that they maintain their nominal performance and high reliability.
Gamepads
A wired or, preferably, wireless gamepad will always come in handy even for the most ardent and well-equipped gamer. This results from the fact that a spare gamepad is a much appreciated backup device in the case of equipment failure, and is great if you want to invite some friends over to have fun playing games in the local multiplayer mode. Gembird accessories are compatible with all popular PCs. They are also available as twin sets that are ideal for siblings.
Webcams
The webcam category includes at least two types of products that might be perfect gifts. One of them includes “classic” small-sized accessories for video chatting, which prove to be particularly useful in the times when remote work has become increasingly common. For desktop computer users, a webcam is usually an additional expense, but it will surely be needed sooner or later. The other webcam type includes standalone models that do not require a computer connection, as they are used, for example, to monitor a room during your absence or to keep an eye on children, pets or the elderly. They simply require a power source connection and one-off configuration. The main advantage of such gadgets is the fact that anyone who is interested in technological innovations will find a good use for them.
For hobbyists and DIYers
Let us now have a look at several products that are worth considering if you are looking for a gift for someone who likes fiddling with electronic equipment, car systems or doing individual renovation work. It is quite likely that they will enjoy receiving a functional, high-quality instrument as a present.
Illuminated magnifying glass
Illuminated magnifying glasses combine the features of a magnifier and a powerful desktop lamp. While installed at your workstation, they can successfully perform the latter function, and when needed, they will help you complete tasks requiring higher precision. They are equipped with radially located LEDs emitting powerful (560 lm), white light with a colour temperature of 6500K (borderline of neutral and cold hues). A large, 127 mm magnifying glass (5 dpt focal length ensuring magnification of approx. 2.25) is installed in the centre. Such a size facilitates observation of small-sized objects with both eyes, so that the user retains the ability to see stereoscopically, which improves work comfort in modelling, jewellery making, soldering, etc. The magnifying glass is fixed to a table top with a screwed clamp.
Illuminated magnifying glasses
Cobra miniature adjustable pliers by Knipex
Miniature adjustable pliers placed in a metal box that is shaped and coloured as a Holiday tree bauble are arguably the most “Christmassy” product in the TME product catalogue. This compact (100 mm) tool is designed to handle components in restricted spaces. Despite their small size, such pliers enable you to hold components with diameters up to 24 mm. Such a tool packed in a gift box is a perfect small gift for a colleague, business partner or mate.
Miscellaneous small equipment
Small workshop instruments are perfect gifts for DIY fans. It rings particularly true for high-quality devices that will last for many years to come. Taking into account the most popular solutions included in our product catalogue, we would like to recommend to you three products with the most diverse applications range, i.e.a rangefinder, a multimeter and a soldering iron.
The UNI-T rangefinder is a tool using a laser beam to measure distances up to 50 m. It also comes with a feature enabling you to automatically calculate the surface area and cubic capacity of rooms. The possibility to use it outdoors is its undoubted advantage, as it makes this device useful in many less professional applications (e.g. marking out a football pitch on a forest meadow). Its other advantages, making it more useful than a measuring tape, include measurement precision, reduced working time and convenience of use.
For a person who is competent in basic electronic engineering and electric circuits, a multimeter is as indispensable as a screwdriver, as it comes in handy in most situations. In fact, a multi-purpose meter should always be at hand in a workshop, at home or in your car. In other words, it is hard to imagine a situation in which a multimeter turns out to be a gift gone wrong.
Finally, it is also worth considering a basic model of a soldering gun. The power rating of such devices reaches 45 W, and they come equipped with LED indicators, a long-life soldering tip and handy stand. This is practically a fully-equipped set for most soldering operations conducted on electronic equipment or even suitable for implementing own projects or making small repairs. Therefore, a general-purpose soldering iron may turn out to be a perfect gift for youngsters who are enthusiastic about electronic engineering.
For those with a knack for electronic engineering
Buying a gift for a person who is into advanced electronic engineering is a serious challenge for an “amateur”. Here, we can recommend to you a few ideas of products, i.e. some basic components or development kits that can be suitably adapted by each more ambitious or experienced user, for example, as a basis for a more advanced project.
Such basic products include, for example, LED sets. Such components always come in handy, in particular as various indicators. They are also used for prototyping and learning purposes, as they enable you to observe the operation of various circuits, especially digital ones. The product includes a container with compartments and from 30 to 560 LEDs. The sets may include single- or multi-colour LEDs, and also two-colour or white light emitting components. In each case, these components come in typical formats, and in selected cases they are delivered with suitable accessories, such as mounting holders or heat-shrink tubes. No matter if you are a hobbyist or a professional – such a gift will always come in handy.
If you are looking for a gift for a person who is interested in popular Raspberry Pi computers, consider buying a TFT display compatible with such products. The TME product catalogue contains numerous products offered by Waveshare Electronics, a company specialising in manufacturing such modules. They include displays with touch matrices handling high-resolution images (up to 1024 x 600), available in various size versions, i.e. from 1.44 to 10.1 inches.
Let us now focus on programmable modules and single-board computers. Plainly speaking, these are platforms for streamlining the process of building electronic devices through the use of microcontrollers or even microprocessors, which operate as small-sized, but really powerful computers.
Arduino development kits
The Italian Arduino brand is one of the most popular global providers of such products. Thanks to the extensive availability of countless Internet sources of information, even a beginner can handle building their new project, which is one of the reasons why Arduino products are widely used for educational purposes. Two extended solutions offered by this manufacturer are, in our opinion, great ideas for a perfect gift. The first one is the Nano model equipped with an ESP32 chip and integrated Bluetooth and Wi-Fi wireless communication modules. It is connected to a computer (and power supply) via a universal USB cable, and... it is practically ready to use. The other recommended solution is Arduino Giga R1, a more complex module based on the Cortex (M4, M7) architecture chip, more suitable for more advanced users. However, users with certain experience in programming, particularly related to electronic devices, should easily handle the capabilities offered by this platform. Additionally, we also offer original displays designed specifically for Giga R1.
Single-board computers
Miniature computers are the last product group described in this guide. These devices operate almost identically to laptops or desktop computers, and they are easy to integrate with individually designed systems. Professionals use them to design, e.g. ticket machines or parcel pick-up machines, while hobbyists... find numerous other applications, ranging from automated garden watering systems to Mars rover models to be presented at various technical contests. We particularity recommend four models of single-board computers.
- Banana Pi Zero – a really compact (60 x 30 mm) module demonstrating a wide range of capabilities, operating with wireless networks and running on the Linux operating system (similarly to all products presented here).
- URVE Board Pi V2 – a product the size of a credit card, equipped with a quad-core processor demonstrating relatively high computational power (1.8 GHz) and 2 GB operating memory, which makes it suitable to operate with Android 12 systems and “desktop” Debian.
- DFRobot computer – a model designed by a tried-and-tested manufacturer as a foundation for the user to build their own mobile equipment. The motherboard (51.6 x 83 mm) comes with a 2.8” touch display and a complete set of wires used to connect peripherals. The TME product catalogue also includes enclosures designed for these products.
- AAEON computer – the most powerful of all presented solutions run by an Intel® Atom™ processor based on a 64-bit x86 architecture, which enables it to be operated with a standard Windows 10 system, making it particularly suitable for educational purposes and adaptation to the specific needs of individual projects.
Transfer Multisort Elektronik (TME) is one of the world’s largest global distributors of electronic components, electrotechnical parts, workshop equipment, and industrial automation. The catalog includes over 1,500,000 products from 1,300 leading manufacturers. TME’s modern logistics centers in Łódź and Rzgów (Poland), with a combined area of over 40,000 m², ship nearly 6,000 packages daily to customers in more than 150 countries.
TME also invests in the development of knowledge and skills of young engineers and electronics enthusiasts through the TME Education project, and supports the tech community by organizing the TechMasterEvent series, promoting innovation and experience exchange.
