Planet Arduino

The holidays can be a great time to pick up a new passion, or start a new project! And if you are at home with friends and family, a DIY challenge can be just what you need to spend a few hours together – learning and laughing all the way. We’ve definitely kept all of this in mind while fine tuning our 2023 gift guides, full of ideas and inspiration for the special people on your list! We’re sure you’ll find something for everyone… and a treat for yourself too.

Giving the gift of creativity

A kit with step-by-step instructions and all the components you need can provide the perfect pastime, even with kids: you can go through the Starter Kit one project at the time to learn the basics of electronics and coding, or try your hand at IoT – it’s easy with the Arduino Oplà IoT Kit! This 8-projects-in-1-box gift allows even beginners to explore smart connectivity: anyone can have their smart lights system, personal weather station, or home security alarm ready by New Year’s Eve, and do the whole thing without coding, using the templates available on Arduino Cloud. And once the basics are mastered, the experience can be customized to infinite creative ideas: for example to monitor a room’s temperature and humidity levels, connect the heating to Alexa, or control Spotify – three ideas to make your time at home even more pleasant, during the holidays and beyond.

Learning something new in the new year

Speaking of the new year, we have some great options for anyone making 2024 their year to learn something new. For example, the Make Your Uno Kit can take anyone from the basics of soldering to their first synth (also available as part of the Make Your UNO Soldering Bundle). Sound daunting? Not to worry: the learning experience is supported by a dedicated content platform with video tutorials, a 3D interactive viewer to help with the finest details of soldering, and instructions on how to program the board once it is finished.
If you have someone on your list who would enjoy a huge confidence boost to go with their newly acquired electronics and programming skills, the official recognition of the Arduino Junior Certification Bundle will make for the perfect present.

Finally, for anyone interested in learning MicroPython, the Nano ESP32 is the perfect choice to start their journey! But it can also be the key to amazing home automation projects like the one created by one of our Project Hub users, help you recreate Penny’s computer (remember Inspector Gadget?), or make one of the most interesting, hypnotizing timepieces ever. And yes, it can even run Doom.

Automating your living and work spaces

If being home gets you thinking about how you could make your humble abode more comfortable, fun, or futuristic, experiment with automation using the MKR WiFi 1010 (the easiest point of entry to basic IoT). Bigger plans? Check out the new Arduino Pro Opta micro PLC, offering industrial-grade performance within the friendly Arduino programming experience.

Looking for something more open-ended?

Our gift guides highlight a wide range of versatile and feature-packed modules that can be at the heart of any project you – or your loved ones – may have in mind. Caution: you may end up spending your holidays creating a humanoid robot! Choose the iconic UNO R3, a cornerstone in the maker revolution, or the UNO R4: WiFi or Minima are both great options for any creative project and for any skill level. Artists like Tigris Li and Monica Rikic have used the UNO R4 for their recent works, and fashiotech designer Anouk Wipprecht even made a beautiful dress light up with it. But an UNO R4 can also be used for a DIY filament extruder, or to make a small robot with PID control.

Last but not least, check out the Nano 33 BLE, introducing a better processor, a micro-USB connector, and a 9 axis IMU to the Nano family: that’s enough, for example, to create a micro robot arm to control a macro robot arm (it actually makes a lot of sense: read more about it here!).

Have a friend passionate about technology? Look no further!

Our gift guides include cutting-edge gadgets that will surely light up their faces, and make this holiday season unforgettable. Consider the Portenta Hat Carrier for the robotics enthusiast, or the powerhouse combo that is the GIGA Display Bundle for anyone into gaming, sound design, or really any tech-driven pursuit. Examples of what you can do with these are a whole system to control the lights and fans in your home via a single, custom dashboard, or even a Chat GPT client to boost productivity!

No matter who is on your list and what their skill level or interest may be, head to our 2023 gift guide and find the perfect present for them! We hope you’ll enjoy learning, creating, and making together.

The post ’Tis the season to get making! appeared first on Arduino Blog.

If you’re a maker, engineer or any other kind of tech-head, there’s a vast number of great electronics gifts you can choose from. But if you’re not as immersed in maker culture as your partner, kids, friends or family, and you’re looking for the perfect gifts for the makers in your life, we’ve got you covered.

Over on the Arduino Store is a selection of gift guides to help you pick up the perfect stocking stuffers.

Under €50

If you’re looking to put a few extra bits and pieces under your maker’s tree this year, start here.

Every budget is accounted for. There’s so much choice from components, cases, Arduino boards, shields and sensors, that you could fill a whole fireplace of stockings with this treasure trove of affordable gadgetry.

$wag IoT

Here’s the chic side of electronics. All the coolest gear for people who like their projects to have a bit of extra bling.

If you’re looking to impress a maker this holiday, browse through this sensational selection. Pay particular attention to the Oplà IoT Kit (perfect for home automation enthusiasts), CircuitMess Spencer (a kind of DIY Alexa) and the LYRA (for the retro gamers).

To Learn

It’s a total myth that educational gifts have to be boring! To prove that point, we’ve compiled an educational gift guide. It’s perfect for parents who want something that’ll give their kids a new set of skills or a creative outlet.

You simply can’t go wrong with the Arduino kits if you want to inspire the next generation of makers, artists and engineers. The Starter Kit for newcomers, the Student Kit if they’re already studying STEM subjects, and the Engineering Kit to help them to the next level.

To Create

If you’re looking for gifts on the Arduino Store, you probably already know someone who’s dripping with boards, gadgets and bits of tech. Someone who’s always working on a new project, improving old ones or dismantling something to “make it better”.

If that’s the case, there’s plenty here that would make their festive season. Creatives can never have too many accessories for their workshops.

To Perform

It’s all pretty high tech here, but this gift guide is for those who ride on the cutting edge. If you’ve heard the words “machine learning” or “intelligent sensing” floating around, take a look here for your gift-giving inspiration.

What you’re looking at are the more powerful kinds of devices. Great for those who are studying or working in high level electronics. You can be sure they’ll be thrilled and astounded if they open a present from you that turns out to be a Nicla Sense ME or a Portenta H7 with machine vision.

Arduino Gift Cards

Still not quite sure what you’re looking for? You’re in luck!

This is the first year that we’ve introduced digital Arduino gift cards. So if you’ve got a maker on your nice list and they’re either too far remote to send something, or you just can’t decide which Arduino goodies they’d love the most, a gift card means they’ll always get what they want.

The post Gift Inspiration for Makers at the Arduino Store appeared first on Arduino Blog.

Need a gift idea for that special person in your life? A present that inspires his or her creative side is always a good option. With the holiday season officially underway, we’ve rounded up a few guides to help with your search, ranging from kits for young Makers to stocking stuffers for techies. Whatever you choose, be sure to spend over $150/€100 and take advantage of our FREE SHIPPING all December long!

UNDER THE TREE: BUNDLES & KITS
Who needs toys when you can build your own inventions?

• Arduino and Genuino Starter Kit – It’s a classic! With 15 projects, this kit is the perfect starting point for anyone looking to tinker around with electronics and coding. Also available in German, Spanish and Italian!

• MKR1000 Bundle – Ready to spend your holiday break building your first Internet of Things device? The MKR1000 Bundle is based on our powerful Wi-Fi board and includes all the components needed to add connectivity to your design.

• Road to Santa Claus Kit - Remember the old advent calendar? Well, we’re giving it an IoT twist with the brand-new MKR1000-based Road to Santa system! Step-by-step instructions on how to assemble the kit can be found on our Project Hub!

Explore more bundles and kits!

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YOUNG MAKERS
Let kids unwrap their imagination

• littleBits Premium Kit – Might as well call it a box o’ fun! With this set, kids can learn the basics of electronics, explore STEAM principles and form the foundations of critical thinking, all while creating whirring, buzzing gadgets. The littleBits Premium Kit consists of 14 color-coded modules that magnetically snap together to form larger circuits, guaranteed to keep curious minds engaged for hours. With over 600,000 possible combinations, you can let your imagination run wild!

• Bare Conductive Celebration Circuit Set – Create three flashing greeting cards using Electric Paint. This interactive kit guides users through drawing a circuit, and attaching LEDs and batteries.

Browse more gifts perfect for Young Makers!

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STOCKING STUFFERS
Boards, books, and other goodies!

 

• Yún Shield – A powerful IoT shield that brings Yún features to your Arduino or Genuino, enabling you to remotely upload sketches to your boards. Connecting to your WiFi network is simplified with the Yún Web Panel and dedicated ”YunFirstConfig” sketch.

• Arduino and Genuino T-Shirt – Wear your Maker pride with this gray Uno shirt.

Find more stocking stuffers!