Father's Day Gift Help

[AshleyBcaptain of 1,000]

I need guy help here. My husband is not the easiest to get gifts for because he is an electronics guy and I don't know a ton about that stuff. Especially the electronics things that he likes. He is in school to be an electrical computer engineer and loves all things electronics and computer related. He builds computers and all sort of things and likes to come up with inventions and working on various projects. Usually, what always happens is we just discuss a budget and then he goes online and orders something he wants either from new egg or amazon. Mostly Amazon these days. Especially with the two day shipping. The only time I have ever been able to surprise him with a gift was two years ago for Christmas I bought him a blue ray player.

But I like for him to get something he likes and will actually use. So I am hoping some engineering types on here can help me out? His dad was telling me that he was wanting a pc oscilloscope adapter. But there are so many different kinds and I am not looking to spend a ton of money. Our budget is pretty tight right now. Im looking to spend under 50.00. The annoying part is Im not even sure what it's used for and I'm not sure what kind of use he is looking for out of it so that makes it harder to decide which one would be good for his needs and a lot of them are expensive. Any advice? Or other ideas for a guy who likes to do electrical projects?

[one4freedomcaptain of 100]

I might actually be able to help.

I am looking to get a set of bluetooth speakers for myself. While researching them, I came across this nifty little thing.

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=320-352


It's a bluetooth module with a stereo output. If you combine it with a little amp and some speakers, it would be pretty sweet!

Here's the setup I'm thinking about:

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=300-650

[Rensaicaptain of 100]

For an electronics guy its hard to beat an arduino board. Its a programmable microcontroller and the uses are nearly endless.

heres the arduino home page: http://www.arduino.cc/

heres some projects people have done using the arduino: http://hacknmod.com/hack/top-40-arduino ... f-the-web/

Its great fun for anyone into electronics.

[AshleyBcaptain of 1,000]

Very cool ideas. I like both ideas. That arduino bored seems right up his alley too. I like the little robot they made with it. He is in the robotics club at CU and loves stuff like that. I went ahead and purchased an oscilloscope on amazon. I got him a digital one that has a few different adapters and seems to have great functionality. I also figured he would be able to use it on a lot of future projects so he should get some good use out of it.

I am really liking these ideas though! Keep em coming because they are good ideas for later and I am always at a loss for what to get.

[AshleyBcaptain of 1,000]

Hmm... He apparently already has an arduino so I am glad I didn't get that one. Still a great idea though.

[Stella Solariscaptain of 1,000]

I'm kind of in the same boat as you, Ashley; as my husband is into technology/computer stuff and ham radio equipment, etc.. - things I have no idea about! So I asked him to make a "Wish List" and to write an exact description (with photo, if possible) of everything he would like, and to put an internet link of where I can purchase the item. It has worked like a charm!! He sends me his list as a word doc with the links right on it, so all I have to do is click on the link and it takes me straight to the very item he wants; I order it and we're good! We're both very happy with this system, as he gets exactly what he's looking for, and I don't have to guess what he might like or where to find it. Good luck!

[Looking Forwardcaptain of 50]

Hmm... He apparently already has an arduino so I am glad I didn't get that one. Still a great idea though.

That doesn't mean he can't have another one. My husband has two and would like to get another, he bought an UNO but doesn't like it as well as the older version he bought. I also suggest you get him something in robotics, because that is what he loves to do. I would like to get my own husband a new digital test meter, with extra leads, but will have to wait.

[BrianM]

Building computers, shops at newegg.com and amazon.com - difficult to shop for - I can relate, that's exactly how I am.

My honest advice for this type of person is not to worry about surprising him with anything computer related because if he's like me, even if you knew he wanted a tablet, hard drive, pc oscilloscope adapter, voltmeter, or some other gadget - you're right - there are so many kinds that you'd better leave it up to him to pick the specific one to buy. For most of the computer parts/gadgets I buy, I do a lot of research to narrow it down to find the best item for my budget - there's no way my wife could ever get it right by surprising me - it's just a plain and simple fact.

Maybe just give him a newegg/amazon gift card, and let any surprises be some non-electronic items that you know he would like.

I also like Stella's idea, have him make a "wishlist" of specific items that he would like (specific brand, model, part number, etc), and then when an occassion comes up you want to get him a gift, surprise him with one of the items on his wishlist (and you might want to remind him to update the list as those occasions draw nearer).

Hope that helps.

[AshleyBcaptain of 1,000]

Yeah, you just described him pretty well Brian and its the whole reason why I don't normally get to surprise him. For his birthday just several months ago I bought him an amazon gift card so I didn't want to do that again and besides he might as well just pick it out and spend the money out of our account for as much as that turns out to be a present. LOL I was casually asking him about the ardiuno earlier today and I just sent him a link to it and asked him what he thought about it. I guess he figured I was fishing for info for Father's Day ideas and he said I already have one of those and we just used one to build our robot in robotics club. I was not surprised though. He's got enough electronic boards to make many things with. He pulled it out of the closet and showed it to me today along with the bread boards he used with it in the project.

I figured going with the oscilloscope would be an ok bet because he was just talking about getting a super cheap one in his conversation with his dad and the one I got him is nicer. But I also figure he can always return it if he wants something different. And he may end up doing that. But yeah, for the most part its just a discuss a budget and he goes and buys something kind of thing. The one thing I would just LOVE to surprise him with is a projector. But we won't be having the money for anything like that till he is done with school. He has talked about making a make shift projector for cheap before but it would have been SOOOO ghetto ..lol. I like for him to spend money here and there for equipment and for projects though because it makes him happy and I figure at the end of the day its just giving him more experience in his field. So I am all for it. Sometimes I wish we had a bigger budget so he could have his own room just for doing that stuff. One day.........