PowerSource

Just a week left until Christmas, and no doubt friends and loved ones are asking you what you want for Christmas. Or perhaps you need to do the Santa thing yourself for a techie friend or family member. Either way, here’s a list of goodies that will bring a smile to the face of almost any engineer:

Infrared thermometer, aka IR gun ($53). Do you want to know just how hot a chip/motor/resistor is on a breadboard or pcb? An IR gun is invaluable. It’s also fun to shoot just about anything electronic to show how much power is being dissipated inefficiently as heat. Or shoot clouds. Or the clear night sky. (It’s really cold.) I desperately wanted my IR gun this weekend when I was poaching (ok, boiling) sausages to cook them through before throwing them on the barbie for that appetizing finish of grill marks. How hot was the not-boiling water? How hot were the way-too-many sausages I added all at once? An IR gun goes seamlessly from the garage to the kitchen.

Kill-a-Watt power meter ($25). Instantly raise your consciousness about how much power all of your electrical equipment, toys and appliances use.

Medis 24-7 fuel cell ($20). Just because we all need our own personal fuel cell for only $20.

Make magazine subscription ($35). Excellent suggestion by Brian Dipert of Brian’s Brain. Even if you don’t build all the projects, Make delivers hours of vicarious Maker pleasure all year long.

Extension cord reel ($43). Paul Rako of Anablog suggested this gift, and I sure wished I had one when I was fighting with the 75’ extension cord to power the Christmas lights far, far away from the house. Ah, Christmas lights – ya gotta love ‘em…

Ubercharger BC-900 Alpha Battery Charger ($40). Steve Leibson of Leibson’s Law pointed out this wonderful battery charger he saw on Strobist. The only battery charger you’ll ever need for all of your camera/consumer electronics needs.

Mini-lathe ($450) (ok, too expensive, but still…). Small enough to move with muscle and a hand truck, but capable of doing real work. An amazing value.