Five ways for engineers to spend their holiday gift cards
At Avnet, we understand that you’re difficult to shop for. Your friends and family know that you’re some kind of engineer and that you like tinkering with technology, but their eyes glaze over when you explain what you do. So, you ended up with a handful of gift cards this year.
Not to worry! We’re here to help you find some fun ways to spend those gift cards on the things you really want.
Learn R and start creating amazing graphs
Currently using Excel for your data wrangling and creation of graphs and charts? Then you need to learn R now. R is a programming language and free software for statistical computing and graphics. The best thing about R is that it’s a programmable graphics environment, which means you can build up the elements of the graph that you want and make it look, well, amazing.
One of the particular strengths of R is its ability to handle dramatically large datasets that are way, way beyond the capabilities of Excel. With R (and ggplot), if you want to plot 500 time series, go for it. The best book on R for quickly learning how to effectively explore big blocks of data is “R for Data Science.” At only $36 on Amazon, you won’t even have to spend your entire gift check and you’ll wow everybody at your next presentation. Or, if you want to save the card for something else, get the book free online.
Take better measurements with quality digital calipers
A good pair of calipers is an absolute necessity for mechanical engineering work and useful for electrical engineers, too. Whether you’re measuring mounting hole spacing or reverse-engineering a mechanical part, accurate calipers are indispensable.
Quality calipers provide accuracy and that accuracy requires calibration. Cheap options either aren’t calibrated at all or they often need recalibration. These Mitutoyo calipers offer 0.01mm of resolution and include a long-form calibration certificate.
Expand your knowledge with online courses at Udemy
Sometimes knowledge is the best gift and that is exactly what you can purchase from Udemy. There are thousands of technical courses available at Udemy, including courses on subjects such as programmable logic controllers (PLCs), embedded systems and field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).
Udemy courses are affordable and include certificates for your resume or LinkedIn profile. They are a great way to show employers that you’re committed to continuous improvement in your field of expertise.
Before heading over to Udemy, check out Avnet’s own training resources. We offer many presentations and hands-on workshops for engineers.
Put accuracy in your pocket with a professional multimeter
While any multimeter can give you an approximate voltage readout, a well-made multimeter provides so much more. The Fluke 179 True-RMS Digital Multimeter, for example, has handy features like value recording and automatic ranging.
Fluke offers multimeters for every budget and a variety of other instruments. Every product is a high-quality tool designed for professional use. Just be sure to label yours with your name, lest your coworkers “borrow” it for too long.
Upgrade your lab with a modern oscilloscope
An oscilloscope is the ultimate desktop tool for serious electrical engineering work. If you’re still using an ancient ‘scope, then the features in new models will amaze you.
Keysight Technologies offers a range of digital oscilloscope models, from compact entry-level models to feature-packed wonders of modern tech wizardry. But every model is a high-quality instrument with the accuracy and precision necessary for real jobs.
Looking for some ideas that are less professional and more fun? Check out this article on Hackster.