Adafruit Holiday Gift Guide 2012: Drones & Space

The holiday shopping season may be winding down, but there is still a bit more time left for some last minute gift shopping.  Here is a list of some great gifts for the drone maker/space enthusiast in your life.


The ArduPilot Mega 2.5 – is a complete open source autopilot system and the bestselling technology that won the prestigious 2012 Outback Challenge UAV competition. This version is ready to use, with no assembly required. It allows the user to turn any fixed, rotary wing or multirotor vehicle (even cars and boats) into a fully autonomous vehicle; capable of performing programmed GPS missions with waypoints.


ELEV-8 Quadcopter Kit – The ELEV-8 quadcopter is a flying robotic platform that is lifted and propelled by four fixed rotors. There are no fixed wings; all of the lift is created from the rotors. Unlike standard helicopters a quadcopter uses fixed-pitch blades, whose rotor pitch does not vary as the blades rotate; control of vehicle motion is achieved by varying the relative speed of each rotor to change the thrust and torque produced by each. The quadcopter uses a HoverFly board with a Propeller multicore microprocessor to electronically control stabilization of the aircraft. The benefits to this system are a stable platform, with no mechanical linkages for a small maneuverable and agile aircraft.


Arduplane-AP-X Foam Plane with APM2.5 – This is the first fixed-wing UAV solution from Udrones. Combine the best-selling APM 2.5 autopilot with a reliable 4 channel tough foam airplane, and you’ll get the best fully autonomous and ready to fly UAV bird of its kind. It comes with the best-selling ArduPilot Mega UAV autopilot board and IMU shield, GPS module for navigation and an airspeed sensor. Free upgrade to a stronger and faster 2700Kv motor for a killer ride. Also includes the cables you need to connect your R/C receiver, and the USB cable for connecting to the Mission Planer software. The most recent ArduPlane software is pre-loaded and all sensors and functions are tested.


Educational Mini UAVs- Skill Badge, Iron-On Patch – You built an educational mini UAV! Adafruit offers a fun and exciting “badges” of achievement for electronics, science and engineering. We believe everyone should be able to be rewarded for learning a useful skill, a badge is just one of the many ways to show and share.  Also, be sure to check out the high-altitude balloon patch!


Adafruit Ultimate GPS Breakout – If you are planning a high altitude balloon launch, or tracking your drone, this is the GPS device you need.  The breakout is built around the MTK3339 chipset, a no-nonsense, high-quality GPS module that can track up to 22 satellites on 66 channels, has an excellent high-sensitivity receiver (-165 dB tracking!), and a built in antenna. It can do up to 10 location updates a second for high speed, high sensitivity logging or tracking. Power usage is incredibly low, only 20 mA during navigation. We’ve tested this version of the Ultimate GPS in a high-altitude balloon, and it kept fix up to 27km!


Sky-Probe Complete High Altitude Launch Kit – Everything you need to get started with your own launch, minus helium. This kit is designed to be lightweight yet rigid enough to mount experiments inside or outside. The launch box is designed to be modular, you can add extra poles for multiple viewing platforms or other experiments. The foam inside the box is pre-scored, you just pull out what you don’t need to fit your electronics. You simply can’t find a more complete and inexpensive launch kit.


Compressed Air Rockets Kit – For the future rocket scientist! Developed by teacher and maker Rick Schertle, and based on his popular Compressed Air Rocket project from MAKE Volume 15, this kit is a fun way to introduce science concepts, basic soldering, and electronics to a youngster or a classroom. Building the kit is a breeze and people are amazed that paper rockets can reach 200–300 feet in the air.


SHIPPING DEADLINES

Here are your 2012 shipping deadlines for ordering from Adafruit. Please review our shipping section if you have specific questions on how and where we ship worldwide for this holiday season.

UPS ground (USA orders): Place orders by Friday 11am ET – December 14, 2012 –  There is no guarantee that UPS Ground packages will arrive in time for Christmas.

UPS 3-day (USA orders): Place orders by Wednesday 11am ET – December 19, 2012 – Arrive on 12/24/2012.

UPS 2-day (USA orders): Place orders by Thursday 11am ET – December 20, 2012 – Arrive on 12/24/2012.

UPS overnight (USA orders): Place orders by Friday 11am ET – December 21, 2012 – Arrive on 12/24/2012.

UPS International: Place orders by Monday 11am ET – December 17, 2012. Can take up extra time due to worldwide delays and customs. Should arrive by 12/24/2012 or sooner.

Please note: We do not offer Saturday service for UPS.
Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2012, Christmas, no UPS pickup or delivery service.
Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013, New Year’s Day, no UPS pickup or delivery service.

United States Postal Service, First Class and Priority (USA orders): Place orders by Friday – December 14, 2012 – Arrive by 12/24/2012 or sooner.

USPS First class mail international (International orders): Place orders by Friday – November 23, 2012. Can take up to 30 days ore more with worldwide delays and customs. Should arrive by 12/24/2012 or sooner, but not a trackable service cannot be guaranteed to arrive by 12/24/12.

USPS Express mail international(International orders): Place orders by Friday – December 14, 2012. Can take up to 15 days or more with worldwide delays and customs. Should arrive by 12/24/2012 or sooner.

Gift Certificates are always available at any time.

When in doubt contact us!


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