🛠️ Gifts for Makers and Tinkerers

A 16x16 grid of 256 individually addressable RGB LEDs, running on about 5 V. It works with well-known libraries such as FastLED and WLED, and with Arduino, ESP32 or Raspberry Pi Pico boards, so someone can have scrolling text or animations running in an evening. At full white brightness 256 LEDs draw a lot of current, so a proper 5 V supply (not a laptop USB port) is needed for anything beyond dim effects.

An indoor full-colour panel with a fine 2 mm pixel pitch, making it a dense display for a desk where it will be seen up close. Pixel art, weather dashboards and small video clips look crisp at this pitch. Very fine pitch panels can use less common scan patterns, so check that the recipient's driver library supports it before buying several.

A 64x32 pixel HUB75 panel measuring 160x80 mm with 1/16 scan, a very common format with wide library support. It is the size many online tutorials use, and a sweet spot for clocks, stock tickers, now-playing displays and small game screens. Panels can be chained to make bigger displays later. It comes without a controller or power supply.

The same 64x32 resolution as the P2.5 panel but physically larger at 256x128 mm, so it reads well from across a room. That makes it a good choice for scoreboards, workshop signs, game-room displays and wall-mounted dashboards, and two chained together make a striking banner. It is indoor-rated, so keep it away from damp garages and outdoor use.

Ten pre-wired JST SH connectors with 1.0 mm pitch, the tiny plug used by many sensor breakouts, Qwiic/STEMMA QT boards and drone electronics. You choose the pin count and wire length when ordering. Make sure the pin count matches what the recipient uses; 4-pin is the most common for I2C sensor boards.

A set of female housings with leads and matching male pins, available in SH 1.0, 1.25, ZH 1.5, PH 2.0 and XH 2.54 pitches. PH and XH are common on LiPo batteries, LED strips and 3D printer boards. Several options share one listing, so pick the pitch and pin count carefully at checkout.