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"Looking for a great gift for the tinkerer in your life?\nIf you've got a gadget geek, science nerd, engineer or other electronics-obsessed loved one, this list will be a life-saver. We've gathered a group of DIY electronics kits, ranging from $16 to $95, all of which are guaranteed to please the left-brained folks on your holiday gift list, regardless of age or skill level.\nAnd these kits are more than just LEDs and circuit boards \u2014 we've got robotics, casino games, remote-controlled vehicles and so much more. \nPeruse our list, and in the comments, let us know what great gift items we missed \u2014 or what you, the gadget geek/science nerd yourself, would like to get as a gift.\n1. PaperTronics Lunar Landers\n\n\n\n\n\nPapertronics from Sparkle Labs are paper toys with electronic circuits in them. These simple, bright, fun Lunar Landers come in a pack of three. The Spaceboy and Aliengirl paper templates are pre-designed and pre-cut, and the Tabula Rasa toy is blank and can be designed by you.\nWhen the toys are \"docked\" in their landers one way, they light up. If you put them in a different way, they turn off. These are easy to assemble and make great desk decorations or party lights when they're finished.\nCost: $16Soldering: None neededAges: 7+Skill Level: Beginner\n2. Drawdio Kit\n\n\n\n\n\nDrawdio is an electronic pencil with a simple synthesizer that lets you make \"music\" while you write or draw. The kit comes with a soft-lead pencil, but it can be used on any pencil. This kit is a good project for soldering beginners and anyone who likes tinkering with toy instruments, electronic instruments or pitch-bending. The finished product runs on a single AAA battery.\nCost: $17.50Soldering: Some soldering requiredAges: 12+Skill Level: Beginner/Intermediate\n3. USB NerdKit\n\n\n\n\n\nIf you've got a budding C programmer on your list, check out this kit, which combines hardware and software engineering to great effect. The USB NerdKit is great for learning about microcontrollers and comes with an LCD screen. It's Windows, Mac and Linux compatible and comes with sample code to learn quickly by playing around with examples of working software.\nThe finished kit can be used to control LED lights, play music and much more.\nCost: $79.99Soldering: None neededAges: 14+Skill Level: Intermediate\n4. The Solar System\n\n\n\n\n\nThis gift makes a great project now and a fascinating conversation piece later. If you've got a youngster (or old-ster) who's fascinated by space and enjoys creative projects, this miniature, solar-powered kit is a sure win. This would also be a great gift for a science teacher, too.\nThe recipient gets to build, paint and watch his or her very own model of our solar system come to life. The planets orbit around the solar-paneled sun; solar energy drives a motor so the planets actually move.\nCost: $19.95Soldering: None neededAges: 10+Skill Level: Beginner\n5. Digital Roulette Kit\n\n\n\n\n\nThis is another kit that ends up being two gifts in one. The lucky recipient gets both a cool project and a fun game of chance.\nThe Digital Roulette Kit, when assembled, works a lot like the real casino game. With the push of a button, the LEDs flash in a circle and stop at a random number. This kit also features \"pop out\" chips with different values.\nCost: $22.95Soldering: Some neededAges: 14+Skill Level: Intermediate/Advanced\n6. Snap Circuits Radio Control Rover\n\n\n\n\n\nEveryone loves remote-control cars, but this gift brings the added fun of building the vehicle yourself. You won't need a soldering iron, though; Snap Circuits' main selling point is that all its components snap together with Lego-like ease.\nWhen the rover is finished, you can steer it around with the Snap Rover remote controls. The kit includes components for headlights and red and blue side lights as well as sound effects.\nCost: $54.95Soldering: None neededAges: 10+Skill Level: Beginner\n7. SparkFun Inventor's Kit\n\n\n\n\n\nIf you want to send your would-be electronics engineer into a months-long creative frenzy, this is the kit for you. The SparkFun Inventor's Kit for Arduino is a big box of sensors, diodes, buttons and buzzers to help even a beginner get started with programmable electronics. \nThe recipient will be able to build 12 basic circuits, and instructions are included for making lights blink, motors run, music play and a lot more. After using this kit, the recipient will be a certifiable newbie hardware hacker ready to move on to more advanced electronics projects.\nCost: $94.95Soldering: None neededAges: 10+Skill Level: Beginner/Intermediate\n8. Moon Walker II\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Moon Walker II is an impressive robot that senses both light and sound. It begins to walk when it detects changes in those environmental factors, and it stops when instructed to do so by an internal timer. The sensors can be adjusted for different sensitivity levels.\nAll in all, the Moon Walker II is a cool kit that leads to an impressive end product \u2014 a perfect gift for the moderately experienced hacker, maker, tinkerer or engineer on your gift list.\nCost: $51.95Soldering: Some neededAges: 12+Skill Level: Intermediate/Advanced\nMore Tech Resources from Mashable:\n- Why You Need to Upgrade Your Router This Holiday Season- Why You Need an Android Device This Holiday Season- 5 Technologies That Are Changing the Way We Drive- 5 Media Format Flops Destined To Be Forgotten [VIDEOS]- 5 Beautiful Keyboards to Spice Up Your Boring Desk"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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