Engineer's Perfect Retirement Gift - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Monostable
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2016, 07:43:27 am
content: Hullo guys !I have a colleague who spent his whole career in R.F. Engineering (radio transmission / navigation in Aeronautics) and he will soon retire.I would like to give him a nice present which would remind him of his glory days as a R.F. Engineer.I though I had found the perfect one a few weeks ago when I stumble on the video in which Dave received some waffer, I immediately bought some and couldn't help myself to talk with him about waffer (never revealing that I had bought him one).He revealed that he owns a several of them and even showed them to me, to my surprise he even had recently bought the one I had bought him, I can't gift him the waffer in a frame now.I did thought of buying him the "I only give negative feedback" T-shirt, but I don't think he would enjoy it that much, he's not a T-Shirt kind of guy.I was wondering if you had some suggestions for a gift because I am running out of ideas

author: android
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2016, 08:58:51 am
content: Ok, I give up...What is a "waffer"?

author: Tom45
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2016, 09:11:05 am
content: Quote from: android on April 22, 2016, 08:58:51 amSilicon wafer. See Dave's recent mailbag where he received several of them.

author: android
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2016, 09:25:30 am
content: Ah, I see.And now for some suggestions...1. You could get some vintage components that he may have worked with and pot them in casting resin - either yourself or have it done professionally. Could be used as a paper weight etc. Add an engraved message maybe.2. If your company has some sort of photographic archive then you could put together a collage of photographs of the people he's worked with and/or things that he's worked on over the years. Have it printed on canvas and framed.3. Try to obtain one relevant vintage journal/periodical for each year of his career and put them in a binder with a cover signed by his colleagues.4. Now I've run out of ideas

author: Monostable
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2016, 09:37:01 am
content: I love the idea of having a vintage component encased in some resin I'll definitely look for some professional in my area able to do that!Thank you !I also talked a bit with some friends and they suggested an R.F. Filter framed now I'm thinking about getting one and casting some resign around, although I would need to find / buy a nice R.F. Filter

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 22, 2016, 09:39:32 am
content: Nixie tube wristwatch?http://www.cathodecorner.com/

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2016, 08:06:41 pm
content: My going away gift was a wood burning from the boss's wife, who did them as a sideline, and I still have it hanging up in the room. Kind of reminds me of Bob and Thelma and Nick every time I look at it.

author: Monostable
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2016, 11:12:30 am
content: Quote from: Halcyon on April 22, 2016, 09:39:32 amIt's quite a nice watch ! But the logistic to gather the money from the colleague and finally buy it would be a bit too tedious.But I keep the link for futur gifts in my family !

author: tszaboo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2016, 11:14:39 am
content: Well an RF terminator.OK, I leave now.

author: VK5RC
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 24, 2016, 11:31:38 am
content: See if you can find an old but at the time 'cutting edge' bit of gear. When my late father retired many years ago, from a Uni Engineering dept, he was given one of the 'electronic' shutters used in the 1950s, looked like an funny oscilloscope tube attached to a film camera; great present. Any old VHF RF tubes (valves) around?