Gadget Freak was the leader of pack by a long mile this week, with its spotlight on circuit designs for the home: top 7 gadgets your home must have.

The legendary Mannerisms blog filled in the second and third spots, with semiconductor expert David Manners discussing the launch of the 3G iPhone in Europe as well as a tribute to Andy Grove’s book Only The Paranoid Survive.

Made by Monkeys also performed quite well this week, with three entries in the top 10 most popular blog entries for the week, with its posts on faulty lithium-ion batteries, LED night lights as well as trippy light sources.

Here are the most popular blog posts for the past seven days in the ElectronicsWeekly.com blogosphere.

1. Top 7 gadgets your home must have (Gadget Freak)

In an age where the high street is saturated with expensive gadgets that bombard every consumer that wanders down it, clever electrical engineers know there’s always a better and cheaper way to make your home a better and safer place to live, rest and play in. Here, Gadget Freak presents 7 DIY designs that your home can’t be without.

2. Yes, it is the 3G iPhone in Europe next month (Mannerisms)

Apple’s coyness in refusing to reveal whether the iPhone it is launching in ten countries shortly is in fact the 3G iPhone has been a waste of time. Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM) revealed that it is the 3G version of the iPhone which it is going to launch in Italy next month.

3. Who saved Intel? By Andy Grove (Mannerisms)

Intel’s decision to exit the semiconductor memory business, is usually attributed to a conversation between former CEOs Gordon Moore and Andy Grove. But Grove, in his book Only The Paranoid Survive, lays the credit elsewhere.

4. Broken quartz clock hack produces Timebase generator (Gadget Freak)

Karen Field shares with us a unique spin on the good old quartz clock.

5. What’s wrong with lithium-ion batteries? (Made by Monkeys)

The announcement last month that 46 million Nokia-branded lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries made by Matsushita Battery Industrial could potentially short circuit and overheat was just the latest in a spate of product advisories and recalls of the technology over the past two years.

6. Paintball system exposed (Gadget Freak)

Looking to paint the town red (or his friends at any rate), Nathan Loden devised this simple device to detect if the paintballs are travelling at a safe speed. Consisting of sensor circuitry and a microcontroller with a three digit, seven segment display driver, it detects the presence or absence of a ball by measuring the amount of IR energy striking the sensor, causing a voltage swing detectable by the micro. A timer is set to overload if the number of instruction cycles exceeds the limit, indicating safe shooting.

7. 3G iPhone to be sold by 02 in UK in June (Mannerisms)

I needn’t have bothered going to the Dubai desert to find out about the 3G iPhone. Popping down my local High Street produced the same result. The 3G version is out next month in Europe and, in the UK, O2 will handle it.

8. The not-so-bright LED night light (Made by Monkeys)

In theory, a LED light should last for ten years or so, unlike the typical 4W incandescent lamps used in night lights that seem to burn out in only a few months. But as engineer and founder of the website Discover Circuits Dave Johnson discovered, this Chinese-made unit from Costco (apparently designed by some real dim bulbs) didn't last but 12 weeks:

9. Wonderful generators in Freeplay radios (An Engineer in Wonderland)

The generators in Freeplay radios have moved on a great deal from the original Trevor Bayliss design, and look quite superb.

10. Flashlight’s three LEDs are two too many (Made by Monkeys)

When poorly aimed, a flashlight's multiple light sources can create a serious Van Gogh effect! Doug Ritter writes about the clone flashlight that produced this hallucinogenic effect on his equipped to survive website, where he reviews outdoor gear and survival equipment.