Gadget Freak

September’s list of Top 10 Most Read Blog Entries proved to be a mixed bag.

Leading the charge was Steampunk Workshop’s keyboard makeover, followed by a device created to help minimise car damage and to make parking your car in the garage a little bit easier.

1. Retro keyboard not just a pretty face
Jake, proprietor of the Steampunk Workshop and whose work has appeared in Popular Science and Make magazine, has taken a boring and beige computer keyboard and transformed it into quite a cool retro keyboard.

2. Ken put an end to expensive car damage
Not satisfied with the low-tech method of suspending a tennis ball from a string, Ken Swanstrom devised a better garage locator device from a laser pointer.

3. Guido knew the secret to a perfect cuppa
It’s all in the timing. So he designed a battery-powered tea timer with a built-in LED display that will brew a perfect cup of tea every time. Now the only thing you have to worry about is Tetley’s or Earl Grey?

4. Smart gadget sure to make drivers smile
We’re sure the gadget is a dream come true for anyone who’s received a surprise visit from the parking inspector.

5. Build your own electronic distance meter
Wichit Sirichote, who also owns and manages the Build Your Own Microcontroller site, created the device to measure the distance while on a bicycle.

6. Neuroti-Kart: Home-made electric go-kart
An exciting way for electrical engineers the world over to annoy their neighbours on a quiet Sunday morning.

7. The not-so-bright LED night light
A tale of what happened when engineer Dave Johnson felt ripped-off by the purchase of a cheap LED night light. He reconfigured the circuit and turned it into a much more expensive one – but at least it works.

8. Build a 7x7 monochrome LED display
Circuit schematic as well as build instructions and parts list for an easy to build 7x7 LED matrix.

9. Charge your motorcycle battery
This 3A charger was originally designed to work with small batteries such as those commonly used in motorcycles. It is possible to charge a car battery using this device but it will take a lot longer.

10. One hour microcontroller how-to
Another great article showing that microcontroller projects are neither hard or expensive.