Gadget Freak

Since Gadget Freak’s birth in the summer of 2007, we have featured several clever and original designs that make any automobile connoisseur’s life just that little bit easier.

Here are the best of the best Gadget Freaks for your car that we have hosted on these pages.

We have all had the nightmare where we turn on our car stereo and BOOM! we hear the sound that strikes terror in the heart of any red-blooded vehicle owner. More than likely, you’ve just been visited by the turn-on thump fairy, thanks to an amp that never had a muting circuit or one that’s failed to open circuit.

That’s where our first entry, Gary liked to pump up the volume, steps in. Gary built a circuit that connects externally to any car audio amplifier and keeps one’s speakers completely disconnected from the amplifier until it’s been completely powered up. And just when you thought Gary’s design couldn’t get any better, it also works with a mis-matched set of amplifiers.

It would normally be a hard act to follow such a heaven-sent design, but allow us to re-introduce you to the wireless auto tachometer.

Everyone knows even electronics engineers need to keep their cars in tip-top condition. Anyone carrying out their own car tune-ups knows how vital it is to know the engine’s speed. With the wireless auto tachometer, it’s possible to check the speed of the engine without any connections or annoying timing lights.

Next we have a gadget that anyone who even occasionally drives at night – or at other times where there’s minimal visibility on the road, such as fog that wouldn’t be out of place in a scene from the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – needs to have.

As some high-beams are so strong they will make sure even the astronauts on the International Space Station aware that you’re taking your pride and joy out for a nocturnal spin, the driver coming in the opposite direction may not be so grateful you have blinding headlights.

The automatic headlight brightness switch can be wired into your headlight switch to provide automatic switching between high and low beam headlights when there is oncoming traffic. It does this by sensing the lights of oncoming traffic. This will ensure you’ll be able to drive safely at night without distracting international astronauts.

Now to another great gadget designed to give you greater control over your headlights.

With the headlight alarm, you need never forget to turn off your headlights ever again. Most new cars already have a headlight alarm built in but there are still many cars out there without this feature. The circuit is cheap and easy to put together.

We’re sure with all those cars in your garage, parking inside can be a little bit tricky. The occasional bump here and there is almost a certainty with all those shiny brand new cars competing for space in your showroom.

Well now, let little accidents in your garage be a thing of the past. In Ken put an end to expensive car damage, this inventor devised an in-garage parking assistant from a laser pointer. The simple circuit is powered by a 6V DC wall wort, adjusting the output to yield 3V DC as a substitute for battery power. A CdS cell “looks” at the garage door opener light and actuates a relay, turning on the laser pointer when the garage door opens. And voila … no risk of front-end damage to your car anymore.

While our next gadget was originally designed for a motorcycle battery, it is perfectly suitable for a car battery, although it may take a little longer to charge.

This battery charger works with a steady current to 14.1V. When this level is reached, the current charge drops automatically to a safer 13.6V level and keeps charging at this slower rate until the LED lights up indicating the battery has been completely charged.

Our final Gadget Freak isn’t exactly suited to car owners, but is perfectly tailored to their bicycle-loving cousins.

Bill loved riding his bike at night. So he designed a 40-LED night light to make sure he could see and be seen while riding his bike after the sun set. His night light operates on four AA batteries, which will keep the path ahead well-lit, even on the darkest and chilliest British evenings (or mornings!) in the middle of winter.

And we really couldn’t leave without dropping this video in: Neuroti-kart – the home-made electric go-kart. A new project to consider for those lazy Sunday afternoons.