Category: Gadgets

  • Harness Your Track Potential With Revolution

    Those North-eastern tuning maestros at Revolution have two handy gadgets for anyone who likes to venture out onto track regularly. Being regular circuit pedallists themselves, the Revolution team have been testing the best of the aftermarket to bring you these two gems.

    The first is as simple as it is brilliant. For decades now, most cars have some sort of ‘seatbelt out’ warning buzzer or beep for when the car is moving. Very sensible on road, but highly annoying if you have chosen to run a set of harnesses instead for road or track use.

    This simple ‘Beep-Stopper’ beltless clip fools the car into thinking that all is well, allowing you to buckle up into your 6 point and get on with the task in hand, without the annoying distraction of the car telling you what to do. Priced at just £4.99 inc. VAT, it’s a great gadget to have lying in the glove box. It’s also a great little tool for anyone in the trade who is regularly moving or parking cars on private land.

    The second device will hopefully will never see action, but is great reassurance for those who like to ‘push on’ a little. The high-visibility OMP belt cutter contains a safely covered razor sharp blade that will make short work of any harnesses or seat belts. Invaluable should the worse happen on or off road, allowing a rapid and safe egress from the car should buckles become jammed or time become tight.

    Priced at just £9.99 inc. VAT, complete with a hi-tack Velcro pad to allow it to fix anywhere near the driver, this is a thoroughly sensible addition to any  car.

    With the team already packing up their kit bags for this year’s Nurburgring testing session, be sure to keep an eye on the Revolution site for the latest track-tested essentials!

    For more information, please click to www.revolution247.com or call the team on 0845 002 3009.

  • Making your own car video

    Since the launch of the camera phone, car owners across the globe have gone mad for video, making hundreds of thousands of small video clips and uploading them to sites such as YouTube and Vimeo. Video has become an increasingly popular topic across a range of different age groups and by the looks of it will continue to grow at an unbelievable rate, YouTube is now the 2nd biggest “search engine” in the WORLD and attracts millions of users each week.

    You can actually make your own video by using your camera phone and edit it using the software provided with your phone. If you are looking to make a more professional video for uploading to YouTube or sharing with friends you can use what they call an action camera. These are video cameras which have been designed for outdoor use and come in a variety of different models, some of which are even waterproof and can be used during water sports.

    Here at Maxxd we have tested a number of action cameras, these include the GoPro Motorsport, GoPro Helmet Hero from GoPro UK, the Action Sports Cam and more recently a brand new camera from HD POV.

    After many trials, tests, heated discussions and more tests we cannot come to a decision on which one we like the best. However we do feel its a toss up between the GoPro and HDPOV, they both have their uses and benefits and both fall within similar price brackets….

    We shall see what happens in the next six months and keep our eyes peeled for more reviews 🙂

  • Richbrook Car Torch. What A Bright Idea!

    Richbrook’s latest automotive innovation is one of those true ‘why did nobody think of this before’ moments; A super bright rechargeable torch that fits inside any standard 12 volt power socket (that’s a cigarette lighter to you and me).

    Beautifully made in HE15 aluminium, with CNC machined details, three versions are available. A black anodised Richbrook version – or officially licensed Ford and Vauxhall versions in blue and silver respectively. Each design uses a durable, yet highly powerful LED lamp to provide 2 hours of clear illumination with a simple twist of the torch body. It’s the perfect accessory for caravans, motorhomes, vans, boats or any vehicle that runs a 12 volt supply.

    Even if the car torch is fully discharged, simply clip back into the lighter socket to quickly recharge from flat in just 6 hours. The inbuilt charge indicator lets you know all is well. If left fully charged, the torch can last for several months before needing to be topped up, thanks to its inbuilt Ni-MH battery pack.

    Best of all, the water-resistant body means that if you’re out trying to fix a puncture at night, in a downpour (which let’s face it, is when it’s going to happen), this powerful little blighter will keep on shining.

    The Richbrook car torch is priced at £9.95 and is available from all illuminated accessory shops.

    For more information, please click to www.richbrook.co.uk – or call the team on  01328 862387