Add a Customizable Digital Horn to Your Car!

from hackster.io

Normal vehicles have only one horn setting, allowing you to express your displeasure and/or request with long and short beeps, or some combination of the two. For a bit more granular automotive language, Tom Hammond’s digital car horn project looks like a great mod to your ride.

The build adds a small control panel underneath the left side of the dashboard, with three buttons for your favorite sounds, along with eight category buttons that play from a bank of 10 clips each. The system is controlled by an audio board, which sends sound signals to an amplifier, which are passed to a pair of compact speakers mounted under the hood.

No separate dev board is needed here, as the audio board takes care of the interface by itself when wired up properly. You just have to download and properly format the clips, then load them up.

The panel is 3D-printed, and power is provided by the lighter/accessory socket via a splitter and USB power converter. Perhaps the most challenging part of the build for many would be properly wiring things in place, and mounting the speakers in the engine compartment.

However, if you happen to have a Toyota Corolla, the instructions do include images for reference. With this installed, perhaps the next time you need to get someone’s attention it will be more interesting than a simple horn blast!