Music Syncing Windshield Wipers
Automotive windshield wipers synced with music via Raspberry Pi phase lock loop.
When you’re driving and it starts to rain, you of course turn on the windshield wipers. You then probably don’t think much more about it beyond the fact that they’re a little bit annoying. On the other hand, you’ve probably never considered that the wipers could in fact be synced to the music you’re listening to like people waving their arms at a concert. Ian Charnas has, and was apparently so interested in the idea that he modified his car’s wipers to sync up with whatever is playing in his car.
Charnas first attempted to use an Arduino, but eventually settled on a Raspberry Pi for the job, after needing a bit more computing power for control. He’s using a custom power supply, and apparently pumping in more power to the motor than it was originally designed for in order to ramp the wipers up to the music's beat.
This new circuitry is hidden in a secret compartment in his car’s hatch area, and enclosed in a housing made out of what appears to be extremely tough polycarbonate. Wires run to the engine compartment, along with a switch on the dashboard. The build’s demonstrated syncing with music at around 10:30 in the video below, or if you really like the idea, you'll be able to buy the intellectual rights to it starting on October 16th via an eBay auction.