Do you want to change the sound of your car’s horn? Here’s how it works – Jalopnik

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There are certain situations where a horn can be useful: to let someone know that you have arrived outside their home, to warn another motorist who is entering your lane, or to let other motorists know how angry you are without having to strain your vocal cords. (Note that a federal court has ruled that honking is not covered by free speech protections, so you may want to exercise some restraint.) While the default sound is usually sufficient, as horns have been a fixture on cars for more than a century, some variation may be in order.

There are a few approaches you can take. You can replace the horn (usually behind the grille) with a suitable one that fits your vehicle. Alternatively, you can create a separate bank of different horn sounds, using a basic soundboard, amplifier, knob controls and a speaker suitable for outdoor use. The first option is simpler, because you’re essentially swapping one part for another. However, the sound bank does offer you the opportunity to become more creative, even if it is more of a project.

To access the old horn, you may need to disconnect the front grille as this will allow easier access to the part. Once the grille panel is removed, look for a small round part and carefully disconnect the wires connected to it. Next, you should see a bolt securing the horn to the car. Using a ratchet, loosen the fastener and remove the old horn. Then attach the new horn with the same bolt and reattach the wires. Once you reinstall the front grille, the project is complete.

For power you will need a 12 volt or cigarette lighter plug, the original car hack and a 12 volt to 5 volt converter. Although you can connect 12 volts directly to an amplifier (making the sounds loud enough), that is too much for the soundboard. So you need something like the Yipin Hexha DC 12/24V to 5V convertera small device that connects to the 12 volt plug and has a micro USB for power supply, which is connected to the sound card.

So you go from the 12-volt plug and use wire nuts to combine one set of red and black wires running to the inverter, and the other to a small amplifier. The amplifier connects to the stereo output of the sound board, and another set of wires runs from the amplifier to an outdoor speaker.

To activate the different sounds, you need to connect some simple push buttons to the board. If you are using the Adafruit Audio FX Sound Board, refer to resources such as the Pinouts tutorial Adafruit to help guide you. Then you need a housing in which the wires fit and the buttons are mounted. Finally, the under-hood speaker must be mounted to the front of the car and the wiring must be routed through the firewall to the enclosure.