I turned my pickup truck into a printer

It's like skywriting - but on the road. I turned my truck into the "world's largest" dot matrix printer. Now I can leave drive-by messages in front of friends' houses.

This was a project I thought of during the pandemic. I ordered the supplies a few years ago and never actually did anything with them, so I wanted to finally make it happen.

I skipped over some of the technical details, so if anything's unclear let me know. I'll also post the code on my GitHub for anyone who's interested.

[JerryRigEverything]

Saw this on Instagram or something - you deserve way more subscribers. Keep it up!

[connorcleveland]

You should try adding chalk to the water mixture and see how it comes out when it dries. Hopefully a nice compromise between paint and simply wet asphalt.

[RyderCalmDown]

so i haven't posted in so long youtube demonetized me lol. But this is a project I've been hoping to get done for actual years now, so hopefully you enjoy! Happy to answer any technical questions as well.

[isaacwalters]

Using music that has the same pitch as the bird as a dominant note is genius. I cant even tell if you actually sampled that bird to use as a sound, it matches so well! Made me not even realize it was a bird.

[carlsbl]

I'm a retired IT guy and longtime geek and tinkerer, this is one the coolest things I have ever seen on YouTube! Thanks for your effort and that you shared it!

[lsdave]

Very cool, next step should be to have the Pi hooked up to your ODB2 port to get the speed of the vehicle so it can print regardless what speed you are at (within reason of the speed of the valves)

[BestSpatula]

A few ideas for enhancement: Use more sprayers with nozzles for more precision. Track the speed/position of the truck and synchronize the printing with it and spray velocity accordingly. Alternately, have the printer control and regulate the speed of the truck. Use something besides water; there are formulations of "marking paint" that are designed to rinse away. You could even do color this way. Turn your code into an actual print driver such that you can send documents to it.

[der_bruehl]

And now use 13 pressure washers to print by "cleaning" spots on the road - the messages will last longer :-)

[mindgame]

I love how this is such a cool project and there is no mess to clean up or anything! Great job!

[fazle.elahi.tonmoy]

I never felt so mesmerized before! How doesn't it have way more likes?!
As a fellow robotics enthusiast, I really appreciate your effort and your genuine and funny idea!

[ryanmstc]

Nice job! If you ever need to locate an air leak in the future, soapy water works wonders

[baldeagle]

Dude! This video will have one million views in less than 10 days! 🦅🇺🇸

[andymackie]

I hope this blows up. It's a very simple concept that makes you think why i haven't seen it before. Reminds me of those weekend projects that i just want to try for myself

[fox_fpv]

Thats just such a great video. Idea, edit, music, vibes - it was just all matching up so perfectly. Literally made my evening. Keep it up!
Greetings from Germany

[CoolAsFreya]

Great proof of concept, if you do ever make a version 2 I suggest using a GPS module to measure the speed of the vehicle and adjust accordingly so you can print driving at any speed!

[Umski]

Nice job 👍 Resolution is better than my 24 pin dot matrix from the mid 90s 😂

[ericrodrigue]

You got great results! Super legible. the way the words "faded in" dude do the water spreading was a really cool bonus feature!

[danielpenteado]

You took the "printer driver" to a whole new concept. 😂 Good job!

[TheNewton]

10:36 the way the letters just fade in as the truck passes and the water wets-out is very satisfying.
It must have felt incredible the first time watching the drone footage.

[jeanlucdecognac]

...there's a lot of DIY projects on the internet, but this one is so amazing!