Hello smart people! Piezo Buzzer reversing vehicle sound help

Thread Starter

SamVL

Joined Apr 15, 2018
8
Hello clever electronics people!

I got a D at GCSE level and never looked back until now!

I recently bought an electric vehicle that came with the most annoying two tone reversing noise ever.

I discovered today:

1) Where this noise was coming from. A Piezo Buzzer labelled KINGSTATE KPEG280 mounted on the chassis under the drivers seat.

and;

2) How to fool the vehicle into reversing without knowing it’s in reverse (thus negating the noise) by unplugging a pin connection under the gear lever.

My question is...what can I do?

I’m comfortable with a soldering iron and would like to fit a switch to make the buzzer noise optional when reversing (late night, neighbours must hate me) and change the reverse noise. However, I don’t understand Piezo Buzzers and how they work. Is the noise based on the electrical current hitting that component or is the noise dependant on that component?

Is there a way I could snip thise two wires (red and black) removing the buzzer and replacing it with something more fun?

The van is used for events so I would love to replace it with something that fits our theme...happy to do some programming and comfortable with new projects.
 

MrChips

Joined Oct 2, 2009
30,708
There are two styles of buzzers:

1) piezo transducer that requires an AC voltage to emit sound
2) a buzzer with self-contained oscillator and powered by DC voltage.

Show us a photograph and maybe we can tell which one you have.

If the buzzer is too loud, you can reduce the sound level by partially covering the hole with a piece of adhesive tape.
 

Thread Starter

SamVL

Joined Apr 15, 2018
8
There are two styles of buzzers:

1) piezo transducer that requires an AC voltage to emit sound
2) a buzzer with self-contained oscillator and powered by DC voltage.

Show us a photograph and maybe we can tell which one you have.

If the buzzer is too loud, you can reduce the sound level by partially covering the hole with a piece of adhesive tape.
Pics coming asap.

Thanks for replying.
 

Thread Starter

SamVL

Joined Apr 15, 2018
8
There are two styles of buzzers:

1) piezo transducer that requires an AC voltage to emit sound
2) a buzzer with self-contained oscillator and powered by DC voltage.

Show us a photograph and maybe we can tell which one you have.

If the buzzer is too loud, you can reduce the sound level by partially covering the hole with a piece of adhesive tape.
Okay, here it is:
631F3908-6D03-4FD1-890D-C6BE9FA7C5DA.jpeg

I’m not entirely sure where those wires go...they are fed through to the front of the vehicle so would be a much bigger job to mess around with them then.

Could I theoretically get into the nitty gritty of powering a small speaker or such through these two wires and making it sound a custom sound?
 

Thread Starter

SamVL

Joined Apr 15, 2018
8
KPEG280 is a popular buzzer, runs on 6-18VDC, 17mA, 88dB, 2500-3800Hz dual tone.

https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/piezo-buzzer-components/6221477/

You can also reduce the output by putting 470Ω ½W resistor in series with the buzzer.
As a newbie, (and this will make me seem totally dense but here goes;) could you give me more detail? Could I change this component for something that sounds better?

Is the noise the vehicle makes down to this conponent or is this just a type of speaker just taking orders on what noise to make from another component?

Could I remove this and put in some other gear to sound a custom sound?
 

LesJones

Joined Jan 8, 2017
4,174
Here is a link to the data sheet on the buzzer. It is just supplied with a nominal 12 volt DC and has a maximum current consumption of 17 mA. You could replace it with any 12 volt buzzer with a current consumption of 17 mA or less. You could also just cut the red wire to the existing buzzer and connect a switch in series with it.

Les.
 

Thread Starter

SamVL

Joined Apr 15, 2018
8
Here is a link to the data sheet on the buzzer. It is just supplied with a nominal 12 volt DC and has a maximum current consumption of 17 mA. You could replace it with any 12 volt buzzer with a current consumption of 17 mA or less. You could also just cut the red wire to the existing buzzer and connect a switch in series with it.

Les.

Thanks Les,

I may do both. I have a switch on order which I'm glad I now know where to put in terms of circuitry. In terms of Piezo Buzzers there doesn't seem to be much in the way of aftermarket custom ones. Having geeked out a bit, I guess the core question I'm asking is....could I do something like this:

I guess it would have to be one long sound effect and I may end up doing this for the car horn as suggested in the video too...so using those black and red wires would be what turns this sound effect on...no buttons per say in the case of the reverse noise.
 

Thread Starter

SamVL

Joined Apr 15, 2018
8
Okay so here is what I want to do -

IMG_1176.JPG
it's the same as above...but I presume I can use the wires coming into the Buzzer (KPEG280) as a trigger on the Adafruit board?
That, however would be constant current rather than momentary...I don't know how the board will take this but I guess there's only one way to find out.

The only other problem is, in my little Electric van...the cigarette lighter is always on and not connected to ignition. (The crappy radio I took out was the same).

Could I fit a switch where I have put a star to have this circuit optionally turn on and off (remembering always to turn it off when getting out of the car for fear of dead battery) and if so...is there a better place to put it? ie. Negative side or positive side?

For those in fear that I will endanger myself...I will rope in an electrician friend to help once I know what I'm doing but this is how I learn. Don't worry, I won't blow myself up or electrocute myself.


P.S. As an aside, just to explain, I'm not a boy racer who wants a ridiculous car horn, the van is for a video game themed business so we want to make it fun, think of this as a nice project for a business and not some chavvy boy racer who wants to annoy neighbours. I've already disconnected the buzzer as I am conscious of noise annoying neighbours when reversing the van late at night. I promise I will be sensible!
 

LesJones

Joined Jan 8, 2017
4,174
You have not provided enough information for an answer to your question. Adafruit make more than one type of module so we have no idea what the module is designed to do and its specifications. In your original question both MrChips and myself used a search engine. (Google or similar.) to find the specifications of the buzzer so we could give an answer to the question.

Les.
 
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