Personal project
GPS-Controlled Off-Road Light Bar
A custom controller that automatically changes an off-road light bar’s beam pattern with vehicle speed while preserving manual control.
What I built
I wanted an off-road light that could adapt without taking my hands off the wheel. At lower speeds, the system favors a wide flood pattern for nearby obstacles. As speed increases, it shifts toward a narrower beam that projects farther down the trail.
The controller sits between the light bar and its original controls. Manual commands still pass through normally, while a dedicated mode lets the Arduino and GPS module select the lighting pattern automatically—without motors or moving optics.
How it came together
- Reverse-engineered the commands exchanged by the original controller and light bar.
- Proved the concept on a breadboard, then added indicator LEDs for safe daytime testing.
- Reduced the prototype into a compact embedded controller and commissioned a custom PCB.
- Installed and field-tested the system across changing vehicle speeds.
What I learned
This project combined embedded firmware, GPS and signal processing, PCB development, sourcing, and vehicle integration. It also reinforced the value of building test feedback into hardware early, especially when the final system can only be evaluated safely under specific conditions.