Ryder Damen's Water-Based Printer
A Raspberry Pi-powered dot matrix printer being controlled from inside a truck is the stuff of dreams, right? Well, let me try to put this as calmly as possible, but it’s not – it’s the tangible, real-world creation of maker Ryder Damen. The Australian YouTuber, who builds and makes all kinds of things, has turned a truck into a mesmerizing, water-based printer, and it’s just the best thing you’ll see today (and possibly this week).The water-based dot marker printer is a fully functioning set-up, working as a giant, living message board of sorts. Ryder has designed, 3D printed, and otherwise put together the parts needed to mount the Raspberry Pi, controller board, and all the software required to make it all work, inside a truck.
With the system in place, the maker uses water hoses, valves, and solenoids to drop splotches on the road, spelling out letters and creating custom messages. The splotches join together as they are placed, making the system particularly useful for creating words or basic shapes.
The whole assembly – both the hardware and the code it runs – was designed and built by Ryder. He says he uses a Raspberry Pi 4 for this project, and although we haven’t seen the exact board he uses, older models like the Raspberry Pi 3 B+ or Raspberry Pi Zero are likely a good match as well.
Check out the video below for a full breakdown of the design and assembly process, and keep a close eye on the Pi Zero Club Twitter account, as we’ll be featuring exclusive content from Ryder very soon.
If you’re curious about the code and software side of things, Ryder has just mentioned on Twitter that the code for the project won’t be released. However, the Raspberry Pi does host a web server, and in the video, you’ll see the web interface being used to input new messages for printing, so that’s definitely part of the system.
For now, you can still enjoy the water-printer in action by visiting Ryder’s official channel, Ryder Calm Down, and watching the video embedded below, which showcases the build process and final project.
This isn’t the first time Ryder has worked with a Raspberry Pi, or really repurposed an everyday object. With their ability to do, well, pretty much anything, Raspberry Pis are constantly highlighted in maker projects, and this one is no different. It’s definitely worth a watch.
