• What can be cooked from squid: quick and tasty

    Heated windshield wiper

    As soon as cold weather comes, car operation becomes much more difficult. Firstly, it is more difficult to start the engine, and secondly, it is more difficult to move on the road. Often, drivers are also faced with the problem of freezing the windshield. To fix it, you need to have heated wipers. They are preinstalled on many vehicles. If these devices are not available, you can make your own heated wipers.
    But this is not the only solution today that allows you to eliminate the problem of windshield freezing. An attempt was recently successfully made to do heated. These are special devices that bring the windshield into the desired state ten times faster. It is quite possible to make heated wiper blades with your own hands - it is only important to know the operation algorithm.
    Of course, the easiest thing to do is to buy these wipers and install a pre-made factory version. But many do not have the funds for this purchase, so they are looking for ways to make heating of the wiper blades with their own hands. Let's consider several such methods.

    Comparison of heated and non-heated brushes

    To make heating the windshield wipers with your own hands, you need to understand concepts such as current strength, short circuit, resistance, relay, and be able to connect electrical equipment. If you do not have these skills, it is better not to take up such an event. In this case, there are alternative options:

    1. Purchase ready-made wipers with heating. There are a wide variety of such items. Some are equipped with a control module that automatically adjusts the device, others do not. Heated wipers are connected to the cigarette lighter module. This means that the installation scheme is as simple as possible.
    2. You can also heat the wiper area. Thanks to him, the brushes will not freeze to the windshield. But such a device cannot be used in severe frost, since it may appear due to temperature differences.

    How to make heated wipers with your own hands

    Many refuse to purchase ready-made kits because of their high cost and are looking for ways to make heating of the wipers on their own.

    Today, there are three popular ways to accomplish this task:

    1. The use of nichrome thread. DIY heated nichrome wipers are the most popular solution. This wire is very often used in various heating devices. It can also be used for frame brushes with hollow rubber bands. V special cases Nichrome can also be installed on frameless wipers, but it is not always possible to fix the threads in such a way as to exclude a short circuit.
    2. Using MGTF wire. This is a special heat-resistant wire with a cross-section of 0.03 mm², the insulation of which is made of fluoroplastic. Thanks to the use of this material, the wire becomes refractory, frost-resistant, even withstands the effects of acids and alkalis. But with a sharp temperature drop, its insulating properties may deteriorate. In addition, MGTF wire cannot be used in places where it will constantly move, as this can lead to exposure of the cable. Usually, a special heating element is made from MGTF, which is hidden under the casing. frameless brush.
    3. For those who do not want to look for ways to make heated wipers on their own "inside and out", you can use ready-made heating plates. They are sold as special kits. The rated voltage of the plates is 12 V, you can also use a 24 V network if you connect both plates in series.

    Algorithm for making heated wipers

    Heating the brush using nichrome thread

    For the manufacture of heated windshield wipers, motorists often use a nichrome thread.

    So, let's look at one of the ways to make heated wipers. Let's take a HORS wiper blade as an example. This brush differs in that its structure is hollow. It is fixed on plastic profile, which is also very convenient for arranging such wipers. So, the algorithm is as follows:

      1. For the manufacture of a heating element, a wire made of nichrome with a cross section of 0.3 mm is used. The length of the wire should be twice the length of the wiper, to which it is necessary to add a margin of 20 cm. This wire is widely available, since it is used in heating coils of various household appliances. A heating element in the form of a wire is passed through the entire length of the brush and made sure that it follows its contour. If this is not achieved, the wiper may begin to loosely adhere to the glass.
      2. Nichrome wire is usually sold in the form of a spiral. This means that it needs to be straightened. For this, the spiral is put on an awl and a piece of the required length is pulled out with pliers.
      3. Next, measure out a piece of wire, the length of which is 2 times less than that of the wiper, and give a margin of another 10 cm. Bend this wire and pass it inside the hollow space of the wiper's elastic band. The wire should be completely hidden in the elastic. At the same time, they make sure that it does not twist, since then the nichrome will burn out much faster.

    End of nichrome thread with wires

    1. Holes are made in the plastic case to bring out the heater wire. Then connect the heating element to the wire and solder them. The wire is used with a cross section of 2x0.2. The desired length is 2 meters. The soldering must be protected from damage. To do this, a piece of profile is glued using dichloroethane.
    2. Then another wire, one and a half meters long and with a cross section of 2x0.35, is soldered to this wire. The soldering is protected by a heat-shrinkable tube. Install a female connector for power connection.

    In total, heaters are obtained whose resistance ranges from 8.8 (for 45 cm) to 11 ohms (for a 60 cm wiper).

    Where to connect the heaters

    The easiest way is to put the power button on the cigarette lighter, and hide the rest of the elements (wires, etc.) in the engine compartment, fastening it to the hairpin.

    What to do with a chip on the windshield of a car will tell you

    This scheme for the amateur manufacture of heated wipers is quite simple and budgetary. But in order to implement it, you need to be well versed in electrical work and be able to solder. The execution must be of high quality. If this is not possible, you can buy ready-made heated brushes. Their connection is even simpler. There, skills in working with an electrical circuit may be needed only at a primitive level.

    Additional accessories for the car make it much easier to drive and maintain a car at different times of the year. Winter accessories include heated brushes, thanks to which you do not have to scrub the windshield wipers in the morning and replace them after a quick breakdown due to frost. Why are warm wipers so in demand and how to connect them? Can you make warm brushes with your own hands?

    The relevance of the use of heated brushes

    In winter, in severe frosts, classic frame car wipers freeze over. Over time, the hinges of the rocker arms become immobile due to freezing water, therefore, the adhesion to the glass is significantly reduced. Such deformations lead to the presence of uncleaned areas.

    Another problem that the car owner faces is that the wrong choice of rubber compound leads to hardening of the cleaning cloth, after which the car brushes jump on the glass and squeak disgustingly. With the onset of winter, it is better to immediately replace conventional wipers with warm ones, which will increase the level of comfort and safety, as well as extend the operating life of the wipers.


    Advantages and disadvantages

    In operation, heated wipers demonstrate the following advantages:

    • the ability to use in any weather conditions;
    • snow on glass melts quickly under the influence of a heating surface;
    • long service life;
    • the liquid remaining on the wipers and glass does not freeze, and an ice crust on the windshield does not form;
    • ease of installation and operation with basic skills;
    • the ability to purchase at any car store due to wide availability.

    Along with the advantages, as always, there are negative sides:

    • the cost is much higher than traditional windshield wipers;
    • installation can be problematic if you decide to install the wipers outside the cigarette lighter;
    • if the glass is too icy, even warm wipers will not help.


    Warm wiper classification

    Modern models of warm wipers should be classified as follows.

    1. Frame brushes, where instead of metal parts, plastic ones are installed, since frost is not so terrible for this material. A special rubber with water-repellent properties is also installed. Consequently, the brush does not freeze to the glass surface and when low temperatures remains softer. Such wipers can not be changed to ordinary ones with the arrival of spring.
    2. An analogue of a frame brush with a special structure, thanks to which the metal insides remain protected, like the rubber in the key links (read more about). Among the disadvantages, it is worth highlighting the loss of efficiency at high speeds, as well as problems with the elimination of moisture, since it condenses from the air on metal elements during sudden temperature changes.
    3. Brushes with heating element. Visually, they are similar to frameless models, but much more effective than the latter. Elasticity remains for a long time, and the structure is reliably protected from freezing.


    The principle of operation of the heated wipers

    The design of the heated wiper blades is not framed and therefore more flexible. This quality improves the efficiency of windshield cleaning. The design also assumes the presence of a special heating cloth that protects the cleaning surfaces from freezing, prevents the appearance of unpleasant sounds and maintains their geometry. The cleaning surface along the entire length is equipped with a special flexible heating tape, which is supplied with electricity from the car's power supply.

    Famous manufacturers

    Among the most reliable manufacturers of warm brushes, it is worth highlighting brands "Consul Winter" and "Burner"... There are no fundamental differences between them, there is only a difference in shape and fastening. The Burner company has equipped its products with special adapters, thanks to which the installation process is greatly facilitated. Competitive companies equip each brush set with hooks.

    If speak about pricing policy, the cost of warm wipers in the minimum configuration does not particularly exceed classic brushes. It's another matter when functionality are expanded due to the extended configuration. The cost will be twice as high.


    Connecting warm brushes

    You can install heated brushes either in a car workshop or on your own. If the second option is more preferable for you, focus on the following sequence of works.

    1. Thoroughly clean the surface of the windshield from dust and dirt.
    2. Remove the protective film from the purchased brushes.
    3. Decide on where to install the windshield wipers. Mark the area where the brush will stop and glue the ESCHC on this place on the inside of the glass. At this stage, it is important to consider that the wiper stopping zone should be in the center of the heating material.
    4. Connect one cable to the ground of the car, and the other to the wire labeled +12 volts through the switch.
    5. At this stage, you can start the wipers.

    Installation of the power button

    During the ride, you need quick and convenient access to the power button, therefore, it must be positioned with an orientation to this requirement. You must have basic electrical engineering knowledge and observe the following guidelines.

    1. Connect the relay to the power button. The best place for relays - the area under the hood of the car. Watch the length of the wires.
    2. Use wire to pull the wires into hard-to-reach places.
    3. Provide all wires with reliable insulation, otherwise you will have to do everything again due to a short circuit in the circuit.
    4. Start with minus the relay connection and end with plus.
    5. Install a fuse between the positive wire.

    As a result, turning on the machine and pressing the button should activate the start of devices and the operation of heating. This function should be disabled when the button is pressed again.


    Do-it-yourself warm wipers

    If you belong to the category of car owners with extensive experience, you can take a risk and not only install warm wipers yourself, but also make them on the basis of classic windshield wipers, flux, acid, wires, a soldering iron and nichrome thread. The manufacturing process of such brushes consists of the following stages:

    1. The simplicity of the design of frameless wipers makes them an ideal base. Place the nichrome on both sides of a rubber band that can be pushed inward to prevent it from falling out. Be as careful as possible, otherwise rupture of the rubber bands cannot be avoided.
    2. To prevent the structure from falling apart when putting on the protective casing, use a heat gun to connect the rubber band to the metal plate.
    3. Measure the resistance level, readings of 8 - 9 ohms should be a guideline for you. If the resistance is lower, the glass can overheat and even break.
    4. Put protective covers on the wipers to prevent destruction when connecting to the wiring mount.
    5. Equip the wipers with fasteners, drill small holes for the wires.
    6. Drill 2 more wire holes in the top cover if the wires will be routed through the slot when opening the cover.
    7. Prepare some heat shrinks to prevent the threads from closing with each other.
    8. In the next step, collect all the elements and re-measure the resistance. Proceed to soldering work only if the resistance is normal.
    9. Check the presence of earth on the mountings and, if there is one, connect it to the mount by tipping it under the 12V hood.
    10. Set the fuse to the 5A mark and connect two windshield wipers at the same time. It remains the case for the relay and the installation of switches in the cabin.


    With the arrival of cold weather, many motorists are faced with such a problem as glass icing. Of course, when the interior of the car is already warm enough, the ice on the windows begins to gradually melt, however, when driving in severe frost, an ice crust may appear on the glass even with a warm interior. It can be difficult to remove it with the help of wipers, and the wipers sometimes freeze to the glass. What to do in this case? The way out of the situation will be the revision of the wipers, namely, equipping them with a heating system. Now the windshield wipers will always be warm enough to stay warm in cold weather and effectively deal with snow and ice on the windshield.

    The revision is quite simple and cheap, but very effective. Everything works on the basis of a nichrome wire.


    DIY materials and tools:
    - nichrome wire Ø 0.3 mm;
    - pin;
    - wires for connecting the heating element;
    - soldering iron with solder;
    - female connectors for wipers (optional);
    - button for control.


    Heated wiper blade making process:

    Step one. We prepare nichrome
    First of all, it is important to properly prepare the heating element, in our case it is a nichrome wire. Such wire is often used in the manufacture of various spirals and other things; it can be bought without any problems in the market or in a specialized store. For homemade products, the author chose a nichrome wire Ф 0.3 mm, in length it should be twice the length of the wipers, and you also need to add 200 mm here.


    Now that the correct piece of wire is selected, it needs to be aligned. The fact is that the wire will run along the entire length of the wiper, so if it is curved, the wipers may not fit snugly against the glass in some places. In total, you will need to prepare a segment with a length of about 0.5 meters. The author puts the spiral on the awl, and then pulls out a piece of the desired length. Next, to align the wire, it can be pulled and heated over the torch. After cooling, the adopted shape will be fixed.

    Step two. Installing a heating element in the wipers

    At this stage, you need to measure a piece of wire with a length equal to half the length of the wiper, adding 100 mm. The wire must be bent as shown in the photo. The long part of the end of the wire must be inserted into the hollow part of the wiper's rubber band, and the short end must be pierced through the rubber band so that it does not short-circuit the adapter located on the profile. First, the hole can be pierced with a pin, as shown in the photo.




    Now you need to slowly pull on both ends of the wire, while it is important to ensure that the wire does not twist, otherwise it often burns out in these places. As a result, all the wire should be hidden in the rubber.

    At the other end, you will need to make a loop, then a cambric is put on here. This loop is needed in order to compensate for the different degrees of expansion when heating nichrome and rubber.







    Step three. Displaying contacts

    In the plastic profile, you need to make two holes, through which you then need to bring out two contacts from the heating element. Then you can refill the rubber band.




    To connect, the ends need to be bent and tinned. Subsequently, wires are soldered to them.









    Step four. Connecting homemade products to the on-board network
    To connect the heating element, you need a wire with a cross section of 2x0.2 and a length of about 2 m. To protect the soldering site, the author glued a piece of profile to this place, dichloroethane was used as glue.



    Next, you will need to solder a 2x0.35 wire 1.5 meters long to the 2x0.2 wire, the soldering points are insulated using heat shrinkage. On the other side of the wire, the author installed a female connector for easy connection.




    If we talk about numbers, then the resistance of the heating element for a wiper with a length of 45 cm should be approximately 8.8 ohms. For a 60 cm long wiper, the resistance is 11 ohms. Below is a diagram of how you can arrange the elements.

    The problem of wipers freezing to the windshield in winter is familiar to many motorists. Even the presence of the function of fixing the wipers in the service position often does not help. Moreover, freezing of the adhering snow prevents a good cleaning of the windshield. For people who are not going to put up with this kind of inconvenience, consider how to make do-it-yourself heated wipers.

    ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS

    If you are only remotely familiar with the concepts of current strength, resistance, short circuit, the principle of operation of the relay, the basic rules for installing and connecting additional electrical equipment, then it is better to leave the idea of ​​making heating wipers with your own hands until better times. Alternatively, you can suggest:

    • buy ready-made heated wipers. Some models are equipped with a control module that is able to automatically turn on / off heating, depending on temperature changes. The heater is powered by the cigarette lighter socket, so there is no need to interfere with the car's wiring. In addition, if you want to bring the inclusion to a separate button, this will require less effort than a full-fledged heating;
    • install a heated area for the wipers, which will save the brushes from freezing to the glass. The only thing - remember that when used in severe frost, the risk of getting a crack in the windshield increases due to the large temperature difference.

    DIY OPTIONS

    After examining the materials that pop up on the network on the request "do-it-yourself heated wipers", we can conclude that there are 3 popular ways to implement heating:

    OPTION WITH NICHROME THREAD

    For the manufacture of heating, it is recommended to use nichrome wire diameter 0.32 mm². Be sure to calculate the current consumption in order to install the correct fuse and select the wire size. For example, 1 m of thread of the Х20Н80 series and with a diameter of 0.32 mm² has a resistance of 13.7 ohms. With a known voltage and resistance, the power can be found by the formula W = U 2 / Rwhere W- power, U 2 voltage squared, R - resistance . You can calculate that the power will be equal to 14.3 W (14 * 14 / 13.7). Having power, we can calculate the amperage by the formula I = W / Uwhere I current strength, W power, U voltage. The current strength will be equal to 1 A. Having calculated how much wire you took to heat the brushes, you can, according to the indicated principle, calculate the current strength for choosing the wire cross-section (it is most convenient to use ready-made tables for selecting the cross-section for the current strength). We strongly recommend that you read the article about the right choice fuses, it is also important to choose the cross-section of the wires with a small margin.

    Thread installation features:

    • the wire must be securely fixed;
    • nichrome thread does not have insulation, therefore, it is unacceptable for two or more points of the wire to touch metal elements - this will lead to a short circuit;
    • in places where the thread looks out of the brush, to compensate for thermal deformation, it is necessary to put on insulation;
    • since the joints of the thread and wires become extremely rigid, they must be stationary. This will allow the soldering points not to break off when the wipers are working.

    On the net you can find photo reports of the manufacture of heating for Khors brushes. We did not describe the exact sequence of actions, since the design of the wipers different types will be different.

    MGTF WIRE

    To make a heating element, hammer in two small studs at a distance equal to the place where the heater is installed in the wiper. Wrap the nails as shown in the photo, after which the element can be installed under the frameless brush cover. Note that the ends of the MGTF wire should be in the middle of the wipers. For better temperature distribution, the resulting plume can be wrapped in foil. To output the wires, most likely, you will have to make holes in the case or fasteners.

    POWER CIRCUIT

    Heated brushes are connected via a 4-pin relay. The greatest heating will be with parallel connection. It is better to take the power + for heating power directly from the battery, placing the fuse as close as possible to the battery. The control + relay can be taken from the power plus, then pressing the button in the passenger compartment should send - to the second control output of the relay.

    In the diagram below, the control + is taken from the cigarette lighter in the cabin, and the power and control are shorted to ground. This connection allows you to realize the illumination of the button for turning on the heating of the wipers.

    Possible connection option

    All motorists are well aware that a lot depends on the degree of cleanliness and transparency. First of all - traffic safety. In the warm season, cleaning the windshield is very simple - just turn on the wipers, which in a fairly short time will cope with the task.

    But what to do in winter, when this most important part of the vehicle can be covered with a sufficiently strong crust of ice? Run with a hot kettle to make the area in front of you even a little visible? But now is not the twentieth century, so there are several ways to solve the problem:

    • Apply special scrapers.
    • Use a variety of synthetic gels.
    • Install a heating system for the wiper zone on your vehicle.

    The first and second options are no longer relevant enough today, since they do not solve two problems: saving time and physical strength. In the first case, you will have to spend your own energy to work with a scraper. In the second, stand and watch as the gel begins to destroy the ice crust on the windshield. It is much easier and more comfortable to sit in the car and watch how the heated wipers do their job perfectly.

    Unfortunately, you will have to pay for high-quality heating of the wipers. Sometimes - quite a lot. It does not matter, since there is the possibility of making a heating system for the wiper zone with your own hands.

    How to make heating wipers with your own hands?

    For self-made heating the wipers will be required, whatever one may say, to purchase some consumables: tape for brand HOST (recommended), nichrome wire with a diameter of 0.3 mm. Therefore, unfortunately, some expenses cannot be dispensed with even in this case.

    After completing the purchase process, you can start making heated car wipers. Initially, it is necessary to make heating elements for the wipers:

    • The nichrome wire is cut so that its length is at least twice the size of the car wipers, and also has a margin of about 200 mm.
    • The product must completely follow all the curves of the cleaning system.
    • To align the wire, one edge is fixed by hand, the other is pulled out with ordinary pliers.

    Next stage. One more piece of wire is measured - based on the length of the wiper plus 100 mm. Further, the product is bent so that its ends do not coincide a little. The longer end is inserted into the hollow space of the elastic used, and the short end is pierced obliquely. Using previously used pliers, the metal bar is completely immersed in the rubber. This work will take time and patience. The protruding ends are made in the form of loops, with mandatory insulation.

    The next step in creating heated wipers:

    1. Two small holes are made in the plastic profile.
    2. The ends of the future wiper heating elements are inserted into the profile - into the finished holes.
    3. The outer parts of the wire are processed with a soldering iron - using soldering acid.
    4. Using the same tool, the wiring is soldered.
    5. The mother connector is powered from the vehicle.
    6. For the operation of the heated wiper system, a button is installed that will allow you to control the resulting structure.

    It is recommended to combine the control button behind the heated windshield zone with