Wednesday, August 4, 2010

RC Car

I'm currently putting together a new project where I'm attempting to automate the control of an old RC Car. I've ripped out the original guts except for the the drive motor and steer motor. After numerous attempts at a DIY motor controller for the drive motor (and popping through transistors like popcorn), I've come to the conclusion that this motor needed a driver who could handle the spike currents without melting under pressure. Here is a list of all the parts that will be going into this project, and later I will provide updates on my progress.

Parts:

1. Original RC Chasis (including suspension and wheels/tires).
2. Original RC 7.2V Battery Packs (2)
3. Original rear-wheel drive motor (specs unknown except that it draws 3.5A current running, and 15A stall).
4. Orignal steering motor + original feedback potentiometer (specs also unkown)
5. Boarduino (Atmega 328) controller
6. 18v15 Pololu Motor Driver (to properly drive the rear motor)
7. Dual AxisCompass Module - HMC6352
8. Xbee Pro 60mW U.FL modules + antenna (2): for wireless comunication
9. A few 2n2907/2n2222 BJTs for driving the steering motor