RC Car to Robot

Converting an RC car into a robot is a quick and easy way to get started with robotics. At the very least, when you get bored of playing with your remote control car after three days, you can turn it into a robot that will do all of your evil bidding. Well, maybe not all of it, but at least a sizable amount.

In this Instructable I will go over the bare minimum you need to get started. Think of it as a template for making a basic robot that can be expanded with sensors, code, and additional hardware to do some really amazing things. You can now impress your family, make new friends, and scare your pets with the power of robot magic.

Step 1: Go Get Stuff

You will need:

(x1) R/C Monster Truck (Radioshack #60-646)
(x1) Arduino Uno REV 3 (Radioshack #276-128)
(x1) Arduino Motor Shield (Radioshack #276-131)
(x1) Parallax Ping Sensor (Radioshack #276-136)
(x1) Heavy-Duty 9V Snap Connectors (Radioshack #270-324)
(x1) Size M Coaxial DC Power Plug (Radioshack #274-1569)
(x1) Multipurpose PC Board with 417 Holes (Radioshack #276-150)
(x1) 90-Ft. UL-Recognized Hookup Wire (Radioshack #278-1221)
(x1) Enercell® Alkaline 9 Volt Battery (Radioshack #25-853)
(x1) 6" Heat-Shrink Tubing (Radioshack #278-1627)
(x1) 5-1/2" Zip Ties (Radioshack #278-1631)

Comments

[mike010101]

You mentioned that the front motor was the "turn motor". how exactly does that work? does it actually turn or spins the left or right wheels to achieve turning? I'm wondering if one would need 2 motor controllers for an RC that has for motors

[randofo]

If it has four motors, then you might. Mine has two motors. One drives the back wheels and the front one turns the axle left and right.

[angpal59]

works great but my wheels wont turn, they stay where they are when I fire it up but other than that it works perfect.

[angpal59]

(removed by author or community request)

[randofo]

I don't know anything about that shield. I don't know who made it, the pin mapping, or the specs on it.

Unless it is explicitly stated somewhere, never assume any electronics component is interchangeable with any other. I recommend searching the internet for instructions to use exactly what you have.

[angpal59]

but to tell you the truth randofo, it's been so long it could of came from overseas, I'm trying to find out now, I will get back with you sometime

[angpal59]

I am trying to delete one of them but having a hard time, bear with me please

[angpal59]

Here it is, older motor shield, can I use this one?

[leeseibert]

Thanks for the How to.

I am working on a project very much like this. See my video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPLlTAVeIf8

[dzholekbayev]

Good day! I have one question about this project. Should I use Xbee modules to connect PC with robot??? I will be appreciate for your answers!

[shar2]

may I know what's the purpose of connecting the ground socket on the shield to the input ground screw socket on the motor shield?

[joedog86]

Great Instructable! Your build and pictures are so clean! Thank you so much for documenting this so clearly!

The choice of adding a motor shield kind of confuses me, though. If you have a steady hand then connecting four wires to the car's RX chip and taking advantage of the car's already present H-bridge is pretty simple. You can even send PWM signals and it works to control the motor's speed.

If you already have a motor shield or don't want to solder to a surface mount chip then I totally understand, but one can easily cut out $20 to $30 of the cost of this project with some careful soldering.

[The.Smart.Man]

dude should you only use new bright cars

[hilmara]

Hey there, I used same arduino, same motor shield, same ping sensor, same code, but different rc car, basically the same two simple motors, but somehow my car moves only forward, with a short little stop, than moves again forward even if there are objects, like my hand or foot, It never reverse and doesnt turn the wheels. Can anyone help me? something wrong with the code or ?

[shar2]

Hi, I've used exactly the same kind of Arduino, motor shield, Ping sensor and code but different RC car for my project. However, the rear wheels turn forward and then reverse repeatedly when there is no obstacle. It works fine when there is an obstacle. May I know what's the problem?

[focalcity]

hey, I had the same problem. Different car, anytime I power it up. it moves forward then backwards repeatedly, but when I keep my hands in front of it, keeps moving forward

[hilmara]

Hi there, cool project. Im planning on doing my own. I got this old r/c car wich only has one motor, the rear one is that okay ? do I have to fix the code? and second, what do I do with the originally on/off button and its wires? thanks in advance !

[ataripunkconsole]

hello when i put in the cod e every thing works fine but every 5 second the motors stop and some times the ping sensor does no always work is ths normal

[shar2]

Where did you connect the wires from the battery pack and from the switch to?

[randofo]

I am no longer using the car's battery pack and switch. It is all powered off the 9V.

[009agent]

How would you go about removing the Arduino so you can use it for other projects. I understand you would need an ATMega chip.

[randofo]

http://www.instructables.com/id/Perfboard-Hackduino-Arduino-compatible-circuit/

[ride on toy dude]

Check This Out!!
http://dinofab.com/rumblebot.html

[randofo]

Not the greatest idea. You can harm the Arduino by doing that, as the motor could produce voltage spikes.

[ride on toy dude]

Would it be possible to plug everything straight into the Arduino without the shield?

[randofo]

No. You would not be able to change direction and you would be under-powering the motors.

[shar2]

Hi, is it a must that use the Arduino Shield? Will the robot function if only Arduino Uno is used?

[randofo]

Yes and no.

[ride on toy dude]

Does your car have rack and pinion steering like a car?

[ride on toy dude]

I am using a mega x morphinians amphibious rc car. It steers by changing the direction that the wheels spin. How would I code that?

[LJduino]

i dont understand how you have the ping (5v) the arduino (5v) and the motors (3-5v) running on a nine volt? can you help me

[randofo]

The 9V is going to the Arduino power input jack and being regulated down to 5V. I am using the 5V source from the Arduino to power everything.

[AmazingRCstore]

Awesome! very nice!:)

[AmazingRCstore]

Wow! that is AMAZING!

[emdarcher]

i just got the car from my local radioshack, but it is so fun that it is hard to get my self to make it into a robot. I think i might make it easier to switch from arduino to RC control somehow. This will be my first arduino robot and robably a light-seeker with a bumper on the front for sensing when it hits walls. do you think that the speed and steering are accurate enough for a robot like the one i want to make? or is a two-wheel and caster style platform better? my apartment has a fabric floor so i don't really know what is best for accurate movement.

[emdarcher]

i just took it apart and it has a smaller PCB than yours and no plugs. i am going to solder wires to the motor connections on the PCB, and then modify the ON/OFF switch to switch between RC or arduino power so i can have the best of both worlds. i can't wait to make my first arduino robot! i hope my setup works.

[Jordan arduino]

Thanks for the Best Instructible

[cyclone731]

Great instructable! I plan on gettin the parts to make this with my next paycheck. But i've noticed radio shack is out of stock, for the r/c truck, on there site. without a radioshack near by i'm thinking about just purchasing a similar r/c truck. Would i have to rewrite any code or do something different with the shield if i find one with a similar motor setup but diffrent size motors..?

[mwaluk]

This is great. I just have one problem where the ping nearly always thinks something is in front of it. This is true even when I reduce the distance to 1 inch. Any ideas of what I did wrong?

[martzsam]

It is possible the ultrasonic sensor is picking up information from another ultrasonic sensor. Do you have any others in use?

How this works:
-Ultrasonic sensors use sound above our hearing range
-when the sound bounces off an object back to the sensor it can judge distance
-if another sensor A is using the same frequency as sensor B, they will both pick up each others feedback

I used to have this problem all the time with the lego mindstorms nxt set when teaching robotics.