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Step 28Have fun!
Here it is finally finished after over 6m work (mainly due to my lack of programming skill). Toying with the idea of calling it the "Hot Wheel," not sure yet.
Teenagers may scoff that you cannot do "tricks" with it but that is not the point. This is always going to be a heavy machine. The point is the challenge and satisfaction of getting something "impossible" to work, the skills I have learned along the way and simply doing something completely out of the ordinary.
When you finally get it to balance after struggling away for ages there is a real feeling of achievement.
It is also great fun to ride. This is hard to explain in words but it feels as if you are riding on something that is "alive" and constantly intelligently adapting to your input rather than following it blindly. It should do about 7 or 8 mph in this configuration. When I am confident enough I will fit a smaller sprocket on the main axle (karts come with multiple sprocket sizes) to increase the speed. You steer it by the way by tilting it to one side, the tyre deforms and you gradually turn. To turn sharply, you stop or slow right down, tilt onto tyre edge and twist body to flick it round.
Remember if you build one of these it is at your own risk. There are no safety features or redundant sytems as in a SegwayTM for example. However one advantage over a SegwayTM clone may be that you can easily jump off, especially if you keep the top speed down early on while you are learning.
Have fun! You will never learn anything practical or innovative unless you just have a go.
Teenagers may scoff that you cannot do "tricks" with it but that is not the point. This is always going to be a heavy machine. The point is the challenge and satisfaction of getting something "impossible" to work, the skills I have learned along the way and simply doing something completely out of the ordinary.
When you finally get it to balance after struggling away for ages there is a real feeling of achievement.
It is also great fun to ride. This is hard to explain in words but it feels as if you are riding on something that is "alive" and constantly intelligently adapting to your input rather than following it blindly. It should do about 7 or 8 mph in this configuration. When I am confident enough I will fit a smaller sprocket on the main axle (karts come with multiple sprocket sizes) to increase the speed. You steer it by the way by tilting it to one side, the tyre deforms and you gradually turn. To turn sharply, you stop or slow right down, tilt onto tyre edge and twist body to flick it round.
Remember if you build one of these it is at your own risk. There are no safety features or redundant sytems as in a SegwayTM for example. However one advantage over a SegwayTM clone may be that you can easily jump off, especially if you keep the top speed down early on while you are learning.
Have fun! You will never learn anything practical or innovative unless you just have a go.
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