3D RC Car

How to 3D print your own car that runs off of an Arduino microcontroller!

Step 1: Planning

I was required to use a stock black container as part of my MAKE engineering course and decided to utilize it as the cabin of my RC car. I planned on using the stock screw holes that were already in the container and I created the chassis around the idea that the container would simply screw right onto the chassis. I also knew that I wanted to use the stepper motor to drive the rear wheels and a servo to control the steering in the front. With all of these things in mind, I began to come up with a general idea of how the chassis would look and how the mechanics of the turning and drive would operate.

Step 2: Coding

After the mechanical planning was finished, I began to work on the coding. I have included a video that will explain how I wrote code to run the systems I wanted to use.

Step 3: Wiring

After the conceptual design is planned and the coding for the arduino is completed, I wired up the electrical components and test fit everything inside of the case. In the included video, I have thoroughly explained the ins and outs of the wiring of the RC car.

Step 4: Assembly

Once you have all of the electrical components working as planned and the solid pieces planned out in a CAD software, have the pieces sent to a 3D printing lab so that they can be brought into reality. Be cautious as 3D printing comes with its setbacks as well as its advantages. Spray paint and sanding don't work particularly well with 3D printed parts as they have a low heat tolerance and melt really easily. The first round of parts I had printed (as seen in black) did not fare very well. The second batch of parts I decided to leave the original color and they came out much cleaner and precise.