Introduction: Ferrari Arduino RC Car
This is an instructable which is designed to teach you how to make a car drive by its self without a remote using a step by step guide. This is a really simple and great project designed for your enjoyment.
Step 1: Get an RC Car and Tools
Find an RC car. This can be any size and shape.
You will not need the remote during this process so leave that out.
This car will need batteries in the car to make the` project work so make sure the car has a place to put the batteries.
Get all the tools needed including screw drivers, side cutters, soldering iron, solder,
Step 2: Pulling the Car Apart.
This step requires you to disassemble your car by unscrewing the chassis and pulling it off. This will enable you to get inside the car and access the circuit board.
Step 3: Remove the Antenna
Using a screwdriver, remove the screws holding the antenna. This is removed as will no longer have any use for the project.
Step 4: Temporarily Remove the Printed Circuit Board (PCB)
Using a small screw driver, temporarily remove the PCB and flip it over to mull out unwanted wires. To do this, you may find it easier to screw the PCB back in after you have flipped it. this will keep the board stable while you fiddle around with it.
Step 5: Solder Sucking Excess Solder.
Using the 'ground wire' that connects to the motor of your vehicle, turn on the car at the base and carefully touch each little metal sprig and find out which little sprig makes the car go forwards, backwards, left and right. Then, using a permanent marker, mark these sprigs as these will be where your new wires will go.
Fore the marked sprigs, using a soldering iron and a solder sucker, heat up any excess solder that may have been on the PCB previously. Once the solder is melted from the iron, use a solder sucker to get rid of the solder. This will make it a lot easier to connect new wires to the PCB.
Step 6: Connecting New Wires and Reassembling the Car.
Using rubber coated fine wire, create a line of four wires approximately the length of the car.
Then, using side cutters or even fingernails if they are long enough, slide off 1 cm of rubber from around the wire on either end of the coated wire.
Then using four resistors (shown in second photo), connect them to the same end of each wire using solder. However it is important to put heat shrink around the wire, then join the wires, then once this is done, heat the heat shrink over the join so no wire is seen.
Then attach one side of the ends to the circuit board where it was marked.
After that, put the chassis back on the car making sure the wires are through the hole and screw the chassis back on.
Step 7: Insert Hole in Rear of Car.
Using a drill, drill a hole in the rear of the car so it is big enough for four wires. This is where the wires will go through.
Step 8: Attach the Arduino to the Car.
Using a hot glue gun, rubber bands or tie wires, attach the arduino to the roof of your car. This will not have to come off so you can make it as permanent as you wish. This can be put anywhere you want as long as it is open and you can easily access all the parts of the arduino.
Step 9: Connect the 9V Battery to the Car.
Connect the 9V battery to the car as this will power the arduino. This can be fitted using hot glue, rubber bands etc. once attached, put the cable from the battery pack and insert it into the arduino hole.
Step 10: Get the Car Working.
This step requires you to upload the 'car test' from the link below and put it onto the arduino using a cord going from your computer to the arduino. Once this is uploaded, take the programing cable out of the arduino, turn on the car batteries and the battery pack batteries, and your car should start running immediately. The car should run in a figure-of-eight formation. To make the car do something different (like drive round a table) then alter the numbers for forward, left and right to the amount of time you want.