Introduction: Lift RC Car With an Arduino Board

This instructable was created in fulfillment of the project requirement of the Makecourse at the University of South Florida (www.makecourse.com). The 4X4 RC Car control with an Arduino board was made with 3-D printed parts.

Step 1: Parts

The parts need it for this project are:

  • DC Motors x2
  • 4 Wheels (cost of $14.99+tax for 4 wheels and 4 DC Motors)
  • Arduino UNO x1
  • Small Breadboard x1
  • Wires
  • 3 LED Lights
  • 4 #8-32 x 3/4 bolts and nuts.

Step 2: Parts Printed in 3-D

There was 6 parts printed in 3-D. Above we can see the dimensions (in milliliters) that I chose for my project this drawings were done using the software Solid Works.

  • The first drawing shows the dimensions of the triangular looking box that I decided to print.
  • The second drawing shows the cover of the triangular box, to hide all of the components.
  • For the last drawing we can see the legs that I created to lift up the RC car so it could go over small obstacles without any interference.
  • On the last drawing we can see the final assembly, with all of the 3D parts put together.

The bolts use to secure the legs were #8-32 x 3/4 in with proper nuts.

Step 3: Board Wiring

Attach I have posted the wiring diagram of the Arduino, please note that this is show in a breadboard, but in the final project I solder some of the wires to make more room. In here we can see that I connected 3 lights to the RC car. The white light was use under the RC car, the green light is use when the RC car heads in the front direction, and the red is use when the car is going in the backwards direction.

Step 4: Code for the Arduino

Above is the code for the Arduino, with descriptions within the code.

Step 5: Final Setup

  1. Drill 2 holes, one in each end of the triangular box
  2. Put one LED in each of the drill holes, use some hot glue to make sure the lights are not lose.
  3. Upload the code to the Arduio UNO
  4. Put all connections inside the triangular 3D printed box with the Arduino UNO and a portable battery
  5. Drill a small hole on the cover to put the IR receiver, so it can read the control remote
  6. Drill 2 more holes to each end of cover, so the cover can be screw on to the triangular box
  7. Screw the #8-32 x 3/4 bolts and nuts with the legs position and in an X pattern as shown
  8. Put all 4 wheels in each end of the legs
  9. Add one motor to one wheel in the right and one to the left. (I put one in the front and one in the back for better balance)
  10. I drill a total of 12 holes to the side of the triangular box to put some decorative parts( this is up to each person)
  11. Enjoy your new RC car.