Introduction: Ryder's Car

By WSU GoBabyGo
About: Students at Wichita State University run a program that modifies off-the-shelf ride-on toy cars for kids with disabilities. Our cars feature more technical builds with joysticks and arduinos. We post our instr…

Documented is the instructions to modify a ride-on car for WSUGoBabyGo.

Step 1: Step 1.1 Assessment of Needs

  • Assess the needs of the child based on their condition and abilities
  • Take note of various dimensions of the child such as chest width, midsection width, shoulder width, etc.
  • Determine any necessary supports for the child’s needs (trunk support, leg support, headrest, etc.)
  • Determine an effective control system (Big Mac Button, Joystick, Foot Pedal, etc.)
  • Take note of the child’s interests and try to incorporate those things into the modifications for the car.

Step 2: Step 2.1 Materials List

Step 3: Step 2.2 Assembly of the Car

  • Follow the instructions that come in the box with the car
  • Do not put the plastic hub caps on until the wheel assembly is complete, removing them is difficult.
  • There are two screw head types: flat headed and round headed. Be sure to take note of which screw the instructions tell you to use.
  • When assembling the steering column, be sure to read ahead in the instructions before starting the assembly. It is easy to get confused if you do not understand how the entire column comes together.
  • Take note when installing the motors that the left motor corresponds with the left side and the right motor corresponds with the right side. There should be an L and R marked on the body of the car on the plastic lip the seat will screw into, and there should be stickers on the motors to designate which side they belong to. If the motors are on the incorrect sides, the car will move in the opposite direction it is intended to (i.e. set to forward, it will move in reverse).

Step 4: Step 3: Circuit Diagram for Installation of Emergency Stop and Big Mac Button

Attached is the circuit diagram. We will be using this to install the emergency stop and the Big Mac Button.

Step 5: Step 3.1: Material Need to Install Emergency Stop Switch

  • Toggle Switch (2 way) up to 120 volts
  • 22-16 AWG Female connector ¼” (2 of them)
    • Picture not shown
  • 1 foot of 18WG wire (2 of them)
  • Wire strippers
  • Multi-meter
  • Philips Screwdriver (no picture)
  • 2 wire caps (connectors) no picture shown

Step 6: Step 3.2 - Remove Windshield

  1. First we need to get to the wires. To get to the wire behind the dashboard first remove the windshield. Unscrew the two screws holding it on. It is a snap on and by just tugging it it should snap off.

Step 7: 3.3 - Remove Steering Wheel

  1. Unscrew the main screw that is holding the wheel on.
  2. Pull the wheel off.

Step 8: Step 3.4-Remove Dash Board

  1. Unscrew the 6 screws holding the dash board on.
  2. Carefully pull it way from car. Do not disconnect any wires!

Step 9: Step 3.5- Remove Seat

  • Remove the Seat by unscrewing the 2 screws holding it in.
  • This is so we can get to the wires and batteries beneath the chair.

Step 10: Step 3.6- Disconnect From Battery

  • Under the seat unhook the the connector that connects the red and brown wire to the black wire that goes to the battery along with the red wire that goes to the fuse box and to the other battery.

Step 11: Step 3.7 Cut the Wire

  1. Cut the wire from the charging port that is on the bottom of the two wires.
  2. This wire should lead up to the power button on the dash board(Picture on far right)
  3. Strip a centimeter from both ends of the cut wire

Step 12: Step 3.8 Prepare Your Wire

Take your two 1 foot strands of 18WG of wire, and use the wire stripper to remove about a half inch of rubber from each end to expose the wire. Each of your two wires should look like the one in the picture.

Step 13: Step 3.9 Attach Crimper

Attach one female connector to the end of each wire. To do this slide the wire in to the slot of the female connector and use pliers to clamp the connector around the wire.

Step 14: Step 3.10 Attach Wire to the Emergency Stop Switch

Push the female connector end of the wire onto the male end of the emergency stop switch. In the picture, one wire has been attached. Just attached the second wire to the other male tab. So you should end up with 2 wires attached to the switch.

Step 15: Step 3.11 Drill a Hole

Drill the hole that you will put the emergency stop switch through. You may need to enlarge the whole so the switch can fit through.

Step 16: Step 3.12 Putting the Emergency Stop Switch in Hole

Set the emergency stop switch to its off position and make sure not to forget its orientation because you will be removing the nut and label part and you don’t want to forget which one is on and off.

Push the emergency stop switch through the hole through the back behind the bumper. Make sure that is stays in off position so you don’t loose track if its in on or off position. Put the label back on and screw on the bolt

Step 17: Step 3.13 Drill Another Hole

Drill a hole inside in the back. This will give you a place put your new wires through to attach to the wire you cut in step 3.7

Step 18: Step 3.14 Push Wire Through Hole

Run the two wires attached to the emergency stop switch through the hole so they are hanging inside part with the other wires that are under the seat.

Step 19: Step 3.15: Connect the Wires From the Emergency Stop

  1. You now connect each of the wires from the emergency stop switch to each of the ends of wire you cut in step 3.7.
  2. It does not matter which wire from the wire is connected to the end of the cut wire.
  3. To attach, twist the metal ends of the wires together and screw on a wire cap.

Step 20: Step 3.16 Connect to Power and Test

  1. Re-plug the connection to the battery that you disabled in step 3.6.
  2. Test to see if the car turns on with the emergency stop switch on. Flipping the switch to the off position while the car is on should turn off the car.

Step 21: Step 3.17 Put Everything Back Together.

  1. If everything is working then reattach the chair with the two screws.
  2. Mount the dash board back on with the 6 screws
  3. Re-attach the windshield by snapping it in and screwing it in with two screws.
  4. Put steering wheel on and and re-attach the steering wheel with the one main screw.

Step 22: Step 4.1: Adding the Big Mac Button

Materials needed:

  • Jigsaw with plastic blade
  • Black Electric Tape(Any kind of duck tape could also work) (no picture show)
  • Marker (no picture)
  • File
  • 7/64 drill bit (or one that is about as the same girth as the wire to your big mac button)
  • Philips screwdriver(no picture)
  • Electric Drill(no picture)
  • Handheld Digital Multimeter
  • Hole Saw
  • Big Mac Button
  • Wire Strippers
  • 3 zip ties
  • 4 soderless female spades

  • Sanyou SARL -112DF (Single pole double throw) relay

Step 23: Step 4.2: Mark the Handles

  1. Remove the steering wheel from dashboard by unscrewing the mounting screw.
  2. Mark on the steering wheel where you want the handles to be.
  3. Use the jigsaw to cut the handles. Be careful that the wheel doesn't slide out from you while cutting.
  4. File off any uneven edges

Step 24: Step 4.3: Remove the The Inside Electronic Inside the Steering Wheel

  1. Remove the cover plate from the wheel. This is so the big mac button can fit easier on the wheel.
  2. Remove the 6 screws holding the wheel together.
  3. Remove the electronic components with a Phillips screw driver.

Step 25: Step 4.4: Drill Hole Through Steering Wheel

We will now drill the hole to run the wire from the big mac button through the steering wheel.

  1. Drill a hole in the center of the front piece of the steering wheel.
  2. Drill a second hold through the bottom half of the steering wheel near the center.

Step 26: Step 4.5: Drill a Whole in Dashboard

Next we drill the hole in the dashboard to run the wire from big mac button through.

  1. Remove the dashboard by removing the screws as before.
  2. Use the hole saw to cut out the inner part of steering column. Make sure it is clear of any wires!

Step 27: Step 4.6 Remove the Coverings to Get to the Wires.

  1. Remove the seat to get to the wire underneath
  2. Remove the covering of the gas pedal under the car
  3. Remove the support under the right side of the car
  4. Remove the covering of all the wires from the underside of the right side of the car.

Step 28: Step 4.7 Finding the Right Wires

Now that the pedal covering is off, you should be able to pop the pedal out.

To discover which wire is which, use a multi-meter.

Set the multi-meter to 20 volts.

While touching the black sensor end to a ground which is the black wire coming off the battery.

Then test each wire coming off the pedal until the meter reads 12V.

Step 29: Step 4.8: Remove Wires From the Pedal

  1. Make sure the power is off and snip the three wires from the foot pedal.
  2. Wrap the end of the short circuit wire in black electric tape. For us this was the brown wire. This wire was used to handle short circuits, but our relay that we will attach will handle that. We are done with this wire.
  3. Strip a centimeter of insulation off the ends of the other two wires.

Step 30: Step 4.9 Attaching the Power Wire to the Relay

  1. Get a 2 foot length of 18gw wire and strip about a centimeter of insulation off of each end.
  2. Connect one end of the 2 foot wire to the red wire from the pedal.
  3. Run the wire underneath the car to the inside of the car where the seat was.
  4. Find a female spade that will fit on the relay
  5. Attached the female spade to the wire you just ran through under the seat.
  6. Attach this wire on to the male end port 87 on the relay

Step 31: Step 4:10

  1. Prepare a second 2 foot length of 18gw wire as before by stripping a centimeter of insulation off each end.
  2. Connect one end of your 2 foot wire to the black negative wire from the gas pedal.
  3. Run this wire underneath the car through the seat
  4. Attach a female spade to the other end of the wire
  5. Attach it to the male 30 slot of the relay

Step 32: Step 4.11 Prepare to Attach Wires From Button to Relay.

  1. Split the wire of the big mac button by about a foot.
  2. Strip the insulation off both ends. (in the picture we already did this to one of the ends.
  3. Run the wire through the steering wheel in the whole that we had drilled
  4. Continue to run the wire through the dash board of the whole that we had drilled earlier
  5. Run the wire under neath the car on the right side and into the car seat with all the other wires

Step 33: Step 4.12 Attach Power to Relay 86

  1. Find the wire running from the emergency switch, the one that is near the on position flipped position.
  2. Cut this wire and strip the insulation a centimeter away from each end.
  3. Prepare another 18gw that is about 1 foot long and has the insulation stripped from each end by a centimeter
  4. Attach a female spade to one end
  5. Connect the wire you prepared to the cut wire from the emergency stop switch using a cap.
  6. Attach this to relay 86 on the emergency stop switch

Step 34: Step 4.13: Connect the One Wires of the Big Mac Button to Relay

  1. Attach a female spade to one of the wire from the big mac button
  2. Connect it to relay 85

Step 35: Step 4.14: Connect Other Wire of Big Mac Button to Ground

  1. Find the wire that leads to ground by touching the red end of the multi-meter to relay 87 and the black end of the relay to any metal connection of one of the black wires that leads from the batteries.
  2. After you find the wire that leads to ground, cut it. Make sure power is off!
  3. Split the insulation of the cut ends.
  4. Connect your Big mac wire with the two ends of the cut ground wire. Connect them with a wire cap.

Step 36: Step 4.15 Finishing Up

  1. Attached the relay to some part inside the seat by simply screwing it into the wall with a screw.
  2. Connect the Big Mac Button to the steering wheel using zip ties
  3. Push the foot pedal back in place. It won't work anymore but it helps prevent the floor of you car having a whole in it.
  4. Screw the cover back on over the foot pedal
  5. Screw the cover over the wires under the right side of the car.
  6. Reattach the under-brace.

Step 37: Step 5.1 Adding the Head Rest

Materials Needed:

2 Screws with Bolts

Measuring Tape

7 ft of 1 inch wide PVC Pipe (no picture), cut into two 25cm pieces, two 19cm pieces, two 29 cm pieces

Two T Joints

2 elbow joints

A can of PVC primer

A can of PVC Cement

A drill bit the same width as your 2 screws mentioned above (picture not provided)

A can of Black Spray Paint that works with plastic.

Drill Gun(picture not provided)

A small kick board

4 zip ties

A velcro Strap 3 feet long

Step 38: 5.2 : Assembling the PVC Frame

Measure the width of the seat of where we want to put our pipes on the side.

Measure the height of the seat

Cut the PVC with a saw to the desire length.

Connect the pipes together with the T joints and elbow joints using the Primer and cement. Follow the instructions on the cans to learn how to use apply the primer and cement.

Make sure that the support pipe is high enough that it is above the built in seat.

The orientation for the frame that we used is a 29cm pipe at the bottom, then the T joint, then the a 19cm, then the elbow joint on each side. The pipe that goes in between the elbows and T's horizontally is 25cm long. When the assembly is in the shape of an A when it is finished.

Step 39: Step 5.3: Painting the PVC Frame (optional)

Sand the frame down with fine sand paper. This helps the paint stick to it better when dried.

Spray paint the frame and let dry.

Step 40: Step 5.4: Attaching the Frame

After the frame is dry enough, place it where you would like it to go.

While holding the frame in place, drill though the pipe and the wall of the car where you want to place your screw

Attach the screw with the bolt

Repeat process with other side

Step 41: Step 5.5: Attach Kick Board to Frame

Place your kick board against the frame where you want it to go.

Mark with a pencil the hole you need to make to for your zip ties.

Drill the wholes.

Attach the board to the frame with the zip ties.

Snip off any extra slack on the zip ties.

Step 42: 5.6 Adding the Chest Strap

Loop the Velcro Strap around the PVC on one side of the car, then bring the strap across the seat and loop it around the other end of the seat to add the chest strap.

Step 43: Step 6: Adding Foam Along the Floor of the Car (Optional)

If the child has trouble reaching the floor of the car with his feet a layer of foam can be added to help them reach it. Adding the layer of foam to the floor of the car should provide some leg support if the child's feet do not reach the floor on their own.

We used hard foam which can be purchased from outdoor play.