I wish to build a bigger type of arduino controlled vehicle.
Unfortunatly, it appears the only wheels and tracks there is to be found, are at a size of this:
I want to build a vehicle to drive in an outdoor enviroment. Preferably with tracks. Unfortunatly, the models I find (as the one in the link above) are rather small, and would probably stall at the first rock or bump.
Anyone know where to start?
Do a scrapheap challenge ... ?
Yea...... well I'm unfortunately not in possession of neither a blowtorch or welding equipment.
Pity,....
Rope, nuts & bolts ? and a drill?
Ask on a robot forum such as
Rob
Lynxmotion has track sets that are larger and modular, could be used to make a much larger tracked vehicle, but still not exactly something ultra-heavy duty.
You could also design all your parts in a CAD program and then send them off to get cut out by a third party shop. Big Blue Saw works with a variety of material and can make pretty heavy duty metal chassis of your own design. Pololu also provides cutting services for woods and plastics at a fair cost as well.
Hi all, and thanks for all replies.
robtillaart:
As I don't have equipment for forming, cutting og welding metals here, I was thinking to make a body vehicle body out of wood and bolts, screwed around a girder chassi. Everything bolted together, isolated and painted.
Unfortunately I still need tracks.
Graynomad: Thanks!
jraskell:
The 3,5 " tracks there is right up my alley, except 7 " would be alot better.
Do you think you could link 2 x 3,5 " besides eachother, on the same mounting, to make a 7" track?
As I don't have equipment for forming, cutting og welding metals here, I was thinking to make a body vehicle body out of wood and bolts, screwed around a girder chassi. Everything bolted together, isolated and painted.
Unfortunately I still need tracks.
a belt (as used for trousers) with wooden ribs or a lot of bolts through it ?
Or if you have some chains and gears from old bicycles, that could make perfect tracks ... (OK here in holland we have plenty of old bikes)...
Succes,
Rob
Look here if you want some ideas on how to build such a larger-scale tracked vehicle:
Something else to consider: Many of the 12 VDC PowerWheels ride-on toys can be found cheap in used (generally well-used) condition on Craigslist, at garage sales, and at thrift stores. These toys typically use two separate (though current hungry!) 540-size brushed DC motors to drive the rear wheels (the following image is from my own project):
...the speed shift on the toy (the grey thing to the lower left of the steering wheel in the pic above) switches them from running in series (low speed) to running in parallel (high speed - I think that's right). Anyhow, since they have separate motors/gearboxes for the left and right rear wheels, they could make an excellent starter platform for a tracked or 6-wheel differential steering platform (you'd have to do some severe customization, though).
Impervium:
jraskell:
The 3,5 " tracks there is right up my alley, except 7 " would be alot better.Do you think you could link 2 x 3,5 " besides eachother, on the same mounting, to make a 7" track?
I'm sure the sprockets for the tracks could be bolted together in a 'dualie' config to allow side-by-side mounting, but it may require a custom hub to do so.
I found this video on YouTube a while back and I was very impressed with how he build it: Homemade RC tracked robot - YouTube
Yea, actually, that's just about what I was going for. Though it doesn't say how he built it, and I'd like to know how to build your own tracks and where to get the wheels for the tracks.
The person below has made variuos wooden track setups. The videos are no longer on line, but he might be able to provide more detail.
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150127248213608.294075.795108607&l=ec90f2bdad