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Thread: Internet controlled RC car

  1. 6th October 2006 10:39 AM #1
    MrNobody
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    Default Internet controlled RC car

    Hi..
    I need some advice on my college project.
    I am planning to build an internet controlled RC car..
    As it sounds, the objective is for it to be controlled by a computer connected to the internet.. The receiver is the laptop connected to the internet wirelessly so that it can move with the car. I will be using parallel port to interface the laptop to the car. There will be a webcam on the car to enable me to see where the car is moving.

    The area that i need advice is on the hardware.. The car with the laptop will be heavier than a normal RC car. So, I need advice on the type of motor it need to use (as in the voltage of it), and also the types of battery and battery charger to use.

    Anybody know where i can get more information on building an internet controlled car?

    Thanks for the advice...
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  2. 6th October 2006 04:42 PM #2
    hjames
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    It had better have some padded bumpers or a really low acceleration/max speed because I'm pretty sure I know what's going to happen to the throttle...

    There are 1/8'th scale RC cars which are scary and go at some extreme speeds. They also guzzle gas or chew through a battery pack in a matter of minutes. To get the required power, electric ones tend to use 20V+ battery packs. NiMH/NiCD for entry level stuff, and Lithium Poly at the high end. I'd wager that you won't need that much power and can probably do with a higher gear ratio/lower voltage.
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  3. 6th October 2006 08:50 PM #3
    MrNobody
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    Quote Originally Posted by hjames
    It had better have some padded bumpers or a really low acceleration/max speed because I'm pretty sure I know what's going to happen to the throttle...

    There are 1/8'th scale RC cars which are scary and go at some extreme speeds. They also guzzle gas or chew through a battery pack in a matter of minutes. To get the required power, electric ones tend to use 20V+ battery packs. NiMH/NiCD for entry level stuff, and Lithium Poly at the high end. I'd wager that you won't need that much power and can probably do with a higher gear ratio/lower voltage.
    thanks... umm.. roughly, do u know what model of motor, battery and charger i can use...? i m very new to RC kinda stuff...
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  4. 6th October 2006 09:44 PM #4
    dknguyen
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    You didn't fil in your location so I will assume you are in North America. Go to radioshack and buy an RC car and then mod it. Save yourself the money, time, and trouble.
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  5. 7th October 2006 03:17 AM #5
    MrNobody
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    Quote Originally Posted by dknguyen
    You didn't fil in your location so I will assume you are in North America. Go to radioshack and buy an RC car and then mod it. Save yourself the money, time, and trouble.
    Thanks.. sorry i forgot to mention that i am from malaysia.. I don't think malaysia has radioshack...
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  6. 7th October 2006 03:34 AM #6
    dknguyen
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    But surely you can get RC cars somehow? You won't have time or money to build a car from scratch.
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  7. 7th October 2006 05:07 AM #7
    MrNobody
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    Quote Originally Posted by dknguyen
    But surely you can get RC cars somehow? You won't have time or money to build a car from scratch.
    If we can find a car that is big enough and powerful enough to move a the laptop (as the laptop is attached on the car and move with the car) then that solves the problem..
    Eventhough if we can find such big car, it would surely be costly..
    That is why i do plan to build the car from scratch using alluminium (as it is cheap here).. My requirement is not for it to be beautiful, just for it to be able to move around with a laptop and webcam attached...
    Besides, i have a team of 3 guys with me (total 4) and we have up to next year August to build it..
    That is why i ask about motor type and model, battery required to power the motor and the charger..

    BTW, the reason why we attached the laptop to the car is so that we can attached a webcam to it.. A wireless webcam is too costly for us to get it..
    If anybody know where i can get cheap second hand wireless camera then that would be much better...
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  8. 7th October 2006 07:57 AM #8
    Nigel Goodwin
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    I sugest you look at 'proper' radio control cars, such as those made by Tamiya, they should be available in Malaysia?.

    They have plenty of power, but (as already suggested) you will need to alter the gearing as they go far too fast for your purposes. Lowering the gearing will produce even more 'power', and would easily move a LOT more than a laptop.
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  9. 7th October 2006 01:36 PM #9
    krl
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    how mutch money can u use?
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  10. 7th October 2006 04:12 PM #10
    MrNobody
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    Nigel Goodwin:
    Thanks for the pointer.. I saw the Tamiya cars and its sooo expensive.. more than $300.. Anyway, i saw VXR Racing 21T Out Runner Motor at http://www.rcplanet.com.my/webshaper...oductItem=3291
    Do you think i can use that...?

    krl:
    Well, preferably around $100 (Malaysian dollar) which is around US$25..
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  11. 7th October 2006 05:31 PM #11
    dknguyen
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    Dude, you have to get your project into perspective. First, it's a school project so you don't have lots of money or time.

    If you want to move a laptop you are going to HAVE to go with one of those electric or gas radio-controlled trucks ($~500CAD) that have lots of power but go REALLY REALLY fast which increases chances of you destroying your laptop. Then you have to buy the kits to gear down the truck which won't gear it down as much as you want and still cost even MORE money (like ~$150). Either way, all of these trucks are also NOT wide enough to carry a laptop. The laptop will be balancing on them. They are not designed to have a laptop strapped onto them (in the same way a Toyota Corolla is not designed to have a king size bed strapped to it) so your laptop will probably be horribly out of balance without chassis modifications.

    Trucks are not mechanically simple and therefore cost a lot. Laptops are heavy and therefore larger trucks are needed to carry the payload. Both of these (as well as gearing down and chassis modifications to strap the laptop) will cost a lot of money.

    If you want to use an RC car, do not use a laptop. It just costs too much money and time for a school project. Use a custom microcontroller board or something.

    If you want to use a laptop, use a simple two-wheeled platform or four-wheeled platform that is basically a sheet of metal with 4 gearmotors bolted onto it. It will be much cheaper and be able to more carry your laptop more safely.
    Last edited by dknguyen; 7th October 2006 at 05:37 PM.
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  12. 7th October 2006 08:19 PM #12
    MrNobody
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    Just consulted my team mates..
    We are going to hack an RC car, buy a wireless camera and install on it...
    Thanks for all the contribution..
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