Arduino RC Car Project

Our team (Simona Vaitkune, Sven Mücke, Kyamra Marma, Siemens Seth Henry) created this instructable to show our development of a modular remote control Arduino robot car project for the ME 708 Mechatronics course at the University of Kansas instructed by Dr. Wilson.

This robot uses a 3D printed modules designed in SolidWorks that are able to hold all of the components. It also complies with the 4H robotics requirements for the Douglas County Fair.

The car drives forward/backwards and can turn right/left based on input from the IR remote. It also follows a black line on a white floor based on an IR remote command. Ultrasound distance sensor is used for obstacle avoidance during a random path.

The following elements were used:

• Arduino Uno and breadboard
• 2 Ultrasound distance sensors
• 1 Servo Motor
• 3 line sensors         
• 2 motors with a driver   
• IR remote and receiver   
• Batteries and battery holder 
• 3 Wheels

The supplies can be purchased from: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/15631

Project requirements were defined prior to the technical decisions in order to develop a car that satisfies the requirements and works efficiently.

The logic of the code was developed prior to the initial coding.

The mechanical design consists of two mechanical sub-assemblies: power supply assembly and control unit assembly. Consequently, this project involves the production of several custom designed 3D printed parts. The parts were printed using two separate 3D printers: Stratasys f170 and Ender-5 Plus. The filaments used for printing were ABS, PETG, and fiberglass-infused nylon. There were 12 3D printed parts total. Each .stl file is attached.

Tinkercad was used to create circuit diagram and electrical drawings. They were later used to assemble the car.

The entire code is located in github: https://github.com/svmuecke/ME708-RemoteCar/tree/Final_Branch

The assemblies are integrated using fasteners and tapes. The power supply assembly consists of the power supply modules (battery), breadboard, gearmotors with wheels, ultrasonic distance sensors, control switch, and line sensors. These items are attached to the main car chassis as shown in the drawings. The power supply modules (battery), breadboard and two gearmotors are installed inside the chassis. The three line-following IR sensors and their respective brackets are mounted under the chassis. An ultrasound distance sensor and its holder attached to the front of the chassis. The steering system consists of a small wheel, bracket, a servo motor, and a cover and is integrated on the rear side of the chassis. The power supply control switch is soldered into the power supply circuit.

The control assembly consists of the controller (Arduino Uno), servo motor, ultrasonic distance sensor, and four LED lights. The controller (Arduino Uno) is installed inside the top chassis shown in the drawing. The ultrasonic distance sensor is mounted on the servo motor to make it rotatable. The four LED lights glued to the top cover.

Once the power supply assembly and the control assembly are complete, the control assembly can be mounted on the power supply assembly and then top cover placed on the control assembly to fabricate the final car. With the lid removed, wire the electronics according to the wiring diagram provided. Then, upload the code and have fun!

The video includes black line following, obstacle detection, and driving forward/backwards or turning right/left.

The video can be found here: https://youtu.be/gqGEEhYsxTU

All team members with different skillsets have contributed to this project to make it work. It was a great learning opportunity!