Making a Car to Promote Education

Nowadays, technological education has become an essential element in preparing new generations for a digital and automated future. One of the key challenges in this process is to teach young people the fundamentals of programming and electronics in an accessible and stimulating way. In this context, the project of a small programmable car with Arduino, containing various essential electronics elements, emerges as an innovative and exciting solution to solve this issue.

The main objective of this project is to provide high school students with an interactive learning platform that allows them to delve into the world of Arduino practically and entertainingly. Through programming a small car, students will be able to grasp essential concepts of electronics, programming, and robotics, all while developing problem-solving and creativity skills.

This programmable car will not only serve as a vehicle for teaching the fundamentals of Arduino, but also as a tool to inspire young minds to explore their curiosity. In this project, we will explore the design, construction, and programming of this small car, providing students with a unique opportunity to learn something that will contribute to their education and preparedness to face the technological challenges of the future.

To make this car, we will need some "digital" and real materials. The materials needed to make the circuit of this car are those at the beginning of the section. The pdf of this table is at the end of the section.

The code needed to use the default mode of the car is at the end step 2.

In this step, we are going to explain the main supplies of the car.

• Protoboard: It is a reusable solderless electronic circuit construction platform. It features a grid of interconnected metal clips or sockets, allowing electronic components to be easily plugged in and tested.
• H-Bridge: It is an electronic circuit that enables the control of the direction and rotation of a motor. It consists of four switches arranged in an "H" configuration, with each pair of diagonally opposite switches controlling the motor's direction.
• Arduino Nano: It is a compact and versatile microcontroller board based on the ATmega328P processor. It is a member of the Arduino family and is known for its small size, making it suitable for projects with space constraints.
• Servomotor: It is a type of rotary actuator that enables precise control of angular position. It consists of a motor coupled with a feedback mechanism to provide accurate and controlled movement.
• Sensor HC-SR04: The HC-SR04 is an ultrasonic distance sensor widely used in electronics projects. It operates by emitting ultrasonic pulses and measuring the time it takes for the pulses to bounce back after hitting an object.
• DC motor: It is an electric motor that converts electrical energy into mechanical motion. It operates on the principle of electromagnetic induction.
• Neopixel LED: It is a brand of individually addressable RGB LED modules. These LEDs are capable of producing a wide range of colors and brightness levels.
• OLED Display: It is a thin, flexible electronic visual display technology that uses organic compounds to emit light when an electric current is applied.
• Buzzer: It is a simple audio signaling device that produces a beeping sound when an electrical current is applied. It consists of a vibrating diaphragm that generates sound waves when activated.

Using the diagram above, you should make the circuit on the protoboards. Make sure you use the same outputs for the H-bridge and the Arduino Nano.

Download the document with the code at the end of this section and paste it into the Arduino IDE software.

After connecting the Arduino to your computer, you should select the port COM in which the Arduino is connected and the model of the Arduino plate (Arduino Nano).

Use the upload button in the Arduino Software to start using the car in default mode. If an error appears, make sure you are in the right port, you selected the right Arduino model, and that you copy the complete code.