tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42783145215626989662024-02-20T18:39:41.016-08:00RixRoverPierric Gimmighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06931078542092106253noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4278314521562698966.post-86645539822550035162011-02-13T22:15:00.000-08:002011-02-19T20:13:17.677-08:00Arduino RC Car Hack<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/p46cXWg57d4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
Here's how I modified a cheap RC car so that it can be controlled from anywhere in the world. The whole project took about 4 weekends to implement, working around 6 hours per weekend. The whole idea was to build an RC car that could really be *remotely* controlled, I'm talking thousands of kilometers of range... As a bonus, this device acts as a tele-presence bot since it uses a netbook with skype to provide video feed to the person who is controlling it. Let's have a look at how it was built.<br />
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I went to Toys'r'Us, and found this little baby:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHwJcfZg_AQHbUoPbJZA7O6kQLJqwyl8TvDyZ0m9_6DWG85ygUblP20pCSLIQsM7ozUsqGbPdixn7L2vka-tFvCfYIWKkoN51QsBuBwhe5wAhEfKm6dHhMM64VtetQbqs0J1nKevjzVdY/s1600/2011-01-16+10.54.31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHwJcfZg_AQHbUoPbJZA7O6kQLJqwyl8TvDyZ0m9_6DWG85ygUblP20pCSLIQsM7ozUsqGbPdixn7L2vka-tFvCfYIWKkoN51QsBuBwhe5wAhEfKm6dHhMM64VtetQbqs0J1nKevjzVdY/s320/2011-01-16+10.54.31.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2JzPZjRKWu-MwPZLXgFoCltVbwoo4NubYTI9rlFotXRL_j9q1BhK0NN7Yro_xeaUPnGHUQytUwlmi5wFHrAClHNWevy1PUNk-wYxMy7nvNVJMN911cu1cHNg61ZkAfJ1TIjtJDZjcGkM/s1600/2011-01-16+11.31.03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2JzPZjRKWu-MwPZLXgFoCltVbwoo4NubYTI9rlFotXRL_j9q1BhK0NN7Yro_xeaUPnGHUQytUwlmi5wFHrAClHNWevy1PUNk-wYxMy7nvNVJMN911cu1cHNg61ZkAfJ1TIjtJDZjcGkM/s320/2011-01-16+11.31.03.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I stripped it of the unnecessary bling. I then had to wait for my Arduino to arrive... It finally came.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbzme75lguuWDn08wjT8awRkP76QHc4CgFDKXIrrjvF98O6nz5viM2gRhPkOe2Gdr-NqyEzSjKKgB1ehcsWM3GMLnd2I6MO67QwhwoK76nDgRz4J-aDJ-aYYDZ_HMFqwc2Z9pSBZdL9NU/s1600/2011-01-27+20.49.09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbzme75lguuWDn08wjT8awRkP76QHc4CgFDKXIrrjvF98O6nz5viM2gRhPkOe2Gdr-NqyEzSjKKgB1ehcsWM3GMLnd2I6MO67QwhwoK76nDgRz4J-aDJ-aYYDZ_HMFqwc2Z9pSBZdL9NU/s320/2011-01-27+20.49.09.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I started working on what was my first Arduino project.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-wVd-Tfe8IzQtL2RXKEGD3I-nnnYQylAhwcUJy7Ffo7sIVgY3Lj__WOQqsRLVIbfnMrVfsmazV2LJZdWooeInEIi1Wdy0btHVE-_smubyPDzV6d2iSzaAYCNdeW5h2_MLF2-7JgOEORs/s1600/2011-01-30+12.09.37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-wVd-Tfe8IzQtL2RXKEGD3I-nnnYQylAhwcUJy7Ffo7sIVgY3Lj__WOQqsRLVIbfnMrVfsmazV2LJZdWooeInEIi1Wdy0btHVE-_smubyPDzV6d2iSzaAYCNdeW5h2_MLF2-7JgOEORs/s320/2011-01-30+12.09.37.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I got my computer to talk to the Arduino. I then built the little circuit of switches using opto-isolators, and connected it to the remote control of the RC car.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I used a bunch of self adhesive tie mounts, and many tie-wraps to firmly hold the PCBs in place.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoqM0OhnlxhgJnGhzX_KUOHvnE3Qd7c_Wa0Jlhhn8V1RSlwkxtPW9au-LyZ8bhehQlhYcuCIvlAgMX1HjWL6cwVHyOun1HK5f6c1_JIefO_3uoF7kmt0VS6l5jCD1Xo3fnsAsRXUPMcLo/s1600/2011-02-05+13.49.46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoqM0OhnlxhgJnGhzX_KUOHvnE3Qd7c_Wa0Jlhhn8V1RSlwkxtPW9au-LyZ8bhehQlhYcuCIvlAgMX1HjWL6cwVHyOun1HK5f6c1_JIefO_3uoF7kmt0VS6l5jCD1Xo3fnsAsRXUPMcLo/s320/2011-02-05+13.49.46.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here's the final assembly:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJTkRHD50R-2Q2B2p_O-hcuQHjrVbnDq-tJa5_4DoFd3Chlr21IdyaTGSFVoPRQdBTsgfIWSL7ah7qSwURbhuO77TxUPRV88hhHsSJnpdR13WF5j4YaRsQQWj8ZKcmizlaObA_YACP3TI/s1600/2011-02-06+20.01.22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJTkRHD50R-2Q2B2p_O-hcuQHjrVbnDq-tJa5_4DoFd3Chlr21IdyaTGSFVoPRQdBTsgfIWSL7ah7qSwURbhuO77TxUPRV88hhHsSJnpdR13WF5j4YaRsQQWj8ZKcmizlaObA_YACP3TI/s320/2011-02-06+20.01.22.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A couple more tie-wraps, some hockey tape, and voilĂ ! Here's the final result:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr8JiYYf71486n0vgAAHfm-s7z8q1j07jggZPD9HfsnK9VXbydqv8R0eAGpG3W8zdAqLE1SLgiE2wS2_EZP__fDjQVVc04nMN3j7XZCUwXuj5WZx4mJ7At0u_r8LjKM5IgHzpFyaWicak/s1600/2011-02-14+01.21.58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr8JiYYf71486n0vgAAHfm-s7z8q1j07jggZPD9HfsnK9VXbydqv8R0eAGpG3W8zdAqLE1SLgiE2wS2_EZP__fDjQVVc04nMN3j7XZCUwXuj5WZx4mJ7At0u_r8LjKM5IgHzpFyaWicak/s320/2011-02-14+01.21.58.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Source Code</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You can find the source code of the project at:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://code.google.com/p/rix-rover-control/">http://code.google.com/p/rix-rover-control/</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I might explain the circuit in more details in the coming days...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Thanks for passing by,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cheers!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Pierric Gimmig</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>P.S. To Johnny Chung Lee</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I saw your video showcased on Engadget last Friday. Cool stuff! Very similar to what I've been working on for the past few weeks. My implementation costs half the price though ;-) We should race them some day :-)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here's a link to the Engadget story:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/11/johnny-chung-lee-makes-diy-telepresence-bot-out-of-an-irobot-cre/">http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/11/johnny-chung-lee-makes-diy-telepresence-bot-out-of-an-irobot-cre/</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Pierric Gimmighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06931078542092106253noreply@blogger.com28