iMakr Arduino Projects - Car

SineadW

September 2014

The following is an instruction manual into the assembly and developmentof the iMakr Arduino toy car. The guide includes an introduction into using theArduino and includes all necessary links, resources and code to help get yourcar up and running and your programming off to a great start ! The followingproject is aimed towards 7-14 year olds however a this hands on introductionto programming is suitable for any age. This toy car is the first in the seriesof Arduino based projects combining all the fun or Arduino with the fantasticworld of 3D printing to make some really interesting projects.

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1 Equipment

To begin you will need the following equipment.

1.1 Electronics

(a) Arduino Uno or similar compatible Arduino board- £18. Here’s a link tocomponent supplier Farnell.

Figure 1: The Arduino Uno

(b) Arduino servos- £13.14 each. Two servos are needed for this car project.These can be purchased on Spiratronics .

Figure 2: The Arduino servo modules

(c) Jumper Wires. This is how you will connect the servos to the Arduinoboard.These simple wires can be bought on the high-street in an electronicsstores such as Maplins.

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Figure 3: Jumper wires

1.2 3D Printed Car

(d) iMakr 3D printed car set. This includes the base,two front wheels,two backwheels,one wheel support and a customisable lid. These files can be down-loaded and printed use or purchased over the website. Don’t forget you cancustomise these designs to make whatever you want!

Figure 4: 3D Printed car parts

In addition to this just a screw driver will be needed.Now for the Software.

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2 Software

The Arduino can be used as an interactive way to get into programming.The Arduino board is designed to work alongside hardware to build creativeand interesting physical projects. The Arduino community online is full oftalented and helpful people . The official sitegives an overview of the productas well as starting projects and help forums. More project inspiration canbe found through the various community websites or even a quick look onYoutube. This guide uses the Scratch platform to provide an easy way forbeginners to learn the basic concepts of programming and program in a funinteractive way.

We will follow these simple steps:

• Download the Arduino programming software

• Download Scratch software

• Make Arduino board communicate with Scratch and get started!

Arduino

Download the development platform Arduino IDE here. Follow the linksprovided to download for your own computer system requirements.

Figure 5: Arduino official website

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When complete this should leave a program file called Arduino on yourcomputer. Opening the file will allow you to open the Arduino application,which will open this screen in the platform.

Figure 6: Basic sketch in Arduino IDE

Scratch

Connect the USB cable with the Arduino Board, this should start a greenLED blinking on the Arduino board.Next download and install the Scratchsoftware. You can find the program here and also a quick guide to installingthe compatibility file on to your Arduino board to make the Scratch programand Arduino communicate. Scroll down the page to find the quick fix guide.

Figure 7: Scratch official website

Nearly there ! Now just upload the file named ’S4A compatibility file’ whichcan be found on the S4A website or among the iMakr downloads for this

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project.Don’t forget to select the correct port and board type in the toolbar.

Figure 8: S4A upload code

Open the scratch platform to begin programming. Make sure the Arduinoboard is connected via the USB cable as the software will search for theboard to read its inputs. You can begin programming yourself or use theiMakr, QuickfixCarCode which can be found in the download package onthe website.

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3 Making the Car

So now that you have the equipment and the software up and running all youneed to do is put the car together. Firstly , position the servos and Arduinobase in position like so.

Figure 9: Integration of servos and arduino board

Next connect the back wheels by screwing the gear face, which comes in theservo pack onto the wheels. Then place them over the servos.

The Front wheels pass through the hole at the front wheels and clip ontoeach other.

Figure 10: Arduino base with wheels

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Next connect the wires. The servo has 3 coloured wires, the red is power,the black is ground and the white is the command signal which tells the motorwhat to do. Connect the left servo to the 5v, ground and 4 output. The rightservo is connected to the 3.3v , ground and 7 output.

Figure 11: The connection of the left hand servo

Figure 12: The connection of the right hand servo

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The S4A software will be able to detect your Arduino board and with theQuickfix code you can get started moving your new toy car through obstaclesand courses.

Figure 13: The S4A software

Finally place the lid on top and there you go ! One car rearing to go. Wefound that adding a few loom bands around the wheels provides extra grip toreally get the car moving. HAPPY CODING!!

Figure 14: The final product!!

4 Future developments

Coming soon will be the blue-tooth wireless toy cars and also a selection ofcustomised lids for the car. More projects for the Arduino are coming soonincluding 3D robotic animals and puppets.

For more information about this and future Arduino projects, or to send usyour feedback please contact sinead@myminifactory.com .

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