Rc hot wheel car

After many attempts and fails i managed to get the code to work its a pretty basic but its what i could i achive without losing all my sanity. There were problems with pwm interferance between servo and drv8833 since the pwm chanels in esp32 c3 are limited. I also somehow destroyed one esp32 in the process still havent undertund how it went bad but it is what it is. I wanted to add some settings but i really just cant since i am tired of this project. So after hours of debugging and a bunch of headeaches along with a bit organazation from claude its done. If requested i might change the code to add more features or better ui but for now it is that. That is also the final entry since i have exams and after i will start a new project so i hope you like it and please share with me if you build one on your own. i should also mention that i did some changes in the 3d model like changing from paperclips to nails for more stability and also mounting the servo upside down so there will be more range i am now going to add a wiring diagram on the repo and all the files needed.

So this entry is more of a list with problems I am facing. Firstly the front wheels jiggle too much so I will probably have to lower the tolerances so it’s more stable. Another issue with the steering is the range if I put more range it will hit the gear so I am not really sure of what to do. Also I have thought about removing the tp4056 since it takes much space and either replace it with a smaller lipo charger which I don’t own at the moment or completely rely on external charging. Lastly and most unfortunate is that the motor is kinda big so the wheels need to be bigger so the motor doesn’t hit the ground resulting in either choosing a bit bigger hot wheels or a bit smaller wheels and cut the frame a bit..

So I run some tests and I observed that the motor is weak so I searched once again and I found out the motor needs 6-12 volts because a bought the double shaft one instead of 3-6 that I wanted. So I did the only thing I could I added a boost converter that goes to 9volts and now it works much better but still isn’t that strong however for this case it should be enough. I also added a ceramic capacitor on the terminals of the motor. Unfortunately there are more problems firstly the cables are so poor quality that they just keep breaking when bent or something so I had to replace most of them and do the whole soldering work from start to finish and secondly the gears of the linear servo have some “rough” teeth so it sometimes jam I kinda fixed it using a small utility knife.

So I fixed some wires that were damaged and redid some weak joints. Should also add a diode for the esp32 so if you have both data cable and battery it won’t go boom but I don’t have the right skotchy diodes or whatever they are called so the voltage will drop too much for it to function and prob ceramic capacitors to the motor. Should be able for testing I just hope the components aren’t too weak or something.

Look at the mess on my desk

So I soldered the whole thing together and it’s ready for testing I might add some ceramic capacitors to the motor but I will do that later. It took wayyy longer because the wires are so small and it hard to hold it in tight place and make sure they don’t touch each other.

Assembled the 3d printed parts with the servo and the motor and thought of where to put each component. Also did some changes in the design I made the bar at the staring system a bit bigger so it’s stronger and also made some wheels for testing(they are being 3d printed). Everything functions as expected but I want to test with wheels as well.

Finally made a github repository for the project which includes part list, goals features and the plan. I will also add the stl/cad files once I am done, the code and the connection diagram.

(i have no idea what to put for image so here is something)

I fixed the previous flaws on the design such as the gears of the servo and the esp32 space. I added mount holes for the servo but I dont think i have screws this size so i am going to use paperclip again i guess. Also put a switch holder since i had forgotten it but i am not sure how i am going to hold it from going up. Sent it to the 3d printer once again, once the design is ready i am going to make a github repo for the project and move on to the component connections and code.

So I put the components on the 3d printed frame and they functioned much better than I expected for a first try. However there are some changes needed such as adding some screw holes for the servo to mount freeing just a tiny bit of frame for the esp32 to sit perfectly and lastly I need to fix the gear hitting the frame I could turn the servo upside down but I am afraid it’s going to hit the chassis.Note: I might have to 3d print different wheels or at least add some tpu tires since the diameter of the wheels is only bigger by 0.2 mm from the motor so the distance from the ground will be too little.

So I designed the first prototype and i am going to see what needs fixing. This model is just like a genaric its not designed to fit to the hot wheels I just want to test the steering system. I sent it to the 3d printer should be ready in 20mins. Will post later for fixes and updates.

So I found all the components i need i choose the right hot wheel from my collection. I had previously tried to do something similiar but i didnt have the right components so it was not the best, so now that i have the right ones I am going smaller and better. Sadly i might need to change the car and go with something else because hot wheels are causing a headache to open them. Update: The material list will be included on the github repo once i make one.