Original plans
For the fun of it, here are the original plans for the car. This is all I had drawn before I built it, all the other images and plans have been drawn afterwards. A product of one night when I couldn't get sleep...
![Original plans for the car.](original_plans-medium.png)
After all, the plans have some recognizable parts. Almost all details have been refined, but the overall structure is still the same. Here are some things that come to mind:
- No plywood bottom; it would just have decreased the ride height.
- Three batteries instead of two, giving 3.6 volts with NiMH.
- Route detection phototransistors are underneath, but the software doesn't use them anyway.
- Larger servo, just because I didn't think while shopping.
- Simpler L-piece in steering.
- Spring linkage for servo.
- Nuts for mounting wheels, instead of solder. (Thank god, I had to take it apart dozens of times during construction.)
- No shock absorbers.
The biggest problem in the plans is poor dimensioning, the car is really very short on space. Planning while doing makes it a lot more exciting, though :)
– Petteri Aimonen on 22.9.2010