PandaSoup

Hello all - I have been tasked at work with building an RC Car/Rover. I need it to carry air sampling equipment into rooms before we send in a team of people.

Something like this:


It needs a real time FPV camera that rotates 360* and up and down, and a good platform to carry air sampling equipment that weights about 6-10lbs.

I can connect via wifi or radio.

What I'm thinking so far is to have a motor on each wheel, no articulating steering, just turn sort of like a tank. No suspension. 16"Lx13"Wx3"T body. I would also like 2 arms coming out of the back of it that can lift the rear tires off the ground to dip liquid test strips onto the ground if needed.

I dont know where to start. I've had plenty of RC cars, most RTR, many kits, but I have never built one from scratch. I don't know what I will need, where to get it, how to make everything communicate... Help!

Budget is $10k, but I would like to keep it under $2.5k

Ill try to post pics of my rough drawings in a bit.

SyCo_VeNoM

Why lift the tires to do the dip test whynot put the stuff on a arm controlled by a servo? IMO would be way easier then what you suggest.

Personally I'd recommend more of a tracked setup if you don't want steering as it rotates easier to get into tighter places, and is easier to design.

I've done the approach with tires in the past when I built a platform that did basically what you are looking for(senior project for electrical engineering like 13 years ago), and while it was ok on floors with low traction once it hit higher traction surfaces like rugs it hit issues. It also had an extremely large turn radius compared to a tracked vehicle, and needed a lot of room to turn even the 360 swing.

As for the camera system that is easy as they make things now that do just that. Should be able to get just about any off the shelf rig, and modify it to hook the motors up to an ESC.

john01374

I can tell you this. The US military trusted the Emaxx platform as the basis for its scout vehicles a few years back.
They tried to hide the fact as the finished trucks with electronics were $10k or more but it was obvious what the platform was.

If you need something bigger and slower might I recommend the Exceed 1/5 scale crawler. The suspension is capable of setting anything you would like and mines proved extreme reliable over the last few months.

Maj_Overdrive

My Feedback: (11)

I think I'd try to go with a track system as well. You can cannibalize a couple of smaller rc tanks, hook the tracks together to make a longer single track if needed. I'd also consider having the whole camera system in a module that is powered and controlled independent of the vehicle. All you'd do is mount the camera module to the vehicle, no wires connected between the two for contuous 360 rotation without trying to figure out a wiring interface for the 360 rotation. I'd also do a couple arms to dip the test strips, way less complicated and they wouldn't need to be as strong. With independent arms you then could also mount one on each side, maybe with different shapes for reaching around obstacles.

PandaSoup

Any recommendations on where to start with a tracked vehicle?

DieHarder

http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...ehicle-w-24GHz

Just pull the plow off. It's ready to run. Pretty sure that costs less than 2.5k... LOL

SyCo_VeNoM

doubt that can support the weight he wants

Might be able to use a heng long tank though if you get the suspension upgrade as people slap full metal bodied on those suckers that add on a pile of weight.

Take the turret off, and you can reuse the turret control motor to do the test strip dipping.
You also can gut the majority of it like the smoke unit, and sound unit to free up some additional weight. Screw a lexan sheet to the top to make a platform, and most the works done
Only issue is the test equipment size as it potentially could be too big for the tank.