Racerbots can steer, unlike the Jigglebot. If you have more than one motor on your robot frame, you can turn either left, right, or spin on command. Wired remote control instructions follow this project.
These racerbots are the toughest of these robots to build. The wheels need to be squarely set on their shafts, all wheels need to be parallel, long wires out of the way, the motors spinning in the right direction, the battery pack in the right position… does this sound like a headache yet? Pay attention to construction details in the video and you’ll have less to fix later on.
Construction Tip: Cut the dowels in half to use for the axles and use the milk jug lids or film canister tops for wheels (you can also rip small, lightweight wheels off an old toy if they are about the size of a quarter). You may need to sand the dowels slightly if they are hard to fit into the wheels.
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Sure! But, you may want to strap them in place using a rubber band, so they don’t slip off.
will the car still move if i put the battery pack on the car?
Yes – just make sure you have enough power (batteries) – you may need to hook them in series to work.
Can I mix two different kinds of 3 volt motors?
can I use glue instead of hot glue?
Try removing the batteries to lighten up the load and put them in your hand and make a remote control (see additional videos in this section for specific instructions on how to do this.)
the car itself is to heavy for the motors!
When you say “It doesn’t work”, what specifically is happening? Do the wheels turn when you lift the car up and not when it’s on the ground? You may not have enough power at the wheel (use fresh batteries and reduce friction at the un-powered wheels). If you are part of our weekly live classes, this is a great time to show us what you’ve worked on and ask for suggestions as well. Feel free to send images/videos so I can help! [email protected]
we tried all of that, but it still doesn’t work! should we try 4 wheel drive?
You can use lighter materials for the cars (cardboard, foam, empty water bottles…) and also increase the power to the motors if they don’t go quick (new batteries)?
we tried it out, but it wouldn’t go any faster…is there a way to make the car lighter?
It sounds like something is short-circuiting your connections. be sure that the metal tips of the alligator clips is not touching anything else (like another alligator clip) – that can make it act the way that does for you right now. It’s probably not your wiring, but that some part of the circuit is touching another exposed part of the circuit. Check again and let me know if you still need help.
Aurora,
When I connect the last alligator clip to the motor on my car, both wheels spin for about one second, then one stops and the other continues. I’ve checked all the wires and wheels and motors and even put in new batteries. Why is this happening and how can I make it work? Will it only work if I add another battery pack?
Thank you,
Jacob
We tried this one. It worked great. We used glass-bottle metal caps as our wheels, which are a little too small but still
worked fine. It makes some noises, which gives more fun. Even our 2-year-old can “walk” the race cars! She was a
little scared because she was chased by the race car. 🙂
Thanks,
Jessie
P.S. we had trouble to make our jigglebot walk. It’s kind of too heavy or too stable to move. We couldn’t find very good
substitute for foam block.
It took trial and error with four different sets of wheels but the extra work was worth it. It helped my son’s problem solving skills. We tried water bottle caps-too small, cardboard cut-out wheels- not exactly round enough or stable enough to roll, then wheels from another motor set-too heavy, and finally, small plastic disks from another toy…PERFECT! My son also crossed the wires and had to change that around too 🙂 Everything was terrific fun!
Aurora
Perfect thanks so much. What a fun adventure we have had this year! Can’t wait to start the summer camp!!
Bethany
I added a link below the video for how to attach the remote controls to the different vehicles – does that help?
Hi there
My boys want to do the car in the picture with the soap dish. I thought I had seen a video for that with the supply list becuase I bought a telephone cord and a soap dish and now we can’t seem to find it. Help.
Bethany
Hi Susan… Yes, you guessed right! The larger the wheels, the more torque it needs to have. And since they are high-speed motors, they have very little torque available at the wheel. Try trimming the wheels down carefully to the size of a quarter, or use cardboard for wheels. What happens when you give the car a shove when the battery is connected up? If you have access to old gears (like from an old toy), add a set onto your car as shown in the Gear Car and then you can use any diameter wheels you want (within reason!)
Aurora
My son’s race car doesn’t seem to have enough torc. The wheels spin freely when they are not touching anything, but when you set it down it just sits there. Note: we did not have any wheels the size described in the video so we have tried our own 2 inch wheels cut out of a styrafoam plate, and also some made from 4″ diameter margarine lids. Could it be the wheel diameter causing us problems or is there something else we should check as well?
On another note, his waterbot turned out great and was lots of fun.
Thanks!
Sue