Barbie Jeep Robotics - Part One

With our silly Machines Behaving Badly combat robot event behind us I have a new opportunity.  The schedule is different this year, I get the kids for another month.  What a marvelous opportunity to do something even sillier.

I have secured a couple of those battery powered kiddie cars that are generically called "Barbie Jeeps".  Barbie by the way is totes into Robotics these days, recently her maker Mattel came out with this version"

Robotics Engineer Barbies!

Over the next month I will put out regular updates on our conversion of the "Jeeps" to remote control and the addition of assorted electronic and mechanical enhancements. But lets take things at a reasonable pace.  I'll introduce one of the Jeeps today, with projections on its conversion, and save the other for the next post.

With the seat taken off, this is a "Ninja" Power Wheels unit.  I think it has great promise.

"CYCLE SOUNDS" OK, we keep those.  12 volts...hmmm...I know for a fact that these can handle 24 volts without difficulty.

I've modified a few "Jeeps" in my day.  The difficult part is always the front wheels. As usual, these are unpowered and attached to a steering system.  If you are using tank steering on the rear wheels to turn the machine this is a problem.  One solution is to just lock the steering in place.  But then it turns poorly.  Another solution is to lock the steering AND add two more motor/gearbox combos, one for each front wheel.  This gives you four wheel drive.  I think we have enough clearance to do this here.

Here's the back wheels.  Fixed axle but each wheel is hubbed to a gearbox such that it rotates independently.  Nice little gearboxes too....when this machine has finished its mission these will be recycled back into weapon motors for three pound combat robots in the 2019 Machines Behaving Badly Event!

In future postings I'll refer to this one as Ninja Barbie Jeep.

Irrelevant but interesting side note.  I needed a place to store these Jeeps for a couple of months.  My son has a nice shed and let me park them there.  Unfortunately the shed has a bit of a "varmint" problem.  So oddly this Jeep came back to me smelling of skunk and with a bullet hole in the right front bumper.....