Capacitor Car

The goal of this Instructables is to build a 3D printed car that runs off of a capacitor and can travel a minimum of 100ft. Our car travels 475ft off a 5volt charge. We tried to design our car so it was lightweight yet strong, and ran efficiently rather than fast.

Project Requirements:

• Max of 0.6cu.in of material for the chassis
• Must use 5volt 1 Farad Super Cap. We used a PowerStor PB-5R0V105-R
• We had two choices for motors: A Meccano Motor from Erector Set #023321 or a Mabuchi RF-500T -10750 Pancake Motor. We tested the motors and found the Mabuchi had more torque, so we went with that one.
• Car circuit must include a switch

Part #1-----Chassis_35_060215

Part #2-----N/A

Part #3------Gear_13T32P_051815

Part #4------Gear_40T32P_051815

Part #5-----Axle front

Part #6-----Axle Back

Part #7-----front_wheels

Part #8-----front_wheels

Part #9-----Back Wheels

Part #10------Back Wheels

Part #11------N/A

Part #12------N/A

Part #13-----N/A

Motor Gear and Axle Gear Mate-----1340_Assem

The Chassis and Gears need to be 3D printed.

1. Fit the Axle Gear onto the Rear Axle while attaching through the rear holes of the chassis. The rear end is wider than the front.
2. Attach the Front Axle through the front holes of the chassis.
3. Push the Smaller Front end wheels to either side of the front axle
4. Push the Larger Rear end wheels to either side of the rear axle
5. Fix Motor Gear onto the motor. We use a drop off hot glue on the end of the motor axle to prevent the gear from sliding off.
6. Glue motor down to the motor space as pictured. Slide Axle gear to mesh with the motor gear.
7. Solder the switch to be Normally Closed. Connect the switch to motor via wire, and motor to capacitor, back to switch. (If the motor spins backwards when charged, switch the positive and negatives)
8. The capacitor/switch can be taped to the back of the chassis to keep out of the way.

Tape down the switch to close the circuit. Charge the capacitor to 5 volts with a power supply, make sure the leads are on the correct side. You will know if the motor spins backwards. When ready to use, remove the tape, and release the button. The most likely won't drive straight, so use a ruler to push the car back into the path if it veers off.