Dr. William Waite

We repeated and altered the competition from the fall semester, changing the design rules to make them more durable, run after run.  We learned much.

1.  Still 110 volt powered, dragging a 100 foot extension cord carefully coiled, and guided by a thin cable anchored in the walls or floor of the lab (use lead shields in the floor).  A good turnbuckle tightens the two cables, and there are eyes on the frame of the vehicles.

2.  We changed from bike chain drive to v-belt and pully drive.  This cost just a few dollars, but made alignment of power source, axle(s), and durability better.  Parts available at any tractor or hardware store.

3.  Well developed bodies were required.  The Hummer was wood, the '32 Roadster was steel just like a street rod, as was the Flat Black Beauty.  They really looked good!

4.  Weight was not as much a factor as wheel spin.  These things really go!  The tires were mostly lawnmower plastic wheels, that cost only $3 each.  The four wheel drive Hummer won the contest by a slight margin.  Look for motors with the highest amp draw, typically portable grinders and circular saws.

It was very exciting!  And inexpensive, incorporating group process, engineering design, materials processing, physics (our physics professor attended the race!), and much more.  An excellent and safe activity for many areas of a technology curriculum.  Make sure the "safety officer" is in charge of the power strip that both are plugged into, and count down from five, like a rocket launch, so everyone is paying attention.  They go fast.