Toy Car

Length of Project:
Project theme:
Suitable for grades:
This beginner kit will introduce you to electronics and construction. Build the wooden chassis and wheel structure and wire up the battery pack for an entertaining car to race with your friends!

These instructions tell you how to construct the Toy Car Kit, available on the Learnary website.
Tools & Materials
Material List

    Toy Car Kit supplies:

  • 2 axles (one with a gear, one without)
  • 1 wooden chassis piece
  • 4 metal brackets
  • 11 small screws
  • 4 orange plastic wheels
  • 1 small white plastic gear
  • 1 motor
  • 1 black plastic motor casing
  • 1 battery pack
  • 2 rubber bands
  • 4 rubber wheels

    • Supplies You Will Need to Gather

  • 2 AA batteries
Tool list
  • screwdriver (comes with kit)
Procedure
  1. Find the axle with the white gear on it and slide each point through the hole at the end of a metal bracket. The lip of each bracket should face the gear.
  2. Fit the white gear into the slot in the wooden chassis and screw the metal brackets on either side of the chassis to secure the axle in place.
  3. Screw the other two metal brackets to the edges at the other end of the chassis.
  4. Slide the second axle into the bottom holes in the second set of brackets.
  5. Push one orange wheel on to each end of the four axle points.
  6. Locate the motor and push the small white gear onto the metal post (this may take some force).
  7. Slide the motor into the black plastic casing. The red end should fit neatly into the narrower end of the casing.
  8. Position the small gear over the larger gear in the chassis and secure the motor casing to the chassis with two small screws.
  9. Stick the battery pack to the chassis by removing the protective cover from the tape and positioning the pack so that the on/off switch is accessible through the slot in the chassis.
  10. Use your fingernail or the screwdriver to bend the copper tabs on the motor slightly upwards. Slide the end of the red wire through the copper slot furthest from the battery pack and bend it over to secure it in place. Do the same for the black wire, securing it to the copper tab closest to the battery pack.
  11. Hook the black rubber bands over the orange wheels—one on each side.
  12. Push the black rubber wheels over each axle end. Again, this may take some force, but be sure to push carefully to avoid breakage.
  13. Put two AA batteries into the battery pack, turn on your car, and watch it go!
Extension Challenges
  1. Figure out a way to calculate the speed of your car: distance / time. Eg, measure out 1 metre on the floor and time how long it takes your car to drive that distance. Design an experiment to see what kind of surface allows the car to drive the fastest along. Does it go faster or slower on carpet? On concrete? On wood?
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