Fauxrarri is the PPPRS Champion

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The Power Racing Series (PPPRS) is an electric vehicle competition with a $500 price ceiling. This is Fauxarri, the 2012 Champion. It was built by members of Sector67, a Madison, WI hackerspace. To our delight, they've posted an expose on the how the thing was built. It should come as no surprise that the guys behind the advance electric racer aren't doing this sort of thing for the first time. … [Read more...]

Hackaday Links: August 12, 2012

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License plate tablet rack [Hunter Davis] used an old license plate as a tablet stand. It loops around the leg of his laptop table and has a cutout for the power cord of the tablet. More power power wheels It may look stock, but this power wheels is hiding a new frame, motors, and tires. You won't see it in the Power Wheels Racing Series, but it is a ton of fun for this lucky … [Read more...]

MakerFaire K.C.: Power Wheels Racing

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This section of the MakerFaire almost deserves an entire event of its own. I know I would happily attend a monthly match of the power racing series in my home town. To compete, you must have a modded Power Wheel. Yes, those electric kids vehicles that go really slowly across your lawn, those power wheels. You tear it apart, soup it up, and race it. … [Read more...]

Turning a pedal-powered tractor into a Power Wheels

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A while back, [Stefan] bought a pedal-powered tractor for his son. It was a fun toy, but what it really needed was an electric motor. After a fair bit of tinkering, [Stefan] turned a pedal-powered tractor into a battery-powered Power Wheels. Before turning his son's pedal tractor into a battery-powered ride, [Stefan] ordered a 250 Watt motor and a Pololu motor controller. After tearing out the … [Read more...]

Power Wheels Jeep makes an awesome R/C car

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[Will] from RevoltLab wrote in to share part one of a cool project he is working on right now, a remote-controlled mobile rocket launcher. Before you run off and call the Department of Homeland Security, he says that the launcher will be used for personal hobby rockets, which are typically considered mostly harmless. The first part of the build is mostly concerned with obtaining a Power Wheels … [Read more...]

Improving a motorized toy

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[Dan Fruzzetti's] daughter was delighted to get a motorized vehicle from her Grandparents, but [Dan] was unimpressed with the stock features. The lead-acid battery supplied remarkable life between charges, but the vehicle only had one feature: a go button that routed juice to the bipolar motor. After the break we'll look at his improvements to the drive train, steering, and cosmetics. … [Read more...]

Remotely control your crappy car (dangerously)

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Here's one that brings back that giddy feeling we got when the original episodes of thebroken were posted all those years ago. The lunatics over at Waterloo Labs have altered a beat-up Oldsmobile for remote control via laptop, iPhone, and.... wait for it... Power Wheels. Brake and gas pedals are actuated using a wrench connected to a motor bolted to the floorboards of the car. The steering … [Read more...]