Show HN: ESP32 RC Cars

Thanks for sharing this - this will be an inspiration.

Everybody knows about FPV quadrocopters used on the battlefield, but there is an increasing focus on terrestrial vehicles. They look nothing like the Boston Dynamics robodogs crossed with Terminators from the mvoies, but are extremely useful in lower-profile "boring" jobs, like laying landmines, exploding landmines, and carrying small amount of supplies to soldiers sheltering somewhere on the frontline.

Thanks for sharing. I always wanted to use ESP32 to revive old Geotrax trains. Maybe that’s the right project to start with.

Cool! I've made an ESP32 powered RC tank on tracks, controlled with a PlayStation 4 controller over Bluetooth.

The basic software is very easy to start with, about 20 lines of C using a library for the Bluetooth controller. From there I've added features for easier control. Using two sticks for two tracks works at low speed, but the thing goes close to 20 km/h (I've used two drone motors for it) so then you need a different control method. I ended up with rpm limited direct track control using the "triggers" on the dual shock controller. And more intuitive left stick up/down for throttle, right stick left/right for steering for high speed operation. So now it drives like a normal RC car.

Video of the same 3d print model I used as a basis in action, you can see the speed best from 00:50 onwards: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Mv_tDY89Zw

Nice work! I’ve been thinking of taking on a similar project and would be curious what’s your experience like with latency? Can you view the video feed and control remotely? My main reservation is the presumption that it would be too laggy for obstacle avoidance at most speeds.

So cool! I bought the same kit last year and recently bought a esp32 game controller with a tiny display: https://github.com/01studio-lab/pyController

When I have some time I'll try to combine them so I can control the car and see the camera feed on the display.

It's live version of Micro Machines! Nice work

This is amazing! Is there a way to make the car recharge at dock like robo vacuums?

How was the chassis and steering mechanism built? Any plans to release that design?

Cool project! Love it! :-)

We mounted a furby head in one of our robots at work and let it yell swear words at our management.

They (and we) love it.

That project was the source of many code snippets/patterns that have implemented in official products that earned a lot of money.

What is the approximate price of the car components?

this. is. awesome.