HELP ME BUILD A TANK PLEASE !!!!!

[AL2001]

I want to build an rc from scratch that has tank steering is has a metal chassis and square metal body the reason I want it metal is I want it to hold my back pack after school and I don't know the fist thing about tank steering Help!!! :confused:

[rims']

why do you want to carry youre backpack?

[AL2001]

Cause sometimes its really heavy, and I thought it be coo to have something like this it defiantly boost my popularity.

[rims']

i dont think so. i dont even like to tell my friend about my hobby.

[ 08-23-2001: Message edited by: warhawk51 ]

[AL2001]

Why not?

[Throtl Hapie]

First off, be a man and carry your back pack! Second, there isn't any "steering", but instead you have the 2 treads being independently driven by motors. One motor to one tread, one motor to the other.

[AL2001]

But wouldnt the ladies think your cool and smart?

[R/C Homie]

hahaha i never tell no one at school my R/C addiction, Why you ask? Because you will get made fun of. Cya

[nsane]

Ok.. let me help you out here.. If you are under 10, they may think you are very cool and smart. If you're 11 to 13, you still stand some chance with a small group of girls. If you're over 13 - you've got a long way to go. Go find someone with an older brother or even better, an older sister - who can explain to you the "ways of the world"

Good luck.

[beef_flavored]

Thats not how it works with girls, How old are you?

[outsider]

RC is for people either under 10 or over 20. Puberty and adolocence don't jive with the addictive RC way of life :)

[nitroboy2001]

hey!! i'm 16 and my r/c addiction just jive fine with my life!

[Interceptor]

You wanna be popular, beat up the captain of the football team.

I think building a tank to carry your backpack would put you in the nerd catagory and get you beat up.

[ 08-23-2001: Message edited by: Interceptor ]

[Throtl Hapie]

Yeah, that's pretty much it. You might as well tow a bright red "Radio Flyer" wagon behind you.

[outsider]

Unless.... the tank shot out bottle rockets and stink bombs. then you'de be in the Bart and Nelson catagories.

[GTman]

first: building a tank would be cool
second: don't carry your backpack with it
third: I'm not ashamed to tell my friends(even my female ones) about this hobby. most of them think that it sounds fun but may not be interested. Some of them are interested and become good racing buddies. no one looks down on me because of my hobby; after all, it's only a hobby. by the way, I'm 17 and to my older brother dislike, have friends. :)

[Bj747]

What?!?! R/C's are bad for my relation with chicks? So that's why they always seem to break up with me for no reason :rolleyes: .
O.K. back to the original topic on building a tank. I think this could make you popular in theory if you claim it is for a "BattleBot" or something similar...those equal MAJOR popularity producers ;) .
Anyway...about actually building the thing. I would recomend a CAD program...or LEGOs...those would be the best to figure out what this thing would look like.
Since your not going to actually battle with the thing...take shop and learn woodworking and make a wooden box like thing to hold a pair of electric motors...a receiver...batterys for the receiver because BEC will NOT be an option with the 12 volt battery, a pair of HIGH-TORQUE LOW RPM motors AKA-Camaro Starter Motors...see your local scrap yard...about $25 a piece and either 1 or 2 car batteries, 12 volt.
Find a gear that will fit on the shaft of the motor, a small gear...like a pinion, and some larger gears that will mesh with it...kind of like big spur gears...like a..Camaro flex plate...you'll need 4 of these...hook some large wheels on the camaro flex plates, and set the motor with the small pinion in the middle of the two so the small gear meshes with both the wheels,and mount it on your wooden box...repeat with the other side.
Now find a way to wire the motors to your receiver, If your being cheap I would recomend a pair of lightswitches to act as a speed control, and the switches could be servo actuated, however you will only have forward and stop, no breaks, no reverse, if you want to use a speed control I can give you the link for a 24 volt ESC. Now wire the servos to the receiver servo 1 on channel 1 servo 2 on channel 2 and the small battery pack to your receiver.
Now find a way to wire the car battery to the switches, you may need a pair of batterys...not quite sure...I hope that helps. :cool:
Also...to drive the tank steering you may want a stick controller becuase channel 1 will make the right side go forward back and channel 2 will make the left side go forward back. If your good you could replace the wheels with a tread, you can figure out how ;) .
(Disclaimer: This basic tank plan will require some modifications I did not note here, part of the fun of building it will be problem solving.)

[ 08-25-2001: Message edited by: Bj747 ]

[Andrew the RC man]

i dont tell my friends about my hobby either, although it wouldnt matter if they knew. im 6'3 and weigh 180 sumin. they wanted to beat me up, i think they'd need several football team captians :D

[Bj747]

I've gotten in one fight so far in my entire school career, I didn't fight hard...just roughed him up abit :rolleyes: .

[Andrew the RC man]

ya, you just roughed him up and he messed you up :p j/k

[the_yawn]

Al2001, Why don't you just buy a Kyosho Blizzard and modify it? :rolleyes: