Autonomous Drifter RC Car

Overview

A modified transmitter is used by this autonomous drifter car that allows a computer to gain control over it using a serial port while having a keyboard for both manual and autonomous control modes.

Explanation

The commands are given by the computer to the remote due to a microcontroller inside the controller which controls the car. After modifying an RC car remote control for the use of a standard computer and keyboard to control it, a simple Windows script can be created to automate the car. The PIC18F452 is the brain of the operation which understands the serial input from the computer and then instruct the modified remote what to do.

The standard digital serial signals were converted using MAX233A from the PIC to RS232 type signals. The RS232 has its own method of communication by not using the +0V/+5V. The RS232 header makes it much easier to connect with the cable attached to MAX233A.

The processing speed and how fast serial data is sent out of the PIC is governed by the 10MHz oscillator. A 9V battery is required by the packaging for the transmitter. The 28MHz oscillator generates the frequency signal for IC1.