Dad builds an Arduino Hot Wheels drag strip for son

If you want to eliminate arguments about which toy car is fastest, we’ve got just the project for you. When one’s kid has a birthday, most people go to the store and buy a gift. Phil Tucker instead decided to build something unique for his two-year-old, an automated Hot Wheels drag strip with an electronic start gate and timer. Like many other gravity race setups, when released, the cars roll to the bottom of a slope. Tucker’s design, however, releases the cars automatically using a servo and hinge at the press of a button. It then detects the winner using infrared LEDs and light dependent resistors, displaying the results on a miniature marquee. The entire system is controlled by an Arduino Uno. You can find more on this DIY drag strip here, and see it in action below! This entry was posted by Arduino Team on Tuesday, December 20th, 2016 and is filed under Arduino, Featured, Uno. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. You must be logged in with your Arduino account to post a comment. How to control Arduino board using an Android phone Arduino IDE 1.6 is released! Download it now DIY less-expensive Thermal imaging camera Send in the clones My open-source, do-it-yourself cellphone (built with Arduino). Welcome Arduino Yún – the first board combining Arduino with Linux A low-cost robotic hand (tutorial) mirroring your own fingers Microsoft and Arduino: new partnership announced today Nice drawings of the Arduino UNO and Mega 2560 Arduino IR Remote Control David Cuartielles (Spanish) MAKE: Blog’s Arduino archive Tom Igoe’s PComp Site