Builder brings Arduino and Lego together for RC vehicle (VIDEO)

If you are a Lego fan that also likes anything remote control then you are in luck; Cyrus Tabrizi (aka Crtlego) has built a cool little RC car combining both. The car is based on a Lego Technic chassis, an Arduino Leonardo microcontroller, four hobby servos, and an XBEE radio.

Crtlego explains that the Lego part of the RC vehicle is a medium-sized chassis built around a Lego drivetrain with four-wheel drive and four-wheel steering. The RC part is a set of four standard hobby servos powering the drivetrain; an Arduino, for controlling everything; and an XBEE radio, for communication with the remote control. There is also an onboard power supply (it’s an RC car! Of course it has one!).



The second part of the project is the remote control. It’s about the size of a Gameboy Advance; has a 2.2” LCD color display; is built around an Arduino microcontroller; has a joystick, two potentiometers, and four buttons for input; and has the same type of XBEE radio module the RC vehicle does. All of this is housed in a custom enclosure made entirely from laser-cut acrylic. The remote control supports USB cable operation via the serial port on the Arduino, but it can also be operated off a 9V battery which can be mounted onboard, allowing the entire remote to be operated, well, remotely. Fun stuff.

If you are interested in the process you can check out the full details at the Instructables page.