Construction:
The idea for this project was conceived by two group members involved in the MET program on the CWU campus. The analysis, design, manufacturing, and testing are completed within the restraints of the CWU Hogue building capabilities and the ASME Radio-Controlled Baja Car Contest Rules.
​
Device Operation:
The drivetrain of the R/C Baja Car is a system of parts, starting from the power supply, a 5400-kV sensor less brushless electric motor. The pinion drive gear is attached to the shaft on the motor and the main drive gear is attached to the driveshaft. Through the drive shaft there is two U-joints that allow the driveshaft to produce power to the differential at an angle and allow travel of the rear end four-link suspension. The power to the rear axles has a gear reduction of 3.3:1 decreasing the overall RPM but increasing the torque to the wheels.
The steering system of the R/C Baja Car is powered by a steering servo, engaged to a steering ratio correction joint. This joint fixed the offset of the servo pin and makes sure the wheels travel equally from left to right. Attached to the joint, are two tie rods that are threaded to tie rod ends attached to the knuckle holding the wheel. The threaded extensions allow the adjustability of toe alignment for the front wheels so it can be made sure the car turns correctly and drives straight.
Manufacturing Parts:
The parts pictured to the left include the Servo Mount, Axle Locker, and Motor Mount Top/Bottom. These parts were designed in Solidworks, then 3D printed using a Creality Printer. The manufacturing process for 3D printing these parts is simple - upload .stl file to program, level printing board, pre-heat the filament, then let the printer do its job.
​
Some issues occurred when printing these parts, the printer was having issues with applying the ABS filament properly to the printing board, therefore the part would end up failing.
After a few trial and errors, the parts were successfully printed.
These photos are of the mock up assemblies once all parts were manufactured. The mock up gave the opportunity to take measurements for the additional supporting pieces that were needed in the chassis and in the drive train assemblies.