gzumwalt Dual Mode Windup Car Remix

thingiverse

This is a complete remix of the awesome Dual Mode Windup Car by Greg Zumwalt, which has been discontinued on Thingiverse but can still be found here: https://www.myminifactory.com/object/3d-print-dual-mode-windup-car-27061. As a child, I had a favorite toy that was a model of Herbie, the love bug. I wanted to create a remix that reminded me of it, although later I drew inspiration from the New Beetle design more closely. Greg Zumwalt correctly notes in his comments that weight has a significant impact on the performance of this toy. I noticed this firsthand with my first heavy prototype. To improve performance, I redesigned the gears set, enlarging them to accommodate a larger and more powerful spring. Initially, I created a model that included 10 ball bearings: no. 5 10x15x4mm (6700ZZ) and no. 5 6x12x4mm (MR126ZZ). These bearings can be conveniently replaced with properly cut Igus Iglidur 6x12 bushes, as seen in one of the attached pictures. However, I found that the bearings on the wheel axles were not as smooth as the plastic bushings. Although the drawing remained the same, I designed bushings to eliminate the bearings. I understand that some may object to this change, citing increased complexity and the number of pieces. However, I believe that it is better to reprint simple bushes rather than a side body with worn holes. In my experience, printing the bushings with PET has yielded the best results, possibly due to its suitability for printing springs as well. Another complication compared to the original design is the need to thread several holes (M3), including those on the wheel axles and the three spacers that hold the side bodies together. However, thanks to these screwed spacers, a strict tolerance on cross members is no longer necessary. To avoid collisions with the rims, M3 round head screws should be used to tighten the spacers to the body. I designed a different rim with a central locking screw: any M3 screw can be used to lock the rims to the axles. For the tires, I was inspired by John Corkery's remix, available here: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2140611. I designed the tire with a more curved profile, reducing the footprint and friction. It is recommended to use a soft flexible filament to print the tires due to the high initial power and weight of the model, which can cause the tires to slip on smooth surfaces. Regarding the recharge key, I designed it in a way that allows it to be inserted under the body top during transport, as seen in one of the attached photos. I included step files for all the elements you may want to modify according to your printer's output. The hours needed to print the model were not counted, but it should be ready in time for Christmas gifts. [EDIT 11/29/2019] Rim_2_x_4.stl added: symmetrical rim with more internal clearance. Rim_2-or_x_4.stl added: as above, but suitable for o-rings as tire. For the o-ring measure, please refer to the instructions on the gzumwalt original project page on myminifactory. [EDIT 12/01/2019] Detailed body STL and step files were added. This is a body variant with separated beam, rear, and turn lights, handles, and license plates. Some components may need to be glued. The license plates are clear: you can customize them with post-processing or modify the step files to extrude characters, to be printed with different colors. All files concerning the detailed body have the DB prefix. [EDIT 12/10/2019] UL_DB_NB_body_left.stl and UL_DB_NB_body_right.stl were added. These are hollow versions of the side detailed bodies. This print requires supports and has saved over 40 grams in my print using ABS.