RC Skid loader (1:10 scale)

thingiverse

I work on a 1:10 scale RC skid loader that's more than just a toy, it serves as a test bed for automation control software in my company. I designed the 3D model, handled the electronics and software for the drive controller, and did all the printing as part of a "slacktime" project to give my department something cool to program on. That's why the model is big enough to hold a RaspberryPi Zero, which will actually run our software (and the 2800mAh 12V battery will power it for hours). The skid loader has 42 single plastic pieces (32 different ones, some of them needed multiple times), and over 88 hours of total print time for all parts. I had to do most of the work in my spare time at home because of that. I put a lot of love into the details - that's why all four axis are guided by two ball bearings each, just like the arm. Since this kind of skid loader tries to be as close as possible to a Caterpillar 226B3 in all dimensions, and it has four wheels instead of tracks, I used GT2 belts internally to give it all-wheel driving capabilities with only two motors. For driving, I use 100rpm 12V DC motors; the arm and the shovel are controlled by RC servos. My homemade drive control software allows for very smooth acceleration from the DC motors, giving it a distinct scale look-and-feel. All needed .stl files are now uploaded, along with photo documentation on each assembly step. By the way, if you like the little street cone in the photo, feel free to print some for yourself: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4074005. I hope you'll like it and I'd be thrilled to see lots of makes here!