TankESC Phase 1

Mechanical Design Of Target Platform

Preliminary Design
The bulk of mechanical design centers around two kits available from Tamiya. First, the Tamiya Double Gearbox provides the locomotion. Second, the Tracked Vehicle Chassis Kit provides an excellent flexible platform.

Mock Up
Here are some pictures of how I am envisioning the system coming together.

The overall system with the double gearbox attached to the track chassis.

Here is a better view of the double gearbox mentioned above. If can be configured for four different gear ratios: 12.7:1, 38.2:1, 114.7:1 and 344.2:1. Currently I am planning to use 12.7:1.

In this picture you can see a top layer that will be used to mount the electronics. Also, below this layer is a 9.6 volt battery pack that may be used to power the device.

This should give you a good indication to the size of the vehicle. If you can't make it out in the picture it's right around 6.5 inches long.

Revised Design
After drilling a few misguided holes I decided to scrap the wooden base platform and replace it with a clear acrylic chassis. I also mounted the clear upper platform using 1.25 inch aluminum standoffs. I think I can safely say that I now have a practical platform to test my electronics.