My company has an annual pinewood derby. It is on April 12. I have the kit & I want to make a record breaker. I will be in the outlaw powered class. That means I can put a motor or whatever kind of propulsion on it. I can't use compressed air, C02, or combustibles. I don't have to use the regular pinewood derby wheels either.
A coworker gave me a decently high powered ducted fan that runs on 5V; I think it was from a PC CPU that he was going to use but now he's decided not to compete. The top performers have usually been ducted fan cars, but I don't think that using thrust against air is the best option, when I can use thrust against the track. I think it would be better to power the wheels - but, since the wheels would be prone to slippage on the slick track, I thought about making a tracked vehicle. May be as simple as cutting a groove in the center of the wheels and stretching a large rubber 0-ring from the front wheel to the back wheel. Also I though it would be an advantage to make it teardrop shaped. Does any of this sound like a good idea? I've never built a pinewood derby car and not sure. just looking for ideas.
'There was a team of engineers a couple of years ago who made one that set the record. I wasn't there, but people who were there said that it had no visible propulsion system and it's internals were some big secret. The only clue was that it had an LED on the front. Rumor has it, it will be competing this year. I want to beat it.
A coworker gave me a decently high powered ducted fan that runs on 5V; I think it was from a PC CPU that he was going to use but now he's decided not to compete. The top performers have usually been ducted fan cars, but I don't think that using thrust against air is the best option, when I can use thrust against the track. I think it would be better to power the wheels - but, since the wheels would be prone to slippage on the slick track, I thought about making a tracked vehicle. May be as simple as cutting a groove in the center of the wheels and stretching a large rubber 0-ring from the front wheel to the back wheel. Also I though it would be an advantage to make it teardrop shaped. Does any of this sound like a good idea? I've never built a pinewood derby car and not sure. just looking for ideas.
'There was a team of engineers a couple of years ago who made one that set the record. I wasn't there, but people who were there said that it had no visible propulsion system and it's internals were some big secret. The only clue was that it had an LED on the front. Rumor has it, it will be competing this year. I want to beat it.