Fast Traxx Rover: Beta

Add a Tyco Fast Traxx, WRT54G router, tons of batteries, web camera, gps head, and user control via a laptop. What do you have? A wicked homemade wireless tank-like rover!

While it may not look like the mid 90’s commercial boasting the original Fast Traxx, it has taken on a whole new dimension of geek-like excitement Übermodder has to offer, (batteries sold separately).

I have to give credit where it’s due, if it wasn’t for JBProjects this rover system would be a lot harder to implement. I will be using some their code and hardware to jump start our rover in the beta stages, then later revisions of the project will upgrade with our own code and programming structure. I might go as far as minor autonomy to help the rover navigate in tough situations, stay tuned…

Budget USB Enabled GPS

GPS-500 Setup

Looking for a cheap GPS receiver? Look no further than the GPS-500 Microsoft Streets and Trips GPS by Pharos. This tiny unit features a SiRF Star III chipset and most are selling on ebay for just under 10 dollars! This GPS receiver can be interfaced via a RS232 serial link using a MAX232 chip from Maxim IC and a low cost USB to serial converter.

Difficulty : Medium
Time: 1 Hour