I'm building a modified Tarmo 5 RC car as a gift for my nephue. He recently got out of the hospital after some experimental genetic treatments for his Fanconi Anemia. I'm going to get to see him for the second time ever next week! (I saw him once before when he was an infant, I got to help take him to a doctors office; a place has spent way too much time in.) Now he is three and a half, and I'm going to 3D print him a “real” RC car. Something I remember desperately wanting when I was a kid, and my sister assures me he loves RC toys.
Tarmo 5 - By EngineeringNS, aka u/Krisshellman1
Original Reddit Post “Landing Page” and Original You Tube Video
BOM, assembly instructions, and other useful things are on the Landing Page. The designer, Kriss Hellman also released his original files:
Just like with Tarmo4, I've decided to post the original files for Tarmo5 so that people can modify them and make adjustments/spin-offs
This comes with a caveat.
I ask that if you use any of the files, you give proper credit and link back to the original project.
Please, if you improve the design in some way, post a remix to thingiverse (or elsewhere) so that I and others can try your work!--What's the point in modifying something if you're the only one who will ever see it? And post it here so we can all see it as well.
With that out of the way:
Here is the link: Onshape Document
That is a link to my personal onshape document. It contains all Tarmo5 files.
…
I remember my first RC car, it was a TYCO toy; but was better than most toy RC cars made today. Maybe halfway between a hobbyist car and a toy. I broke the bumper immediately. If I remember correctly; I put it away because I was ashamed for having broken it. - I pulled it back out some months later determined to fix it. I wrote a letter to TYCO and they sent back a photocopy of a single page of some sort of spare parts catalog. For ~$1.50 plus a couple bucks shipping, less than $5 total I was able to send away for a new bumper. I think I gave my mom a grubby pile of quarters and a couple dollar bills with the photocopy which I had carefully marked on requesting a new bumper. - Several months later the bumper arrived in the mail and driving the repaired car was absolutely exhilarating. How much of that was because I had fixed it and how much was because it was just a ton of fun? I don't remember.
But then it died a horrible death. At some point I was driving it in the plowed street, and I lost control and it ended up crashing into the slushy curb and got wet. I regretted not waiting for spring. Today I know that there is no way I'd wait till spring! No more shame about that sort of nonsense; however today I'm not afraid of being yelled at for breaking my toys either.
This is one of the experiences that helped me become a bit of a maker and tinkerer; maybe I can pass something like that on to my nephew. (Well all of my nieces and nephews; but I'm going to see David so he's first!)
Notes and Other Resources:
Parts and Progress List:
| To Be Printed | Printing in Progress | Printing Completed |
|---|---|---|
| B16_x1_Ext_Skull_Front_LT_reinforced.stl - Object is way too big! Not sure what's going on with this, it must be a mistake. B17_x1_Reinforcement1.stl B18_x1_Reinforcement2.stl - Awesome but not 100% required. - The “skull” is sized way out of proportion, It's a 1:10 scale truck, but the skull seems to be sized at 1:1 scale! |
B14-FM_x1_Battery_Adapter.stl B25_x1_Tarmo_Rear_Wing.stl B27_x1_Wing_mount_v3.3mf |
A01_x2_SHOCK_MOUNT.stl A10_X2_Steering_Link_Tolerances_104p.3mf
C01_x2_CV_WHEEL_HOUSING_corrected_reduced_LT.3mf C06_MAIN_GEAR_HUB_Assembly_V2.3mf C07_MAIN_GEAR_Assembly_V2.3mf |
05/17/2023 - 10 days left (ex post facto)
Ordered a ton of stuff to be shipped directly to my mom's house for building the Tarmo5 RC car. This is for all practical purposes the first day of the project, the day I committed my self to attempting this madness. I knew then, and before then, that this was a mad plan; but also something that I felt I had to do.
I've been spending the last fe weeks learning FreeCAD and recently started bringing a few designs into reality. Designing something, hitting that start print button, and then holding the object a few hours later is a transformational experience.
Ordered: Motors, ESC's Batteries, Receivers, Remotes, 80mm Generic Shocks, 6802RS bearings (Not enough it turned out!, I ordered more.), and a huge bag of Pez, because I figure I can get rid of the 4-5 old Pez dispenses I have laying around the house. If they come filled with candy and sufficient refills they will be good gifts. Then my mom will tell them how collectible they might be (they aren't!), and I won't be burdened with keeping them forever because my mom cares about them. (I'm starting to pay attention to how these sorts of games are played, my sister Lizzy is giving me the Midwest education I had previously generally ignored. - If this sound foreign to you, or you like comedy; check out Charlie Berens on YouTube.)
05/18-2023 - 9 days left (ex post facto)
No Tarmo progress, cleaned the house and helped my wife get ready for her trip.
05/19/2023 - 8 days left (ex post facto)
Ordered CV bearings, Tires and Wheels, and the last of the M3 hardware that I was difficult to find locally. Also had to leave super early to take my wife to the airport. Worked, took care of the dogs, and rested … blissful rest.
05/20/2023 - 7 days left (ex post facto)
I have my animals, FRC club, and work, and then the animals again. - No progress on the Tarmo5 made today. At club I gave a little talk and demonstration on FreeCAD and how to make a drawing, slice it, and print it. I've setup four computers with FreeCAD for the students to use. They also have the option of using an educational version of Autodesk 360; because dealers love making new addicts while they are young! - I wanted the students to see how easy it could be; unfortunately one of the mentors kept interrupting me and asking those awkward kind of questions that are easy enough that none of the students wants to answer it in case they get it wrong and embarrass themselves…. The questions and interruptions kept throwing off my presentation. It's my own fault I've been begging the other mentor to help, and he is starting to do that, so I guess I have to do more communicating if I have a plan that I don't want interrupted. I am SUPER thankful for the help, so it's overall a very good thing! He then pulled up another web/cloud based CAD program and recreated the robot kit frame while I helped the students who's robots were a little behind. The other mentor then showed them how using CAD he could modify the car's frame to start making room for a manipulator to move the “BotDots” (raquet balls) around with for scoring points. They plan to CNC cut some plastic or aluminum sandwich board to make different frames! Excellent! It's all turning out just as I had planned. Muahahahaa!
After that we had a big win! All the students who attended: We got their robots driving on the field! It was the first time, and was a huge moment for me. Very cool to see the, I think 6, robots all moving around frustrate-idly bumping into each other and climbing the ramps.
05/21/2023 - 6 days left (ex post facto)
I have my weekend shift preference set to 2nd shift so I can get some Saturday day shifts off with out requesting them, which saves me from having to request every Saturday off during the FRC season (I can get up to half the weekends off over the course of the year). But that means my employer illegally schedules me for an 8 hour turn around on Sunday. With a ~1.5 hour commute and animals to care for, I'm lucky to get 4 hours of sleep. That, and there was a bunch of work to do at work, because it's mostly a cleaning/maintenance weekend.
I did find a few minutes and went through the non printable parts BOM looking for stuff I missed or skipped. Found out about a possible problem with the shocks. I ordered two sets of the exact shocks specified in the BOM. Ordered the drill bit stop collars for the motor mount. Finally I found one YouTube video from someone testing a Tarmo 5 and they said it was really hard for a beginner to drive; they discovered that some RC cars come with electronic gyros that assist you by getting the car to turn the direction you are asking for, and not the direction that the grass is pushing you toward. So I ordered a gyro, I figure my nephew will need it, and maybe I can try it out and see if I want one for myself.
05/22/2023 - 5 days left (ex post facto)
I left my dogs to suffer alone and sad for over 12 hours. But I got the CtrlH Prusa 2 printer to print perfect(!) first layers, and I threw the most exciting (for me anyway) part of the Tarmo5 print at it: the gears! Then I ran home and found Moose had eaten one of my wife's puzzles. -- Doe! – I'm going to have to move my favorite board games behind a door, and buy a bunch of decoy puzzles to fill the lower book case shelves with.
05/23/2023 - 4 days left (ex post facto)
I couldn't get to the FRC club's printers or Crtl-H in the morning! - That actually worked out ok because I was still sorting through the files, the advice, and the modifications for TARMO5. Anything I printed would have been a guess that morning. By evening my plans were really starting to come together. - But I did stop by Ctrl H after work and discovered that my first print was a astonishing success! Then I got cheeky and started an experiment before going to pick up my wife: It failed. Then I started another more mild experimental print that I really hoped would succeed, but it failed again that evening. (Thanks to Justin and Romkey for letting me know it failed and stopping the printer!) After picking up my wife and getting home I went to the FRC club I volunteer with and started printing on their two FlashForge Adventure3 printers. They are cute little slow appliance style enclosed printers, I would recommend them for beginners, but maybe not for makers and tinkerers. Then I tried to clean up and calibrate the clubs Prusa mk3s. It is clean and functional, but was in desperate need of a firmware update, also has(had?) problems with a not perfectly level bed. I suspect that it was put together well, but not “Toight!”, also it's been moved about and not maintained for nearly two years. I got it doing a maybe good enough first layer test, and immediately started a 26 hour print and left because it was 2am and I was done. Fingers crossed!
05/24/2023 - Less than 3 days until I fly!
Summary: I've got three printers at the FRCclub I volunteer with cranking out parts. I had one perfect print and two failed experiments on Ctrl-H's Prusa 2. Still need to try to get the Ctrl-H Ender 3's printing, I don't think I have time to get Prusa 1 fixed, I might try again after I fight with the Ender3's. I have Two Anet A8's at home, one should be ready to go; the other has a bad display, and I'm planning on replacing the main board, but probably not in time. My GUS-Simpson has never worked ;-). The pile of parts that might someday become a large format Voron is a LONG way from finished. — So that's 5, maybe 7? printers I hope to get running by tonight.
I'm going to try to start a print on the Ctrl-H Prusa 2 over my lunch break and then after work I'll check on it and try to get the Ender 3's running. I only have one roll of filament with me. Does best buy sell PLA? Some place around here does. I hope to have, by the end of the evening, sliced gcode ready to go. I want to have a print running, and the next one ready to go; on as many printers as I can get going. I had a bit of a slow start to this whole project because my wife was out of town and I had to be home to walk the dogs, and I got thrown on to swing shift for the weekend, at my request, so I could teach my FRC class. The last few days have been very long, I've had ~8 hours of sleep over the last four days! Tonight I should be able to sleep; which means I'm going to be a basket case tomorrow. I'd better have that gcode ready!
The Prusa's print such perfect supports, that are very easy to remove, that I've just been turning on full supports all the time, it takes a little longer but makes such nice looking parts it seems worth it. I do wish the Prusa slicer had the organic supports, they are pretty sweet. Also I heard about software that will over extrude on interior perimeters and infill, effectively making the nozzle bigger on the inside, and it can under extrude slightly on the external perimeters making the surface finish better. I'm in a hurry, but I'm tempted to download a non-stable version of Prusa slicer and see what I can see. Maybe later!
Update: I briefly was considering staying up all night, because I failed to get the Ender 3's running in time. Then I was thinking maybe I could get up at like 2:00am and start new prints on the printers I had running. But I slept, well some, it was the right choice. Being honest, it wasn't so much a choice I made as I fought against it and lost.
05/24/2023 - Less than 2 days until I fly.
Last night I also officially gave up on having all the parts for two cars ready. There are several 24 hour long prints required, and I barely have room for one print that takes that long. If I had gotten the other CtrlH printer running faster maybe it would have been possible; but not at this point. It's going to be hard enough as it is to finish.
Too stressed to work! I did a few things, and then took the rest of the day off. The Prusa 2 - 24hour long - print was successful and is absolutely perfect! I started a new big print on it using a roll of sparkly blue; I want to add some color somewhere; but I have no idea if it will look cool or lame. I seem to have been successful at getting the prusa to run with 0.20mm layer height which means it's only a 18 hour print, instead of 24. Drove to the FRC club and got prints running on those three printers, so I'm back to having 4 printers running, and I still have time to head back to Ctrl-H and try to the the Endre 3's and the other Prusa fixed. I'm REALLY hoping Amazon delivered the TPU. It was supposed to arrive several days ago but UPS seems to have lost it. I can't finish the project without that, and it has to get printed on a prusa or maybe my Anet A8, it needs a direct drive extruder (or so I've been told). Fingers Crossed! - Also there is only one large item left to print, and I just got three new rolls of filament. If I can get one Ender 3 running, and if the TPU shows up, then almost everything will be done by tomorrow afternoon.
05/25/2023 - Fly tomorrow morning!
I tried really hard to get the Ctrl-H printers running and I had one disaster and quite a bit of success. The sparkly blue PETG I got really did not want to print, It formed a huge glob around the extruder nozzle and heater block. That took so long to take a part and clean up. I had success because I think that printer is working again now, and the other prusa should be all fixed up except for the nozzle, which is ruining all the prints; and I don't know how to fix it. Finally the Ender 3 I also finished fixing up and I started printing a battery box, central chassis part on it. - I think it will be done in time but i'ts a close call.
At the FRC Club I picked up my prints and found that one set with the motor mount had a massive layer shift. That's the first mistake the FlashForge Adventure 3 printers have made. I've really change my attitude regarding those printers. They are twice as fast as the Prusa Mk3s, produce excellent results that rival the Prusa, are fully enclosed, fully assembled(!), have a built in camera, and internet capability for remote monitoring! - Those are now some of my favorite little printers. Fairly cheap too only $370 on Amazon.
I started some new prints, including some for my car. No battery box or TPU prints, I'm having an EELLEGOO printer shipped to my mom's place it is, apparently, one of the best printers for TPU. Although I'm concerned that slicing properly is going to be really important; and I'm still a slicing noob.
05/26/2023 - Picked up the B03 from the hackerspace and flew home!
05/27/2023 - 05/30/2023 - Family time
05/31/2023 - I was able to squeak a little time here and there to work on the project, and my computer but not enough. Several problems came up: the Elegoo Neptune 3 that I ordered didn't show up until the evening of the 29th. I prefer traveling with my laptop, I was using my tablet for this project, there were a pile of technical issues and software that needed to be configured and installed. The printer is now assembled, tested, and configured; and I can start to try printing TPU! — Except I also have to travel to northern Wisconsin and visit my father in law. I might have more free time with fewer people around, but I don't know how much of the project I can take with me…
06/03/23 - Finished the car works! It has some bolts that aren't quite right and we already broke a set of torque damper arms, and I'm printing new ones, but it works. I'm running for a plane back to Portland, pictures and video to follow when I can. (Victory!!)