Creating a RC car with ESP32 and TAMIYA’s BUGGY CAR CHASSIS SET (Part 1)

Introduction (what I want to make)

I have always wanted to make an RC car with a controller that has physical keys! I have always wanted to make a RC car using a controller with physical keys! This time, I will try to build an RC car using an ESP32, a BUGGY CAR CHASSIS SET, and a PS3 controller (genuine product).

• Why ESP32 microcontroller?
  At first, I planned to use an Arduino, which I am accustomed to using, but when I looked into it, I found that ESP32 was more suitable for this application.
  • When building a radio control system with an Arduino, an additional radio module must be purchased. An Arduino and a module are required for both the transmitter and receiver sides, and they cost a lot.
  • ESP32 can use wireless functions by default.
• Why did you choose TAMIYA’s BUGGY CAR CHASSIS SET?
  I wanted to operate a RC car like a real car, so I chose the BUGGY CAR CHASSIS SET with a steering mechanism instead of the caterpillar type.
• Why did I choose PS3 (genuine product) for the controller?
  I decided to use a PS3 controller (stock) because I wanted to use analog input, inexpensive, and easy.
  I had a Nitendo Switch controller on hand, but a quick check showed that it did not seem to allow analog input depending on the angle of the stick (only 0 or 1 input). Since I wanted to use analog input for fine control, I decided against the Switch.
  I also decided not to make my own controller. There was a way to install an ESP32, 2-axis joystick module on the controller side, but I decided to skip that step this time.

About the Steering Mechanism

The servo motor SG90 moves the steering mechanism. I used a 3D printer to make the parts for the connection between the two. Various people have devised the connection between the steering mechanism and the servo motor, but I used parts from this site . Thank you very much.

I chose this part because it fits in a small space in front of the front wheel shaft, leaving the center of the chassis free for the placement of batteries, etc., and because the part is small and easy to model with a 3D printer. Since the trajectory of the servo motor horn and the center of the front wheel shaft (the connection with the servo horn) do not exactly match, I was concerned about the strength of the connection, but when I actually moved it, there was no problem at all.（Later on, my fears were proven true and it broke at the connection. I introduce an improved version in another article.）

The actual operation is as follows. (For operation check, I used Arduino instead of ESP32 to run the servo motors.)

Please also see the following articles

Part 1.5 (version up of steering mechanism)。

Part 2 (pairing PS3 controller with ESP32)。

Part 3 (PS3 controller controls servo motors and DC motors)。

Part 4 (Finishing touches on radio-controlled cars)。