Arduino-Powered Pinewood Derby Race Car #makereducation

Arduino pinewood derby 01 e1427493181919 620x441

We love this project tutorial via MAKE:

John: My son is in Cub Scouts, and for years we’ve been building Pinewood Derby cars. It’s always … interesting to see how much involvement the scouts have, versus their parents, in making their cars. For the most part, I’ve let my son do what he wants: cut the car, sand it, paint it, and so on. But after watching one parent spend hours painstakingly cutting, sanding, and grinding his kid’s car, my son and I decided we’d kick it up a notch this year — his last year in Cub Scouts.

August: My dad and I had an idea that our last Pinewood Derby car should be really cool. My dad is a geek and really good with electronics so he did most of the coding. I did most of the design. I thought it was a lot of fun because I got to spend more time with my dad, and got to do a lot of things that I like. I couldn’t wait until the race to see how fast it was. It did not win a single race — but we did win the most unique car design. It was the best Cub Scout experience I’ve ever had.

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