Here's an idea I'm sure someone has already worked out in detail, and maybe this is not the place for it, but hear me out.... I spent USD $300 when my son was younger for a plastic ride-on battery powered yard toy. It consisted of basic steering, an "accelerator" which functioned as an intermittent on switch, 2 DC motors attached to the rear wheels, and a 12V sealed lead-acid battery. For around the same amount I believe I could put together something with a plywood frame, dual direct DC motor drive, proportional acceleration, and charge management. The controller board (Arduino Uno or Mega with a motor controller shield) could allow parents to set the maximum speed. It could also be fitted with accelerometer and gyro to detect tipping, too-steep inclines, etc. and with ultrasound rangefinding to avoid obstacles (such as walls, kids etc). It would need quite a few printed parts (housings, gears, etc) and would need some other parts as well: Cut plywood Steel axle rods Rubber wheels Seats There are many options possible including putting servos on the steering with an engage / disengage mechanism and adding wireless communication (so it could also be used as a big R/C truck). This would be a little heavier than the plastic ones which makes it slightly more of a ramming and tipping hazard, but I think anyone who'd let their younger kids drive these without close supervision might be asking for trouble. The other thought I had that with remote options could include a remote emergency "kill switch" in case of trouble. For me, part of the appeal of 3d printing is there is an ever-growing list of things that I no longer have to spend $20, $50 or more that are made in China. This is a larger item and serious weekend project to assemble but I think it could be pretty cool.. https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?88,250686,250686#msg-250686 Tue, 16 Jun 2026 05:05:53 -0400 Phorum 5.2.23 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?88,250686,276320#msg-276320 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?88,250686,276320#msg-276320
This is on the back burner for me currently but the main issues are designing the Arduino controlled charge management circuitry and generally taking advantage of the available electronics. The other thing is figuring out the best way to handle safety issues (tipping hazard, mostly) but I can also use accelerometer and gyro feedback to detect and avoid steep inclines.

LED working turn signals, headlights and brake lights would also be cool. There are definitely some custom circuit boards involved but powered by Arduino.]]> papergeek Let's design something! (I've got an idea ...) Thu, 05 Dec 2013 17:03:53 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?88,250686,275589#msg-275589 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?88,250686,275589#msg-275589 henn9438 Let's design something! (I've got an idea ...) Wed, 04 Dec 2013 02:26:32 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?88,250686,250686#msg-250686 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?88,250686,250686#msg-250686
I spent USD $300 when my son was younger for a plastic ride-on battery powered yard toy. It consisted of basic steering, an "accelerator" which functioned as an intermittent on switch, 2 DC motors attached to the rear wheels, and a 12V sealed lead-acid battery.

For around the same amount I believe I could put together something with a plywood frame, dual direct DC motor drive, proportional acceleration, and charge management. The controller board (Arduino Uno or Mega with a motor controller shield) could allow parents to set the maximum speed. It could also be fitted with accelerometer and gyro to detect tipping, too-steep inclines, etc. and with ultrasound rangefinding to avoid obstacles (such as walls, kids etc).

It would need quite a few printed parts (housings, gears, etc) and would need some other parts as well:
Cut plywood
Steel axle rods
Rubber wheels
Seats

There are many options possible including putting servos on the steering with an engage / disengage mechanism and adding wireless communication (so it could also be used as a big R/C truck).

This would be a little heavier than the plastic ones which makes it slightly more of a ramming and tipping hazard, but I think anyone who'd let their younger kids drive these without close supervision might be asking for trouble.

The other thought I had that with remote options could include a remote emergency "kill switch" in case of trouble.

For me, part of the appeal of 3d printing is there is an ever-growing list of things that I no longer have to spend $20, $50 or more that are made in China. This is a larger item and serious weekend project to assemble but I think it could be pretty cool..]]> papergeek Let's design something! (I've got an idea ...) Tue, 01 Oct 2013 18:42:56 -0400