What is the basic design of a mousetrap car?
The most basic design for propelling a mousetrap racers is to tie one end of a string to a mouse trap’s snapper arm and then attach the other end of the string to a drive axle. By turning the drive axle the string is wound around the drive axle causing the mouse trap’s spring to compress and store energy.
Should a mousetrap car be heavy or light?
Lighter mousetrap vehicles will require less energy at the start and can use longer lever arms for more pulling distance. Always use lightweight components when building a mousetrap vehicle. bonus tip: lightweight mousetrap vehicles require less pulling force off the start.
What is the best length for a mousetrap car?
Max Length – 45 cm. Max Width – 20 cm. Height – 20 cm. Min ground clearance – 4 cm.
How long should the lever be on a mousetrap car?
For maximum speed, position the mousetrap 2 1/4 inches from the drive axle and cut the lever arm to a length of 4 1/4 inches. The lever arm can be cut using a dremel tool or by using a fine tooth hobby saw. The lever arm should always be “just” long enough to reach the drive axle or performance will be compromised.
Is there a pulley in a mousetrap car?
Introduction: Mousetrap Car The car uses physics and engineering concepts such as pulleys, levers, and springs to convert potential energy to kinetic energy which moves the car along.
How much power does a mouse trap produce?
For these high-end models, an indoor electronic mouse trap will deliver approximately 6,000 to 9,000 volts.
Is wood or cardboard better for mousetrap car?
Balsa wood, pine, or bass wood are excellent choices although balsa wood is somewhat brittle and hard to drill holes into without ripping. Other materials can also be used for making a light weight strong and stiff frame. These include Styrofoam, corrugated cardboard, plastics, aluminum and brass tubing.
What is the most important thing to keep in mind when designing a mousetrap car?
Traction is a major issue when it comes to building a super fast speed-trap racer. If there is not enough traction between the drive wheels and the floor then your mousetrap racer will not be able to accelerate as designed. Use drive wheels that provide a lot of traction on the floor.
Why is my mousetrap car not going straight?
If a mousetrap vehicle is not traveling straight then there is one reason and one reason only: the front and rear axles are not parallel to one another!
Where should the mousetrap be placed on a mousetrap car?
For optimal performance the mouse trap should be positioned on the chassis so that the tip of the lever arm falls directly above the drive axle when the mousetrap vehicle is in it’s fully wound position (as pictured bellow).
How are mouse trap cars powered?
The mousetrap storespotential energyin the form of the spring. That potential energy is converted into kinetic energy in the form of the arm rotating forward. The arm pulls on the wound-up string, which turns the drive wheel dowel, which is connected to the wheels, which makes the car drive forward.
What are the best materials for a mousetrap car?
A mousetrap car can be made from cardboard or balsa wood with CD’s for wheels and axles of wood or brass tubing. Power to drive the wheels is provided by a mousetrap to which a wand and string is attached to the snap arm.
What is the fastest mousetrap car design?
The Speed-Trap Racer is the fastest mousetrap powered racer anywhere and was designed after Doc Fizzix’s own record-setting mousetrap racer that traveled 5 meters in 1.2 seconds.
What are the best wheels for a mousetrap car?
CDs. CDs make one of the cheapest and easiest to use tires for a mouse trap car. The type of CD doesn’t matter, and you can even use DVDs if you like. However, you should make sure you don’t want to use the CD anymore.
Why do mousetrap cars use CDs?
Why do so many mousetrap cars use CD/DVD for wheels? Because CDs and DVDs are some of the best wheels you will ever find for building a long distance mousetrap powered vehicle. CD/DVD wheels can slice through the air with very little air resistance and they have very little rotational inertia.
How does a mousetrap car pulley work?
This string is wound around a drive axle with the mousetrap lever arm set. When the mousetrap is triggered, the string is pulled off the drive axle. This causes the drive axle and wheels to rotate and to move the vehicle forward.
Are big wheels better for a mousetrap car?
Wheels and Axles Larger drive wheels will have a greater travel distance per each turn compared to smaller drive wheel. It would make sense to use a super huge drive wheel so for each turn of this massive drive wheel the mousetrap vehicle will travel an incredible distance.
How do you make a mousetrap car stronger?
To make your mousetrap car go further make sure to reverse the wheels and then wind it up backwards so that it gets adjusted to go straighter to. * If the string is just wrapped around the axle, the car may barely move. Adding a larger drive hub can improve pulling power.
How do you make a mousetrap car go forward and backwards?
To make a reversing mousetrap car go forward and then come back you will need to know how to “back-wind” the string. Back-winding the string it a technique where you first wind the string around the axle in one direction and then rewind the string in the opposite direction.
What can I build with KNEX?
The Knex Tech Deck Store (Double) by lollertje. Knex Buckyball by ergolicious. Mean Green KNEX Machine Spider by Antony. Spider Massacre 2.0 – Compact by FrozenFire 99. K’nex Arcade Coin Pusher Instructable by K’nex_Freak. Knex Rod Sorting Machine by Sorunome.