Dueling Dragsters Thomas Vermeer Mike Pridgen EEL 5666C Spring 2007 IMDL

The Cars The design we created is built from a custom Plexiglas frame. It is powered by a 6 cell NiMH battery and a 660 amp IntelliSpeed motor driver. We use a single HiTek servo for steering. Thomas Vermeer’s Dragster.

The Cars The dragster is controlled by a bdmicro Mavric running an Atmel atmega128. The range finding is done with a single side-mounted Devantec sonar. Mike Pridgen’s Dragster

The Track The track’s main controller is the “tree”. The tree has been programmed to exactly the same timing as in professional races. When the lights turn green, the dragsters are signaled to GO!!!!

The Race Both cars move up to the ‘stage’ position. When both are set, the track lights turn green and the cars launch.

The Heartbreak After this collision with a curb, the car is nearly destroyed. Fortunately, due to our modular design, the car was reassembled into ‘good as new’ condition in a few hours.