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Any one here ever convert a electric wheelchair into a moving target

forrestgump01

Once a deplorable, always a deplorable!
Full Member
Minuteman
  • Nov 6, 2013
    2,091
    4,873
    Georgia
    any of you guys ever try converting a electric wheelchair into a moving target?
    obviously stripping it down and fabbing up some armor with a target hanger is the easy part , not sure how difficult the radio control part is to make work with the joystick electronics.
     
    Armoring the drive unit is a good idea. My Dad was a fighter pilot trainer in WW2. They’d pull a big target behind a Jeep to teach the trainees how to shoot at a moving target. They were supposed to drive fairly slow, but he said whoever was driving would go as fast as possible, because they always ended up with a few holes in the Jeep.
     
    from what I've read it's a matter of buying the correct rc transmitter, receiver and motor controller .
    wire the motor controller to the receiver and it's suppose to be fairly simple . (that is if you bypass the braking system on the motors. if you want to keep the braking i think you need a more complicated system that has to be programed. )
    It would be nice to talk to someone with hands on experience.
    where the hell are all these battlebot geeks when you need em !!!!
     
    any of you guys ever try converting a electric wheelchair into a moving target?
    obviously stripping it down and fabbing up some armor with a target hanger is the easy part , not sure how difficult the radio control part is to make work with the joystick electronics.


    Yes sure have
     
    always wanted one after I saw a video of an electric mobility scooter with 140 hp. I am not sure that ride would be for me , with no shocks a bump at 80 mph could kill . Not much room for the beer cooler (a mini fridge) and gun rack also thinking it would be hard to mount muddling tires on it . And it would need the rebel flag It would be majestic flapping in the wind behind me while blaring the dukes of hazard theme song cruising down the highway doing 105 .
     
    Best bet if it is pulse wish
    Width modulated control (PWM) which the RC receiver changes the pulse width of the signal to the drive motors to determine speed and direction. There are other control systems, but simple PWM would be the easiest most straight forward.
     
    Hey Fellas,

    I worked with the University of Alaska -Anchorage Robotics Team on a build and it boiled down to the info found in the links below. Even with 130# of 1/4" AR500 my mover is capable of +6mph & has a travel range of over 15 miles. Rx/Tx range is 600-700 yards but I'll be installing a few gizmos to control it in FPV via GoPro/drone interface at a mile distance.... stay tuned for updates on that part (surely NOTHING will go wrong LOL!).

    If you follow these you'll be GTG on a quick, solid build. I've had great success with getting mine out to 700 yards. (I'm trying to find a video clip small enough to post) It should be up on this thread by this weekend.

    If you're in actively engaged in a build and get stuck in design or execution (if your mover is in the mud... that's on you LOL)- PM me.




     
    I built one from an old garage door opener and a 12v dc motor.

    Grabbed some bulk chain from the farm supply store. Robbed the limit switches and gears/shafts/idlers from the door opener, and some scrap angle iron.

    Setup the track was easy. Used a piece of conveyor belt bolted to the target to limit the shock on the chain and drive system. Simply wired the limit switches to some relays to switch the polarity on the motor at either end.

    It simply runs back and forth continuously. I have a sheet of .50 rated ballistic material to hide the head and genset/battery behind.

    I was looking at a VFD and a simple universal remote keyfob to have multiple programs available at a button press to change the speed, start/stop, ramp up/down/randomize speed, etc. Never really had the enthusiasm to spend the $3-500 to take it that far. Maybe next time I demo out a VFD that's large enough I'll find a 1/3hp 3 phase motor and swap the controls and motor out on the current setup.
     
    Never thought about an electric wheelchair but every time I see [insert long string of multilingual expletives here] golf carts going down my street (especially at night), I think how much fun it might be to rig some up with an RC device and use them for target practice to vent my ire. Especially with some little plastic bottles of Tannerite strapped to it behind the targets.
     
    had a remote control car when I was younger that we used to add a target on top of at least till some "friends" shot the car up small and bouncy but it was fun .
     
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    I like this one Its faster

    still more possibility to get one to be faster a 500 hp lol death trap a target on a remote controles car would be a cheaper option just send it out to where you want it and shoot , you could bring it back at anytime then replace or shoot again.
     
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    I've used an rc car with balloons tethered to it as a moving Target. Works well if you have a buddy or kid to drive the car, but it's doable alone.

    Getting a car big enough to haul a steel target and making it survive the lead and copper spall would be difficult and expensive. Hence why we use balloons and the cheap rc car. We used dowel rods to secure the balloons and keep them from moving too much.

    Cheers
     
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    This is awesome and I wish I had seen this earlier. I spent the winter converting a power wheel raptor to RC for my 1 year old. When he out grows it, it's getting a plate hanger!
     
    I had a family member rig up an old treadmill, you can find those pretty cheap!