Chipikart — Steering Bits Revamped

Yes, I’m still doing the steering. No, I haven’t actually done anything other than spin the model around and daydream about how awesome it will be to have a chibikart. Sorry.

When I left off, I had this.

And I liked it well enough, until I started thinking about re-doing the waterjet-cut bracket that holds it. I figured I could use aluminum U-channel, but then that machined monstrosity wouldn’t fit. And since it just pivots on a bolt (which, in turn, is in bearings) anyhow, what if I got rid of all that extra aluminum?

So I did. I designed just the link, and with a bit of creative welding, figured I could attach it and the threaded rod directly to the shoulder bolt. It’s already closer to a legitimate kingpin. Except for that bit where there needs to be a bearing between the bolt head and the link plate. Derp. Time to start again.

It’s the same, except I replaced the bolt with some tight-tolerance steel rod with threads in both ends. And by threads, I mean set screws held in with loc-tite (and some magic). This one should work. However, before I replace my entire steering design with these, I need to know if I can even fabricate them within a reasonable tolerance. After all, there’s welding involved now, and that has a tendency to warp things. So, I’m going to leave my computer this weekend and go back home to the real world to see about fabbing a couple of kingpins.

But here’s the thing. Chibikart was originally designed to be made by a person who could just order all the parts, bolt it together, and end up with a thing. Before I’d gone and brought machining into the equation. And now I’ve added in some finicky welding. Great. There goes the accessibility. Maybe.

Chipikart has a different design philosophy. Chipikart is designed not to be built by the average guy, but by the average huy with some help and training from their local hackerspace. The majority of hackerspaces have some measure of a shop, usually including a small mill, lathe, and welder. And where there’s those tools, there’s people who know how to use them, and would more than likely be willing to help out the aspiring builder (if not for free, for a beer or two). It’s the next level up in terms of difficulty, but by no means inaccessible. So far.

Anyhow, stay tuned as I try to build one of those this weekend.

Yes, I’m still doing the steering. No, I haven’t actually done anything other than spin the model around and daydream about how awesome it will be to have a chibikart....