Transparent Enclosure Box

The last part on the car is a clear plastic box that sits on the top deck with the Arduino, the motor driver and all the wiring inside it. It is the cheapest part in the build and it stops most of the ways a finished car breaks.

What it is actually for

• It keeps wires out of the wheels. A loose jumper wire that drops into a spinning tyre gets pulled out of its header, and takes the header pin with it if you are unlucky.
• It stops shorts. A car lives on the floor near dropped screws, coins and keys. The L298N's screw terminals are open metal and the Arduino's underside is bare solder joints.
• It survives the crash. Every one of these cars gets driven into a wall.
• You can still see everything. That is why it is clear and not a project box. The point of the build is that the electronics are visible and explainable — a child who cannot see the board learns nothing from it.

Choosing one

Anything transparent, rigid and roughly 150 × 100 × 60 mm works. A clear food container from the kitchen is a perfectly good first version, and the "clear packing box" sold for craft storage is the same thing with a hinged lid. Two things to check:

• The Arduino and the L298N must sit side by side inside it with room for the wires to curve rather than fold.
• The lid should clip rather than screw. You will be opening it constantly.

Fitting it

• Cut or file two notches in the rim of the box — one at the back for the motor wires, one at the side for the battery leads. The lid closes over them.
• Warm the plastic slightly before cutting. Cold acrylic and cold polystyrene crack; the thin PET these boxes are made from cuts cleanly with a sharp knife.
• Hold it down with double-sided foam tape, or two bolts through the deck into holes drilled in the base. Tape is the better answer while you are still changing the wiring.
• Mount the buzzer outside the box, or you will muffle it into nothing.

Every part of the car

Arduino Uno R3: pins, power and limits Brain L298N motor driver for an Arduino car Motion HC-06 Bluetooth module for Arduino Control Chassis, Wheels and Gear Motors Motion Buzzer Sound 18650 Lithium-Ion Batteries Power 18650 Battery Holder Power 18650 Battery Charger Power Jumper Wires and Circuit Wire Wiring Transparent Enclosure Box You are here