A 3D-Printed Mini Tank

Perhaps the simplest way to control a robot is through differential control of the drive wheels, AKA tank steering. Here the wheel, or wheels, on each side can spin at different rates and/or directions to make the ‘bot turn. In the video below, YouTuber "The Wrench” created his own miniature smartphone-controlled tank using 3D printing and a custom PCB.

The project features a slick 3D-printed design, with its two driving N20 gear motors enclosed inside the little assembly. The motor shafts press into the driven wheels, which then turn a second wheel on each side via a hair band “drive belt” setup. Freewheels keep the hairbands tight, which use a small bearing to keep things turning smoothly.

For control, the tiny tank uses a Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32C3 camera dev board, along with a motor driver, charging module, and battery mounted to a custom PCB. While a custom PCB might seem like overkill for the simple circuit used here, it contributes nicely to the tank's clean, compact build.

As seen at the end of the video, everything does work; however, The Wrench had trouble when trying to view the camera and simultaneously control the tank with his phone. In the end, he used it as a line-of-sight device, rather than an FPV (first-person-view) tank as was originally intended. Still, it’s an adorable little rover, and the eventual plan is to post the design once the kinks are worked out.