The Coolest Doc Cosplay Prop We’ve Seen Works with a Real DeLorean

I learned something new today: it is possible to rent a DeLorean decked out to look like it came from the set of Back to the Future. There are a few companies in the United States that rent out real DeLorean DMC-12 cars dressed up to match the movie. Renters can drive the prop replica around while pretending to be Doc or Marty. But W. Jason Altice wasn’t satisfied with just driving the DeLorean; he also wanted the remote control experience seen in the first film. To make that happen, he built a remote control that shows the speed of the actual car.

If you haven’t seen Back to the Future or your memory is fuzzy, this is a reference to a scene in which Doc drives the DeLorean time machine using an RC-style transmitter. He did that so that he could test the time machine without risk to himself — though apparently he was willing to risk his dog’s life. Because the DeLorean can only jump through time after reaching 88mph (which must have been impressive in 1985), the remote has a display that shows the car’s current speed. That is the functionality that Altice replicated. This remote doesn’t actually control the car, because that would have required modification of the rental. But it does wirelessly transmit the speed in real time.

This project required two separate devices: one to measure the speed and transmit the data, and another to receive the data and display the speed. Both devices utilize Arduino UNO development boards. The first device uses an Adafruit Ultimate GPS Logger to track the vehicle’s location and calculates the movement speed with that information. The Arduino in that device sends the speed value to a REYAX RYLR998 LoRa transceiver, which transmits the value to the second device.

The second device has its own LoRa transceiver to receive the speed value. That device’s Arduino takes that value and shows it on a trio of 1” seven-segment displays. Altice did his best to make both devices look like the real movie props. The car-mounted device is in basic project box, but the second device is built into a vintage period-correct Futaba radio transmitter with all kinds of bits and bobs stuck on to make it look hacked together.

Because the speed monitoring device is self-contained, there was no risk of damaging the rental DeLorean. Altice got to film a fun video and we get inspiration for our own projects, along with the knowledge that we too can rent a time machine.