The chart above shows the basic breakdown of the cost of all parts needed to create this project. The price can vary depending on what components the builder already has. Many builders already have things like an Arduino and cables. If you wish to make your project more permanent, you can also use solder.
The first and arguably most important component is the Arduino itself. I personally do not tend to use “Arduino” brand boards because they’re a little more expensive than off brand boards with no added quality. Whatever board you do end up buying make sure it comes with a “USB A to B Printer Cable” or buy one separately. If you don’t know what cable I’m talking about there will be a picture below. The board/cable combo I buy can be found on amazon here –> Arduino/cord combo
The next component to buy is the motor driver. The typical Arduino board doesn’t have the power to drive a motor. You can either take the expensive route and buy an Arduino “motor shield” or buy a cheap motor driver. As always I opted for cheaper. The motor driver I buy is called the “L298N Motor Driver board” the exact amazon link is here –> motor driver
After this we start to think about how to control the robot. A cheap easy to use option is the “HC-05 Bluetooth Serial Module”. There are many other way to achieve Bluetooth connections, but I have not found one nearly as cheap. The one I used can be found on amazon here –> HC-05
We finally arrive at the actual car. If you are looking for a more involved and complicated robot you may consider building a robot from scratch. I’ve done it before, and it is very fun. The only problem it takes a lot longer to get the robot to the moving around stage. I recommend you find a cheap remote control robot and cut out its PCB. The one I used can be found on amazon here –> Thunder Tumbler Remote Radio Control Rally 360 Spinning Car
Unfortunately the power supply for the robot was long gone by the time I got to it, so I had to buy a battery case for some AA batteries. I plan to buy a fully functional robot in the future to explore how to take advantage of the OP battery. I used one similar to the one here –> Plastic 6 x AA 2A Battery Clip Holder 9V Storage Case
Other items such as wires and bread boards can be bought to make this project go a little smoother. I suggest everyone buy a pack of jumper cables like the ones here –> Breadboard Solderless Jumper Cables
They make every project go smoother and they vary in their connection type. If you want to make your project more permanent I suggest you buy wire and a soldering iron.
