Pinewood Derby Car Discussion with my Son

[JosephMD]

Son: I want lights

Me: Sure

Son: headlights and tail lights

Me: that might sound easy, but I'm betting you want white headlights and red tail lights.  There is a problem with that, white LEDs are 3.3 volts, red are 2 volts, are you willing to do the math to design that circuit?

Son: I just want headlights

Me: Good choice, otherwise, everyone would think your dad did all the work.

 

I didn't tell him that no one would really know that a proper LED circuit would be required, nor that it would all work fine on a 3 volt source, but the whites would be a little dim and the reds would burn out a little fast, but it wouldn't matter in the time it takes to run a few pinewood derby races.

 

The real hard part would be wiring back to front and to keep it all looking nice!

 

 

 

 

[SSScout]

"I saw the light, I saw the light, no more darkness, no more night.  Now I 'm so happy, no sorrow in sight, 

 

PRAISE the Lord, I saw the light!"

[Stosh]

How many volts volts does it take to run the sonic tractor beam? 

[The Latin Scot]

I suppose that would depend on what kind of a reactor you are using on your s̶t̶a̶r̶s̶h̶i̶p̶  car. 

[gumbymaster]

I believe that it is one-point twenty-one gigawatts.

 

 

Finish the race before you start

[NJCubScouter]

Now they are going to have to rewrite the rules to ban transporter devices, tractor beams, warp engines, etc. on Pinewood Derby cars.

 

Flux capacitors too, I guess.

[Stosh]

I remember "back in the day" of the Soap Box Derby, there was a boy that used a magnet to pull a jump start off the retaining gate at the top of the hill when it dropped.  I guess boys will be boys. 

[gumbymaster]

Actually, I believe that magnets are explicitly banned in the Pinewood Derby cars (per our district rules) for just such a reason.

[Stosh]

Of course they are, it offers an unfair advantage to the gravity fed cars whether it be Pinewood or Soap Box.

[SSScout]

Magnets ? Ha !

 

Let's get serious in our PWD cheat !    ANTI- GRAVITY !   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkNrNFAU4So

[Stosh]

Okay, @@SSScout how's that car ever going to get to the bottom of the track if it keeps hovering over the starting line? 

[CalicoPenn]

 

 

The real hard part would be wiring back to front and to keep it all looking nice!

 

Unless it was designed to look like an homage to the Back to the Future DeLorean.  It wouldn't have to be carved to look like a DeLorean but attach a Mr. Fusion unit, and run the wiring along the sides, and it will look just fine.  Power each LED off it's own flat battery (which, at about .80 ounces for 4 can double as weights) and you can have both front and rear lights, and add to the effect of the car.  Wanting headlights?  At this point, you're going for the cool factor - maybe winning the design trophy (if the pack has one) and not speed.

 

Either that or create a nano-sized stable wormhole generator with programmable exit points.

Edited January 27, 2017 by CalicoPenn

[JosephMD]

A photo of the finished product is attached.

 

It was not very fast, 12th place overall, but the boy was proud of winning the overall coolest car award. 

 

Cant seem to attach the file

Edited January 30, 2017 by JosephMD