Mechnaum Wheeled RC car

I set out this project with not much idea where I was going but I knew I wanted to experiment with mechanum wheels and a robotic arm. I wanted this to be controlled by and ESP32 as I have not yet had a change to play with one of these and want to experiment further with the remote control and this seems like a wonderful chance to have these be like this. This set out the overall plan for the project which was for me to end with an RC car which has a small, light robotic arm and 4 mechanum wheels for funky movement.

Makers Jenga - Makers Central 2026

I have been to Makers Central for the past 2 years and saw the maker's Jenga and so decided to make my own block this year to take

Fume Extractor

I need a fume extractor for soldering, not too bothered about filters as I do this in a ventilated area just dislike when the fumes go directly into my eyes

Viking shield Coasters

I saw this as something you could buy and though "Hold on, I could make that" and so now I will put in 10x longer than it would take to earn the money to simply buy the Shield coasters...

Grand Canyon Wall Art

This project is a bit different and I hope that this is ok. We live in the UK but before COVID my mum used to love visiting family over in the US with them owning a house in the retirement home Sun city, AZ. I think she went a couple times as a teen and has fold memories with her dad there and when she took me Pre-COVID we had a great time and did some travelling while we were there. One of the places she really loved and still talks about is monument valley and the grand canyon. We haven't been able to go back since COVID and the whole situation has changed so I want to build her this to go up on her wall to remind her of the fold memories. This will be made from sheets of 3mm plywood that I got for free and cut into a topological map, I will them finish and apply epoxy to the bottom to mirror the (Colorado?) river.

NFC PCB Card

This project will be cool to learn about NFC tags and PCB design. I also want to make this into a card I could use as an ID card or perhaps adjust this at a later date into a different form to use in something like a D&D game or a scavenger hunt.

3D Printed optical illusion

I remember seeing a rendering of an optical illusion of a straight pole going through a curved hole and so I will be attempting to make this real with electronics such as a geared DC motor, and my 3D printer

Desk Robot

Small Desk Robot to keep me company and aid in my procrastination. Visually inspired by the small droid in Andor

GeekPad

5 keys, and a rotary encoder along with 3 LEDs. This will make a more efficient workflow and adjust volume on my computer while working.