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HOMEMADE MARS ROVER

I was busy cleaning out the garage and came across items I’ve been keeping for that ‘some-day-in-thefuture’ project. So I decided to build a Mars rover for my grandson Axel who’s five years old.

I started with a washing-machine motor, to which I attached a pair of training wheels from a small bike I found at the rubbish dump. I then made a frame for two trolley wheels and fastened it to the front. I found a discarded stainless-steel elbow tube (from a modification I did to my bakkie), and welded that to the front.

Up next was a daylight sensor – I gutted it and put in a 12 V bulb; a spare from the bakkie. The solar panel with antennae on the rover is an old router. Mounted on to the side is an electronic ballast, two number plates serve as headlamps, and there’s a fan from a computer. The steering mechanism is from the washing machine, and there’s also a loudspeaker from a car alarm. And, of course, there’s a battery to make it all work.

All in all, a fun project, and the result was a very happy boy.