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I'm using a wooden dowel?

First off, that's a very nice drawing considering it was made in a program like paint.

I agree, my friend's mt vehicle uses the string to brake, and his vehicle also has quite a bit of recoil.

Okay, Are both axles wooden dowels? If so, I would advice to change one out for a threaded metal rod, but then I saw that your regionals is in 5 days, so that is a bad idea. Could you possibly put a piece of foam at the location where the arm comes down after the mousetrap has snapped? That might soften the force of the snapping.

illusionist wrote:First off, that's a very nice drawing considering it was made in a program like paint.

I agree, my friend's mt vehicle uses the string to brake, and his vehicle also has quite a bit of recoil.

Okay, Are both axles wooden dowels? If so, I would advice to change one out for a threaded metal rod, but then I saw that your regionals is in 5 days, so that is a bad idea. Could you possibly put a piece of foam at the location where the arm comes down after the mousetrap has snapped? That might soften the force of the snapping.

Thanks! It's my default brush, and I love it.
Both of them are wooden dowels, yes. Would softening the snap do anything?

I don't know. I'm just tossing out ideas, you might want to wait for someone else to weigh in on it too.

The 3 inches slack isn't good, it adds to both your "recoil" and imprecision; shorten the string like 2.9 inches.

Also, be sure that your bar is completely rigid; my first vehicle had a flexible bar and the same problem.

Teal wrote:

illusionist wrote:First off, that's a very nice drawing considering it was made in a program like paint.

I agree, my friend's mt vehicle uses the string to brake, and his vehicle also has quite a bit of recoil.

Okay, Are both axles wooden dowels? If so, I would advice to change one out for a threaded metal rod, but then I saw that your regionals is in 5 days, so that is a bad idea. Could you possibly put a piece of foam at the location where the arm comes down after the mousetrap has snapped? That might soften the force of the snapping.

Thanks! It's my default brush, and I love it.
Both of them are wooden dowels, yes. Would softening the snap do anything?

The night before regionals, I just super glued some gears to the killbar and put another couple on the front axles so that when the bar came down, the gears caught and the wheels stopped. It's a great way to make some brakes.
You definitely don't want slack in the string. There's just no reason for it.
I like the cupholder. A lot of people didn't have that at regionals, and the cup kept getting caught in their wheels.

Got rid of the slack, but the string now wraps around the axle, which causes it to bounce back. D: Should I just get a longer pull bar?
The brakes attached to the killbar is a great idea, I'll try that promptly.

Oh, and as for the pull bar: I've tried to make mine as rigid as possible but I just cannot. Help?

Teal wrote:Got rid of the slack, but the string now wraps around the axle, which causes it to bounce back. D: Should I just get a longer pull bar?
The brakes attached to the killbar is a great idea, I'll try that promptly.

Oh, and as for the pull bar: I've tried to make mine as rigid as possible but I just cannot. Help?

I don't think making the bar longer will help. If your car can't make it all the way to the -4 m line even though you've wound all the string, you need to tweak the axle's thickness. Thinner=more string=longer range, though it will be slower

I'm guessing you're talking about the bar that's attached to the ones on the mousetraps.
What are you using to hold it in place? If you can't get Zip ties, which work really well, try tying it VERY tightly with string, which also works pretty well but doesn't look as good.

^
Wow, am I a GENIUS. /sarcasm
Zip-ties.
Unfortunately, we don't have them in the SO lab, but I will be able to get them from the junior high.
I must be completely ignorant. Hopefully that will work!

So how would I be able to keep the string from recoiling around the axle?

Teal wrote:^
So how would I be able to keep the string from recoiling around the axle?

Uhh... by getting some brakes. Most cars have them, you know