Tag: mutant vehicle

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Hootie V2 Update

I made a bunch of progress but I also added to my to-do list; 🤦 I tend to do that.

First off, I finished the audio system. The rear led panel and amp were mounted. The wiring has been completed and it is ready to be mounted once the frame is painted. I have been testing it out in the Texas sun and heat to make sure we don’t have any issues on the playa.

I am considering cutting an ABS plastic sheet to make a panel to cover the gap between the LED panels and the handlebars. This image is a POC of how the audio control remote will mount in said ABS panel.

Next, I fabricated mounts for the new front panels and welded them to the forks. The mounts were made the same as the original panels, half-inch square steel tubes with one side flattened and a hole drilled into the flat side.

The same day I welded on the piano hinge that will allow the seat to flip up revealing the petrol tank, Li-ion packs, and storage. I used all my dado blades to make a wide dado in the bottom of the seat that the hinge will be recessed into. There is just enough space to let the seat open while bypassing the side LED panel.

Hinge welded to frame
Dado in bottom of seat

Speaking of the side panels… the mounts for these were mostly removed with the new frame so they needed to be re-welded. The side panels were originally mounted at an angle. I felt this gave the design more motion but this time I mounted them parallel with the seat to make it more comfortable for passengers.

This is close to the final design of version 2
This is close to the final design of version 2

TODOs:

Weld driver footrest to frame
Weld Passenger Foot Pegs
Weld bottom to seat storage
Remount Headlights
Rework Rear Suspension
Paint the whole frame
Paint the motor
Finish painting the wheels
Finish cleaning up the wiring
3D Print Foot Rest Pad
Build more Li-ion battery packs (recycled cells)
Re-paint the original three pannels (maybe)

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HOOTIE MUTANT VEHICLE V1

The base of the vehicle is from a 50cc Retro scooter. I purchased the scooter in May of 2021 not knowing what I was going to do with it, but within days, the Hootie project began. This mutant vehicle project brings in all my skills as an artist, maker, and fabricator, including coding, welding, metal lathe, laser cutters, 3D printing, CNC, electronics, and more.
Original vehicle
The Orginal Vehicle

I knew I wanted to build an owl, I did some research. I looked for other owl mutant vehicles, different kinds of owls, drawings of owls, opinions from my partner, to name a few sources of inspiration.

I knew I wanted the aesthetic pieces of the vehicle to be removable panels. This was mainly for ease of transportation (1,800 miles each way). Once I had a direction of where I wanted to go, I did a 2D sketch in Fusion 360 using the dimensions of the scooter’s frame. The idea was to have the center body on the front of the scooter and have a wing on either side hiding the motor.

1st Drawing

The panel frames are made of 1/2 inch square steel tubing. 3/16ths inch steel rods are used as the line details. These are MIG welded together. The steel is painted with primer, a base of black, a couple of coats of color-shifting paint, and a clear coat to protect it as much as possible. I start by creating a cardboard template.

The individually addressable LED strips are mounted on fiber-reinforced plastic sheets. I used 60 WS2812B LEDs per meter strips for all panels. The strips are self-adhesive, but I added a fair amount of epoxy to hold everything together and on all the solder points for good measure. Each panel has its own microcontroller and DC-DC inverter for powering the LEDs. I did this for redundancy and if I have an issue with one panel, the remaining ones still work. The microcontrollers are simple Arduino Nanos and the inverters are XP-PoIr DTJ2024S05. I use these XP inverters at my job, and they are rock-solid, plus they are mostly sealed. I utilized M3 rivet nuts and bolts for affixing the FRP LED panels to the frames.

For in front of the LEDs, I cut acrylic sheets to fit inside the frame and rest on the steel rods. These are sanded on both sides to defuse the LEDs. The acrylic was secured to the frame with black silicone around the edges. The LED strips were still visible, so I had the idea to sandwich poly-fil sheets between the LED panels and the acrylic. I really loved how this look came out. It looks finished whether the LEDs are on or off, and when the LEDs are on, the polyfil does a great job at diffusing them while still allowing each LED to be visible.

Cyclcing through the modes

The panels are mounted to the scooter frame using the same ½ inch steel square tube. One side was flattened with a hydraulic press and a hole drilled into it for an M5 screw. The panels have M5 rivet nuts on the sides that the screws bolt to. The other side is welded to the scooter’s frame.

Squooshie Squoosh
Rounding out the edges

After a trip to the playa in 2021 and discussing the vehicle with a couple of DMV volunteers, I knew I wanted to make some upgrades.

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Mutant Vehicle Intent

Mutant vehicles have always been my favorite part of the Burn. They are what brought me to Burning Man, and the 10 Principles are what keep me coming back. I initially built Hootie just to build it. When I get an idea, I tend to throw myself neck-deep into it until it’s “complete”.

These really inspired me in 2019!

Once Hootie was somewhat complete and drivable, the reactions and smiles I would get driving it around Austin really drove me to continue expanding and building on the project. We brought Hootie to the Renegade Burn, and people really loved it.

One interaction, in particular, has really stuck with me… We were sitting at camp and something told me to go take a ride, so I  headed off to the center of the city. As soon as I got to what would normally be Esplanade, a group of people stopped me. One of the Renegade Burners asked to take a photo with me and Hootie. She told me her mother had recently passed, and she was expecting to see an Owl soon. We talked for a bit, she cried, we hugged, and we took the picture. I really felt at that moment that she was able to accept and let go just a little bit. As someone that lost a parent at a young age, this interaction will remain one of my most cherished Burn memories.

Ultimately, Hootie is a test for a larger mutant vehicle build. Teacher Money has aspirations to start building a larger mutant vehicle this year to bring out in 2023. Hootie Version 0 (that we took to Renegade Burn), was the alpha test. Hootie Version 1 going to 2022, is really the beta test for the larger project. We learned so much by bringing the vehicle to Playa and will learn even more bringing Hootie to this year’s full burn. We already learned what breaks, what rusts, and what corrodes. Honestly, it’s just good to start small. We do plan to keep Hootie moving beyond 2022. The ultimate goal is for Teacher Money to bring out multiple mutant vehicles.

Why an owl? Owls have shown up as a good omen at a lot of the major events in our lives, so it only seemed fitting.

TLDR: Hootie makes people smile, it’s a great conversation starter, and it’s a beta test for a larger project.

See more here:

Hootie Version 1
Hootie Version 2