Basic Design of Mousetrap Cars

The basic design of a mousetrap powered car is a lightweight (usuually balsa wood or similar) designed vehicle that is powered by a basic household mousetrap. The energy of the mouse trap's spring (when the trap is set or "wound") is the propellsion for the mousetrap car. The basic design has

three essential steps. First is to tie one end of a string to the end of the mousetrap's lever arm. The other end of the string is loosely looped so that it will catch a hook, which is affixed to the drive axle. After the string is looped onto the axle, the string is wound up in the oppisate direction of the forward motion of the mousetrap vehicle. You should notice that the mousetrap's lever arm (the snapping arm) will be pulled down and the mousetrap spring will be wound up, storing the energy that will propell the mouse trap car forward. Once the mousetrap car is released, the spring action of the mousetrap will rapidly pull the string from the drive axle. This pulling action sets the wheels in motion, sending the mousetrap car on its way.

It Starts Here With Your Mousetrap Car Engine!

After the basic frame is made with the axels and wheels attached, you would attache your string to the mousetrap's spring lever arm. The other end of the string is looped to a catch on the drive axel. The reason for having a loose loop on the axel end is so that when the lever is released and the string unwinds, the string on the axel will not get caught and stop the mousetrap car's forward progress.

Turning the wheels will wind the string around the drive axel. Make sure you turn the wheels in the opposite direction than the direction you intend the mousetrap car to travel. You should wind the string snuggly: not too loose as to cause it to knot or catch, and not to tight as to prevent it from unwinding and releasing the energy to the drive axel. The tension of the spring lever arm shold be enough tension to keep the string taught engouh for a proper releaes.

How To Build A Mouse Trap Car

To release your mousetrap vehicle, you let go of the wheel that you previously wound up to "load" the tension on the mousetrap spring lever. When you let it go, the spring lever arm will rapidly pull the string away and off from the drive axle, causing the wheels to rotate and thrusting the mousetrap car forward.