/// Racing.Recorder - WS 2003/2004
/// Chair of CAAD

Background

Sometime a lot of likable technologies which gave us some pleasant hours are edged out by new ones. We are related to these technological objects in a nostalgic way. That’s why they continue to exist, but turn from use to remembrance. Hence it seems to be a good idea to search for new scopes of application.
Let's do this for one of the most adorable technologies of the past: the walkman. Its system for transporting the audio tape provides us with a useful means for a new purpose: the Racing.Recorder.


Subject

The vehicle designed has to consist in its main parts of a walkman's drive train and the original body. The race will take place in several runs with knockout system on a straight track. There are two basic evaluation criteria: speed and design.

Concept

Nostalgic feelings make difficult screwing, sawing and drilling at an old walkman. The model in hand "Siemens Melody RM802" (construction year 1984) is advanced in years so much that the difference between "Fast Forward" and "Play" is that the first one is without sound. There is no difference in speed. That's a quite bad prerequisite for turning the walkman to a nippy little car.

The quite bulky, but - if you look at it from today - stylish walkman is retained as far as possible. There are some elements being added and the device is presented in new application. Everything is done without any embellishing steps of tuning.

The “Melody RM802” was only slightly cut in where the motor is located to lead out a belt for driving the rear wheel. Doing so you have to find the best gear ratio based on the turning movement available. The front axle is fixed to the walkman without any drilling.

The name of the sweet little racing-kitty is "Orang-Utan-Klaus".