After two seasons of Drift Donkey competitions, more and more open-source hardware enthusiasts have joined the Drift Donkey community. Together, we have solved many technical problems and various bugs during the competition exchanges, leading to technical updates and iterations for the upcoming new season, lowering the entry barrier while allowing everyone to better experience the fun of autonomous driving!

As we enter the S3 season, let’s take a look at what upgrades are in store this time!

New Chassis and Optimized Power Battery

Completely upgraded to a 1:16 chassis, faster speeds, more energy-efficient, and more precise turning; the mechanical structure’s fault tolerance has also been improved; optimized power batteries, with nearly double the capacity, while reducing weight. Suitable for various driving needs in different track environments.

Main Controller Upgrade

In the S3 season, our main controller has been upgraded to LattePanda 3 Delta, providing stronger computing power and communication capabilities (2.4G/5G Wi-Fi 6), ensuring better communication for model training using Microsoft Azure cloud computing.

Custom Base Plate

Providing a new BMS multi-channel power management system, offering strong guarantees for system stability and reliability.

Increased Expansion Ports

We have also integrated the ESP32-C3 and multiplexing expansion ports for connecting more sensors, actuators, etc. This enhances the main control AI system’s ability to perceive the environment, improving intelligence levels.

Henry

Open-source geek, innovation mentor

Inventor of Nezha Fighter Mecha

Champion of Intel Global IoT Competition

Expert in youth AI and invention education

Mentor for several international award-winning projects

• Review of S1 Season

  In the Drift Donkey S1, our donkey friends from all over the country made friends through cars, achieving a best time of one minute through everyone’s hard work and sweat.

O-shaped basic track of S1 season

• Review of S2 Season

  In the S2 season, we introduced industry experts as technical advisors, guiding novices in and discussing technical issues together.

We added RC gun control to enhance operational precision based on the S1 module kit; upgraded the original O-shaped track to an R-shaped track; and to increase the fun of the event, we also added cloud simulation races and mosquito car races.

R-shaped upgraded track of S2 season

S2 season video: