BIG TRAK / bigtrak is a programmable toy electric vehicle created by Milton Bradley in 1979, resembling a futuristic Sci-Fi

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engin ...

/ utility vehicle, possibly for use on the

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...

or a

Planetoid According to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), a minor planet is an astronomical object in direct orbit around the Sun that is exclusively classified as neither a planet nor a comet. Before 2006, the IAU officially used the term ''mino ...

style environment. The original Big Trak was a six-

wheel A wheel is a circular component that is intended to rotate on an axle Bearing (mechanical), bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the Simple machine, six simple machines. Wheels, in conjunction wi ...

ed (

two-wheel drive Two-wheel-drive (2WD) denotes Motor vehicle, vehicles with a Powertrain, drivetrain that allows two wheels to be driven, and receive Engine power, power and torque from the engine, simultaneously. Four-wheeled vehicles For four-wheeled vehicles ( ...

)

with a front-mounted blue "photon beam" headlamp, and a keypad on top. The toy could remember up to 16 commands, which it then executed in sequence. There also was an optional cargo trailer accessory, with the UK version being white to match its colour scheme; once hooked to the Bigtrak, this trailer could be programmed to dump its payload. In 2010, BIG TRAK was relaunched in the form of a slightly modified replica (cosmetically very similar to the original UK bigtrak), produced under licence by Zeon Ltd. There is also a small dedicated

Internet community A virtual community is a social network of individuals who connect through specific social media, potentially crossing geographical and political boundaries in order to pursue mutual interests or goals. Some of the most pervasive virtual communi ...

who have reverse engineered the BIG TRAK and the

Texas Instruments Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) is an American technology company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, that designs and manufactures semiconductors and various integrated circuits, which it sells to electronics designers and manufacturers globall ...

TMS1000 The TMS1000 is a family of microcontrollers introduced by Texas Instruments in 1974. It combined a 4-bit central processor unit, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), and input/output (I/O) lines as a complete "computer on a chip". ...

microcontroller A microcontroller (MCU for ''microcontroller unit'', often also MC, UC, or μC) is a small computer on a single VLSI integrated circuit (IC) chip. A microcontroller contains one or more CPUs (processor cores) along with memory and programmable i ...

inside it.

Versions

The original Milton Bradley US and UK versions

The US and UK/European versions were noticeably different. The US version was moulded in gray plastic and labelled "BIG TRAK", while the UK version was white and labelled "bigtrak" with a different keypad. The US version had Revision C, D, and E motherboards. While the UK/European had Revision L and so on motherboards.

The unofficial Elektronika Soviet clones, Lunokhod and Planetokhod

In the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

, a clone was made under "

Elektronika Elektronika, also spelt Electronika and Electronica (russian: Электроника, "Electronics"), is the brand name used for many different electronics, electronic products built by factories belonging to the Soviet Ministry of Electronic Ind ...

IM-11" designation. The early production version was named ''Lunokhod'' after the Lunokhod programme. It featured an obstruction sensor disguised as a plastic front bumper, which would stop the program when the toy got stuck. However, there was no provision for an accessory, and its motion sensor was based on a cheaper

reed switch Reed or Reeds may refer to: Science, technology, biology, and medicine * Reed bird (disambiguation) * Reed pen, writing implement in use since ancient times * Reed (plant), one of several tall, grass-like wetland plants of the order Poales * Re ...

instead of an

opto-isolator An opto-isolator (also called an optocoupler, photocoupler, or optical isolator) is an electronic component that transfers electrical Signal, signals between two isolated circuits by using light. Opto-isolators prevent high voltages from affecti ...

. A later version, named "Planetokhod," additionally featured a shootable rotor blade as an accessory, LED head and rear lamps, and the on/off switch was relocated to the rear side. A Soviet

popular science ''Popular Science'' (also known as ''PopSci'') is an American digital magazine carrying popular science content, which refers to articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. ''Popular Science'' has won over 58 awards, incl ...

journal Nauka i Zhizn published a detailed article on the IM-11.

The Zeon Ltd replica

In 2010,

Zeon Ltd , also known as ''First Gundam'', ''Gundam 0079'' or simply ''Gundam '79'', is an anime television series, produced and animated by Nippon Sunrise. Created and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, it premiered in Japan on Nagoya Broadcasting ...

released a replica of the original toy. The colour and graphic scheme are based on the UK version and all stickers have been redrawn as a direct copy of the original artwork. However, the replica differs in several ways from the original. 1) The circular hatch on the original was removable, to allow access to the 9v battery powering the electronics. On the replica, this hatch is fixed shut as the 9v battery is no longer used. 2) The main electronics circuit board is completely different, with surface-mount components and a different processor chip and software. 3) Motor rotation is detected by rotating magnets fitted to the motors, and hall-effect detectors on the circuit board - the original used optical detectors. 4) The original used an incandescent light bulb; the replica uses an LED. 5) The original used 4 x 'D' cell batteries and a 9v PP3 battery; the replica just uses 3 x 'D' cells. Since the initial release of the replica, a second version has been introduced, the differences being in the test program and the power switch. Version 1 has a single-position power switch, either on or off, whereas version 2 has a 3-position power switch, centre off, forward for use on carpets, back for use on smooth floors. This affects the stall-detection in the electronics, as the original version seems to have been designed to run on smooth floors, and easily stalls when attempting to turn on carpet. The test program for version 1 runs the unit forwards, pauses, then runs backwards; in version 2, the model runs forward, then turns 180 degrees, runs forward again, then backs up a little.

The Bigtrak Rover

A new model, the Bigtrak Rover, is scheduled for release by Zeon Ltd in late 2014. This model is based on the Junior chassis. "Robotics go back to the future with the retro looks of smash-hit 80s toy Bigtrak working together with high-tech smartphone technology. Now you can have your very own mini Bigtrak robot controlled by your smart device. Rover's on-board camera streams live video from his field of view, directly to your computer, tablet or phone. Bigtrak Rover uses contactless technology to go exploring. He will go forwards, backwards and spin both clockwise and anti-clockwise. Cones are included for orienteering fun. Bigtrak Rover can be controlled by simply downloading a free App from the App Store or Android Marketplace and then follows commands from your iPhone, Android device, PC, Mac or tablet. Bigtrak Rover does not draw any power from your smartphone, and does not require Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connectivity."

The Bigtrak XTR

The Bigtrak XTR was intended for release in 2012 but has not yet launched . It is an updated version of Bigtrak, its form based on the Bigtrak Jr with the 'cockpit' modified to be much smaller and streamlined. It can be controlled remotely using a computer, iOS, or Android device. The controls for the iOS / Android version allow for either tilting control or touch control. A foldable tray hides and protects the keypad from accidental input. The tray also functions as a cargo area that can detect an object placed on it. The Bigtrak XTR has two ports for optional accessories, one on the top and one on the front. The accessories are: Camera (XTRcam), computer communication module (XTRCom) that also allows another accessory to be plugged to it, light (LightBar), Infrared emitter (IRGun), and projectiles (XTRMissile). The camera can track an object.

The Dubreq desktop version, Bigtrak Jr

Dubreq Ltd under license from Zeon Ltd has released a 190mm long desktop version of the Bigtrak toy called "Bigtrak Jr". Like the original Bigtrak from the 1970s, it has an active accessory port for accessories including a rocket launcher (as an active accessory) and a drinks can carrier (as a passive accessory).

The bigtrak sound emulator for the Apple iOS

A simple iPhone app, emulates the original bigtrak sounds.

Power

The original Big Trak uses a

9 volt battery 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Arabic digit In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and ...

to power its microcontroller, while the 4 D cell batteries are used to power its electric motors. This electrical isolation helps prevent any electrical noise from the motor, speaker, and lamp from resetting or interfering with the microcontroller. The re-release Zeon version uses only 3 D cell batteries to power both its microcontroller and electric motors, while the Bigtrak Jr version only needs 3 AA batteries to power both its microcontroller and electric motors. The original optional cargo trailer uses a single D cell battery to power its electrical motor, both for driving and dumping operations, while the optional rocket launcher accessory for the Bigtrak Jr uses 3 AA batteries.

Programming the Big Trak

Various commands can be given, such as: "go forward 5 lengths", "pause", "turn 15 minutes right (90 Degrees)", "fire phaser", and so on. There is also a "repeat" instruction allowing simple

loop Loop or LOOP may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Loop (mobile), a Bulgarian virtual network operator and co-founder of Loop Live * Loop, clothing, a company founded by Carlos Vasquez in the 1990s and worn by Digable Planets * Loop Mobile, an ...

to be performed, but the language is not

Turing complete Alan Mathison Turing (; 23 June 1912 – 7 June 1954) was an English mathematician, computer scientist, logician, cryptanalyst, philosopher, and theoretical biologist. Turing was highly influential in the development of theoretical com ...

, lacking branching instructions; its programming also resembles the principles of turtle graphics from

Logo programming language Logo is an educational programming language, designed in 1967 by Wally Feurzeig, Seymour Papert, and Cynthia Solomon. ''Logo'' is not an acronym: the name was coined by Feurzeig while he was at Bolt, Beranek and Newman, and derives from the Greek ...

. The Big Trak also lacks any sort of sensor input other than the wheel sensors, though recent re-released versions do have the ability to accept optional external input.

Programmable keypad

There were no LED displays or ways to display program instructions, beyond actually running the program, which was done by pressing "GO". Each command inputted will be added next to the previous command inputted, allowing the operator to build a list of commands up to 16 commands. All programming to BigTrak was done through the keypad shown here: * Forward/Backwards: Move forward or backwards in units of body length * Left/Right: Turn left or right in units of roughly 1/60th of a full rotation * HOLD: Pause in 1/10 of second time units (UK version; P: Pause) * FIRE: Fire the light bulb "laser" (UK; Photon Symbol) * CLR: Clear the program (UK; CM: Clear Memory) * CLS: Clear Last Step (UK; CE: Clear Entry) * RPT: Repeat a number of steps (primitive loop) (UK; x2: Repeat key) * TEST: Run short test program * CK: Check last instruction (UK; Tick symbol) * Out: Dump optional trailer accessory * In: Reserved for future expansion (UK; missing. Disabled or not implemented on most if not all BigTraks)

In and Out commands

The Bigtrak is capable of communicating with an optional accessory. It uses an electrical

3.5 mm jack A phone connector, also known as phone jack, audio jack, headphone jack or jack plug, is a family of electrical connectors typically used for analog audio signals. A plug, the male connector, is inserted into the jack, the female connecto ...

for its communication. Older bigger Bigtrak can also use a Bigtrak Jr optional accessory with an adaptor. However the newer Bigtrak XTR uses a different type of communication port, therefore it is not compatible with any previous Bigtrak accessory. The Out command is used in the 1970s/1980s Bigtrack to dump the cargo on its optional cargo trailer accessory. While in the modern 2010s Bigtrack, it is used to do things such as shooting missiles. However, the hardware on the late 1970s and early 1980s Bigtraks does not seem to be capable of processing any In command.

Computer control

In 1981

Steve Ciarcia Steve Ciarcia is an embedded control systems engineer. He became popular through his ''Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar'' column in ''BYTE'' magazine, and later through the ''Circuit Cellar'' magazine that he published. He is also the author of ''Build You ...

published in his ''

BYTE The byte is a unit of digital information that most commonly consists of eight bits. Historically, the byte was the number of bits used to encode a single character of text in a computer and for this reason it is the smallest addressable unit ...

'' column "Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar" an article on controlling Big Trak with a personal computer and radio interface, turning it into a

home robot A domestic robot is a type of service robot, an autonomous robot that is primarily used for household chores, but may also be used for education, entertainment or therapy. While most domestic robots are simplistic, some are connected to Wi-Fi ...

. Meanwhile, in the 2000s and 2010s, many people have hacked the Bigtrak by allowing it to be controlled with modern microcontrollers such as the Arduino, or even a single board Personal Computer such as the Raspberry Pi. The Bigtrak XTR is capable of being fitted with a communication module to wirelessly communicate with a computer.

Big Trak in psychological research

In the early 1980s, the

psychology of science The psychology of science is a branch of the studies of social science defined most simply as the study of scientific thought or behavior. It is a collection of studies of various topics. The thought of psychology has been around since the late 19 ...

community led by the laboratory of

David Klahr David Klahr (born 1939) is an American psychologist whose research ranges across the fields of cognitive development, psychology of science, and educational psychology and has been a professor at Carnegie Mellon University since 1969. He is t ...

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

adopted the Big Trak as a research vehicle for the study of Instructionless learning, Scientific discovery,

View application In cognitive linguistics, conceptual blending, also called conceptual integration or view application, is a theory of cognition developed by Gilles Fauconnier and Mark Turner. According to this theory, elements and vital relations from diverse sce ...

, Cognitive development, and Dual Space Search.D Klahr, 2000, Exploring Science: The Cognition and Development of Discovery Processes, Cambridge , MA:MIT Press

Reception

Games A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (such ...

'' magazine included ''Big Trak'' in their "Top 100 Games of 1981", finding it a "great challenge is to program Big Trak to run through an obstacle course, without pacing off the distances".

References

External

{{Commons category, Big Trak
Zeon Ltd's new Bigtrack

a BIGTRAK hobbyist Page

Original instruction manual (PDF)

Original operators manual (full colour navigable pdf)

Transport instruction manual (PDF)

Big Trak decals
1970s toys 1980s toys 1979 robots Toy robots Hobbyist robots Six-wheeled robots Robots of the United States