A new model, the Bigtrak Rover, is scheduled for release by Zeon Ltd in late 2014. This model is based on the Junior chassis. At one point, there were excellent disassembly instructions at www.robotprojects.com/bigtrak/bigtrak.htm, Due to age or abuse, most Big Trak toys now have some form of damage: usually broken axles, front screw hole covers with broken pins,

Encoder and magnetic clutch so that driving distances and turn angles are fairly repeatable even as battery voltage drops. The answer to what’s inside a Big Trak is a little more elusive, since the product wasn’t in the public spotlight during the age of the Internet. In such a setup, an 8-ohm speaker receives peak current of 0.23 amps, with peak power of 0.43 watts. Not only is interest and availability in the Big Trak limited today, but datasheets are virtually non-existent for the obsolete parts contained within.

By counting the number of blinks, the Big Trak can tell how far the gear (and therefore the wheel) has turned in

In: Reserved for future expansion (UK; missing. Disabled or not implemented on most if not all BigTraks) Various output electronics (expansion plug, speaker, motors, and light bulb) are located at the extremities connected via wires. Big Trak is definitely one of the more interesting toys of the 70’s. It was basically a programmable tank that you could set to follow specific patterns, like go forward four units, turn right, go forward 10 unit, fire you guns. Using Big Trak was the first time I programmed anything. With a broken encoder, my vehicle never stopped driving or turning since it couldn’t count distance. 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 who have reverse engineered the BIG TRAK and the Texas Instruments TMS1000 microcontroller inside it.

All of the Big Trak electronic components are located on a single motherboard PCB, with the exception of the separate encoder board which is mounted on the gearbox.