The NetKart Automotive Network project, codenamed "Umbreon", is a project surrounding the upgrades and the addition of a computer network to an off-road go-kart.

The Go Kart itself is a 1999 Murray Explorer that was found in June 2019 in central New York State.

Help from my father has made the project possible.

Phases

The project is split into multiple "phases", each one focusing on a certain part of the go-kart.

Phase 1

Phase 1 covered getting the vehicle to a safe, drivable state, the phase was completed on March 7, 2021 after technically starting in June 2019 while actual work was started in late 2020.

Phase 1 covered fixes to major parts of the system which included wheels, transmission, brakes, steering and engine maintenance.

Phase 2

Phase 2 surrounds general repairs then upgrades to the transmission and braking. This phase was officially started on March 7, 2023.

Engine

The engine has undergone some modification during this phase, namely with the removal of the engine governor. The exhaust system is also planned to be upgraded significantly with the addition of a stock Harley Davidson muffler with an included catalytic converter.

The engine also gets an electric start upgrade. Along with the addition of an electric start, lighting would be added throughout including signal lights and a front light bar.

Some sound and vibration dampening methods are going to be used. The plan to use rubber engine mounts was dropped after how it let the engine move way too far during testing on March 30, 2024. More about this was covered in the blog post for Week 13, 2024. Instead, somewhat thin polyurethane spacers on a square steel channel are going to be used to help with sound dampening while keeping the engine from moving too far.

Transmission

The centrifugal clutch and many of the chain driven parts of the transmission would be replaced with a CVT (continuously variable transmission) kit.

Along with the addition of a CVT, a gearbox for shifting into reverse, neutral and drive will be added.

Frame

The frame will also go under significant modification. For extra strength and rigidity, the frame will be welded together as the frame was held together with nuts and bolts. This should help with vibration while having the vehicle more safe to drive. On April 2, 2024, we have started to work on the frame.

Phase 3

Phase 3 is when I start the computerization.

Dashboard

Inspired by the Tesla MCU hardware, an AMD Ryzen system may be used for the dashboard infotainment system.

Engine

The single-cylinder engine being used at the moment may be switched in the future for a motorcycle or snowmobile engine.

There has been plans to design and build a custom engine control unit using the SP7021 and possibly add computerized valve control which may require siginficant modification to the engine head.