Electronic Shifting
The electronic shifting system is a vital part of this project. Paddle shifters offer several advantages when it comes to performance driving. They allow for much faster gear changes, allowing the driver to shift gears without having to take their hand off the wheel reducing lap times. This can be particularly beneficial in racing scenarios, where split-second decisions can make a significant difference in lap times. This also improves overall control and stability, especially during high-speed maneuvers or tight corners. With paddle shifters, drivers can effortlessly shift gears while keeping their focus on the road ahead.
Engine Wiring Harness
My name is James Sears and my portion of the Formula SAE project consists of designing an engine wiring harness that will include symbols of sensors along with color coded wires to easily debug issues and visualize voltage polarity and current flow. Physically, my goal for the wiring harness is to make the connections as short and efficient as possible. The routing methods will need to be mocked up and measured to ensure proper fit and improve ease of use versus last year's engine wiring harness. The main issue from last year's design was improper soldering connections, poor routing, and exposed copper. To fix this, I will be using industry standards for automotive wiring harness design which will closely follow how commercial vehicles and performance vehicles handle their design of electrical systems. I will also be getting necessary tools to ensure connections are made securely. The other portion of this is the ECU. The ECU will be tuned by a shop but will be programmed and customized by me. The ECU has many analog and digital inputs and outputs to use for extra things like sending information to the dash and having electronically controlled switches in our system. We are meant to meet certain electrical requirements so it is my job to make sure the engine wiring harness can be easily disassembled at competition if need be.
Custom Dash
In order to properly display the required parameters in the FSAE rule book, a custom dashboard is required. This dashboard uses a raspberry pi to interpret signals from the ECU and sensors located on the wiring harness. The dash itself is a thin 8 inch long screen and will have the parameters played out in a sleek modernized way that resembles most automobiles today. The code for this dashboard will have to satisfy two goals. One is to properly read the data And display it for testing and rule book purposes, the other is to display this data in an aesthetically pleasing manner. To achieve these goals John King will be working closely with the other EE’s to make sure all requirements are being met.
Full Body Wiring Harness
In addition to the electronic paddle shifters, ECU, and dashboard, we are challenged to design and build a full body wiring harness. This wiring harness needs to be able to transmit all of the formula car's electrical power and signals. The wiring harness will be designed to send signals from the cars built in sensors and switches in the car's braking system, ignition system, digital dashboard, and more. FSAE has specific parameters that need to be met for certain aspects of the car. For the vehicle's braking system, FSAE rules require us to have a brake pressure sensor that will communicate with the ECU, which we will be wiring to the brake box itself. As for the digital dashboard the wiring harness will take outputs from the ECU of the car’s speed, RPM’s, engine temperature, gear indicator, and coolant temperature. Charles Barclay will be working with John King and the other EE’s to design this fully functional wire harness. Our goal is to design an efficient harness that will blend with the vehicle's design as much as possible.