Electrical Member - October 2020
Joined the team and primarily focused on training and gaining understanding of the power management circuit.
Solar Car Project
Electrical Team Lead
Power Distribution Board
Actuation board for a precharge circuit
Entire higher level architecture for the vehicle
Joined the team and primarily focused on training and gaining understanding of the power management circuit.
Assisted in the implementation of the flowchart for the power management board.
Contributed to the simulation of portions of the board in Multisim and aided in the schematic production using Eagle.
Assisted in the creation of the bill of materials.
Contributed to the PICKIT version 4 schematic and performed horn testing.
Soldered version 1 of the Power Management Board and conducted rudimentary testing.
Conducted component testing and focused on Maximum Power Point Tracker (MPPT) research, specifically in designing the buck/boost converter for an MPPT. Tested existing MPPTs to ensure their functionality.
Redesigned the high voltage line and higher level architecture.
Completed the primary iteration of the Precharge circuit printed circuit board, which is essential in preventing short circuits in the motor controller caused by uncharged capacitors. The decision was made to separate the Precharge circuit from the power management board to minimize the need for replacing the entire board in case of failure. This design choice was made due to the high failure rate of the Precharge circuit and the electromagnetic interference from contactors and relays, which necessitated keeping it as far away as possible from the processing unit.
Determined the solar cell arrangement, with each array section requiring a maximum power point tracker to optimize efficiency. Array regions were selected to minimize angle differentials and shading from vehicle components.
Currently working on ATS Circuit development and recruitment of first-year members, as well as producing a MOC battery pack.
Engaged in recruitment and interviews for new members, while also iterating further on the High Voltage architecture.
Conducting research on Hybrid Vehicle technologies, including motor efficiencies and programming efficiency and power codes to determine various efficiencies and battery mass/capacity. Sought support from faculty advisors to join the solar car team and produced a DCDC converter schematic.
Engaged in research on battery pack production and simulations for Hybrid Vehicle applications, and wrapping up final iterations of the power management board and higher level architecture.
Aided with Campaigning for Solar Car Funding. Spoke with ASC judges to ensure high voltage design was up to par.
Worked on designs for the test battery pack and finalized the higher voltage architecture.
Begun working on Schematic for the Power Management System and Precharge System
Finished PCB for the Power Management Circuit and the Precharge Circuit.
