Hot Wheelz

What is Hot Wheelz?

"A student-run organization aiming to provide women with the tools to learn and explore possibilities for future employment in all industries. Hot Wheelz is dedicated to the enrichment of the RIT students’ education by offering one of the best ways to apply team work and special skills. From engineering to marketing, we are a Formula SAE Hybrid Racing Team that has something to offer everyone. We are dedicated to professionalism, mentorship, experimental learning and preparing women for leadership roles through real world design and building experience."

Website: https://www.rithotwheelz.com/

My Roles

Programming and Telemetry Associate Designer (2016-2017): Utilized a PCAN to connect to the CANbus of the vehicle. Used a router to bridge a connection from the PCAN system to the team laptop. Programmed in python utilizing flask to collect and display the data gathered while the vehicle was running.

Controls Co-Lead (2018-2020): In charge of the Battery Management System (BMS), motor controller, PCBs, safety system, telemetry system, and water cooling of the vehicle. I researched and chose the controller for 2017-2018 vehicle, designed the telemetry system, and designed and built the water cooling system with a contact at GM.

Major Contributions

Basic System Flow

Designed & Developed the Telemetry System

Created a configuration decision matrix to determine which telemetry system to design
- Compared:
  - Microcontrollers
  - Multiprotocol boards
  - Transmission devices
  - Antenna types
  - CANBus connectors
  - Coding languages/capabilities
    - Libraries
    - Hardware resources
Developed program to read and send key CANBus parameters wirelessly to a laptop over 1 mile away

Designed Configuration

GUI (1 second refresh rate) with vehicle's data (speed, battery temperatures, etc.)
Hardware:
- Arduino Uno
- Multiprotocol Shield
- CANBus Module
- Xbee Pro S3B
- RF ANT 2.4GHZ

Researched and Sourced Motor Controller (still used on current vehicle)

Created comprehensive decision matrix to determine which motor controller to source
- Needed to be compatible with Emrax 228 MV motor
Compared criteria (in no specific order):
- Operational voltage
- Provided documentation (based on the amount of resources)
- Pre-charge capabilities
- CANBus type
- Regenerative braking capabilities
- Weight
- Cost
- Liquid cooling capability
- Waterproof IP rating
- # of outputs
Sourced Cascadia Rinehart PM100DX

Design Flowchart

Designed the Water Cooling System

Worked with Steve Showalter (General Motors)
Main components:
- CWA-50 Pump
- SPAL 10" Fan
- Custom GM Radiator
Calculated radiator heat rejection based on the anticipated load heat (motor + motor controller)
- Heat Rejection (radiator) = 3.4 kW (motor) + 3.02 kW (controller) = 6.42 kW
Graphed different LPM (liters per minute) flow rates (series and parallel) to determine an optimal configuration
- Decided on 12 LPM in Series

Main Responsibilities/Experience

Team technical lead for the motor controller
- Design
- Calculations
- Motor tuning
- Debug
Team technical lead for telemetry system
- Mentored a team of 1-2 people to carry on my design and learn from me
Low voltage lead
- Safety shutdown circuit
- Latching circuit
  - Safety check for BMS (Battery Management System) and IMD (Insulation Monitoring Device)
- Powering peripheral components
- Fusing
Sourced main DC-DC converter (system high voltage (batteries) --> 12 VDC)
Hand's on skills
- Soldering
- Crimping
- Molex
- Wiring
- Debugging
- Prototyping
- Oscilloscope
- Waveform Generator
- Multimeter
- Power supplies
Learned how to quickly research and source major system components

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