Leader Board
MCU
2x CAN chips and in/out connector pairs
Controls CAN
Car CAN
Receive main power/ground
Receive isolated power/ground
Supply 1x power/ground for peripheral SOM
Peripheral Board - Pedals
Step down & supply power to (3.3V?)
Accelerator pedal
Brake button
Read position of accelerator pedal (potentiometer)
Read if brake pedal is pressed (button)
Sense if pedals are disconnected
Peripheral Board - Lights
5x: Front left, Front right, Side left, Side right, Back left, Back right, Canopy
Supply power to 2x lights
Interface with 1x blindspot camera
Send camera output to display [board] (alternative: direct routing from camera to display)
[Backup GPIO for 2x lights?]
Design Decisions
Combining Left/Right Lighting boards for the front and back lights
Separate:
4 wires between left and right psoms
CAN H/L
Power/ground
Combined:
4 wires going left/right from board
Turn signal
Head/tail lights
Pros to combined:
One/two less boards
Less soldering
Less wiring: Eliminates CAN and power wiring between boards
Less boards to order and test
Cons to combined:
Longer power wires
More complex board
Supply both sides
Logic to toggle left or right (maybe not that difficult)
Justification
Overall wire length is the similar (Four wires- only difference is CAN vs GPIO)
GPIO would likely by 12V and therefore will not suffer a large voltage drop while crossing the width of the car
Added capabilities aren’t complex
More GPIO,
Relevant Regulations (FSGP/ASC 2024)
8.2.C Supplemental Batteries
8.2.C.1 Supplemental, replaceable batteries carried in the solar car may be used to power: Main Power Switch, driver ventilation fans (if solely used for driver ventilation), telemetry, and the horn. All other systems present on the car must be powered off the main battery.
8.2.C.3 During a battery fault in which the BPS has automatically opened the Main Power Switch, the supplemental battery must be used to power the BPS, BPS Strobe, and BPS Fault Driver Indication. While in such a fault state, the supplemental battery may be used to power any other systems (signal lights, rear view camera, telemetry, etc) that do not provide motive power to the vehicle.
8.6.A Main Power Switch
8.6.A.2 The solar car driver must have overriding control and the ability to turn the power switch off at all times.
8.6.A.3 The power switch control location must be within easy reach of the driver and clearly labeled with the words “POWER”, “ON” and “OFF”. All letters must be 10 mm tall or larger.
8.6.B BPS Fault Dash Indication
The driver is to have an illuminated dash indication of a BPS fault to provide warning of an automatic opening of the Main Power Switch.
8.8.A Sole Control
Any parameter that influences the safe and reliable operation of the vehicle must be under the sole control of the driver
8.8.B Accelerator
Accelerator mechanisms on solar cars must be free moving, and when released, must return to the zero position. Should a pedal accelerator be used, it shall be mounted such that it is operated by the right foot and it shall be located to the driver’s right of the brake pedal (if equipped).
8.8.C Cruise Control
If the solar car is equipped with cruise control, it can only be activated by the driver. The cruise control must be designed to automatically deactivate when the brake controls are manually actuated by the driver, or when the car is shut off.
8.8.D Reverse
The solar car must be able to be driven backwards under its own power with the driver seated in the normal position.
9.4 Lighting
All lights required in this regulation shall be at least as bright as the reference standard defined below from 30 m away throughout the required viewing angles as defined below. Inspection for the viewing angles and light intensity can be conducted at any point within the defined distance and view angles. All positions are to the center of the light emitting portion of the light.
The reference standard lights are: TruFLEX 20 LED (Length 3.35 in), Item TF20 from Custom Dynamics. Red lights are Red LED with Red lens, Amber lights are Amber LED with Amber lens (http://www.CustomDynamics.com 1-800-382-1388), White lights are TF6WC for the BPS Fault Indicator Light, and Daytime Running Lights/Headlights. Note: The TF6WC has been discontinued. Custom Dynamics has recommended the MS6 part as a replacement. The reference standard will continue to use the TF6WC part for 2024. The reference standard lights will be used in the following manner: Lights shall be powered by a 12 volt power source. Light shall be centered on a flat surface with a matte white finish of 11” x 8.5”. Separate light boards shall be used for each color type as the standard reference. Reference standard light boards shall be set aside of car to compare during inspections.
9.4.A Daytime Running Lights
9.4.A.1 Position: shall be located at least 600 mm apart (at least 400 mm apart if the car is less than 1300 mm wide), at least 250 mm above the ground, and at a distance no further back than 200 mm from the absolute front of the vehicle.
9.4.A.2 Color: white
9.4.A.3 Viewing Angle: 10° upwards, 10° downwards, 20 ° outwards, and 20° inwards
9.4.A.4 Operation: The Daytime Running Lights shall operate whenever driving is possible (motor power is enabled). It is permissible to disable the running light while the co-located front turn indicator is in operation. The turn indicator has the priority in operation.
9.4.B Front Turn Indicators
9.4.B.1 Position: shall be located at least 600 mm apart (at least 400 mm apart if the car is less than 1300 mm wide), at least 350 mm above the ground, and at a distance no further back than 175 mm from the absolute front of the vehicle.
9.4.B.2 Shall flash between 60 and 120 pulses per minute
9.4.B.3 Color: amber
9.4.B.4 Viewing Angle: 80° from center in outwards, 45° from center in inwards (see Figure 1), 5° down, and 15° up from horizontal.
9.4.B.5 Operation: If the co-located Daytime Running Light is not disabled during turn indicator operation, the turn indicator shall be visible with the running light on.
9.4.C Side Marker Turn Indicators
9.4.C.1 Position: shall be mounted on each side of the vehicle between 500 and 1800 mm rearward from the absolute front of the vehicle and within 400 mm of the extreme outer edge of the car.
9.4.C.2 Shall flash between 60 and 120 pulses per minute
9.4.C.3 Color: amber 9.4.C.4 Viewing Angle: 5° down and 15° up from horizontal, horizontal visibility as shown in Figure 1:
9.4.D Rear Brake Lights
9.4.D.1 Position: shall be located within 400 mm of the extreme outer edge of the car on each side, at least 600 mm apart (400 mm if the car is less than 1300 mm wide), at least 350 mm above the ground, and at a distance no further forward than 200 mm from the absolute rear of the vehicle.
9.4.D.2 It is permissible to have one set of lights per side of the car which operate as both the brake lights and turn indicators. The turn indicator operation has the priority in operation.
9.4.D.3 Color: red 9.4.D.4 Viewing Angle: 45° from center outwards and inwards, 5° down, and 15° up from horizontal.
9.4.D.5 Operation: Brake lights should operate if and only if the driver presses the brake pedal or regenerative braking is active.
9.4.E Rear Turn Indicators
9.4.E.1 Position: shall be located within 400 mm of the extreme outer edge of the car on each side, at least 600 mm apart (400 mm if the car is less than 1300 mm wide), at least 350 mm above the ground and at a distance no further forward than 200 mm from the absolute rear of the vehicle.
9.4.E.2 It is permissible to have one set of lights per side of the car which operate as both the brake lights and turn indicators. The turn indicator operation has the priority in operation.
9.4.E.3 Shall flash between 60 and 120 pulses per minute
9.4.E.4 Color: amber (if separately equipped from Rear Brake Lights)
9.4.E.5 Viewing Angle: 80° from center outwards, 45° from center inwards, 5° down, and 15° up from horizontal.
9.4.F High Mounted Center Brake Light
9.4.F.1 Position: Viewed from behind the solar car, the lateral position of the light shall coincide with the visual center of the solar car (see the examples in the following diagram). The top of the lamp shall be less than 150mm below the highest point of the car, and the bottom of the lamp shall be higher than the top of the rear brake lights.
9.4.F.2 Color: red
9.4.F.3 Viewing Angle: 10° from center in both left and right, and 10° up and 5° down from horizontal
9.4.H Emergency Hazard
The front turn indicators, side marker turn indicators, and rear turn indicators shall be able to be activated simultaneously and flash in sync as an Emergency Hazard signal.
9.5.E Rear Vision
9.5.E.1 All solar cars must be equipped with a rear-view system that at all times will allow the driver to see a vehicle 15 m directly behind the solar car and up to 30° off center. The system must provide the driver with a single reflex type image and must operate without driver input. The driver will be required to identify the direction of an arrow with a 200 mm thick brush stoke on a 1 m2 board held about 1 m off the ground.
9.5.E.2 If equipped: the camera and view screen shall be fixed in position such that road bumps and vehicle vibration will not alter the viewing angles.
9.5.E.3 If equipped: the view screen shall be positioned such that the driver shall be able to see the view screen while seated in normal driving position.
Questions
Exterior e-stop
Will the display and dashboard each be their own boards?
Are long GPIO power wires okay?
12V is okay across long distances, though 5V and 3.3V may suffer