Every year, in order to be compliant with Formula Student rules and achieve team goals, all members of Electronics Department at ETSEIB Motorsport have to face new challenges regarding hardware design of self-develop PCB.

Among all of them, the Data Acquisition and the TSAL Controller PCB must be distinguish by its importance in the performance and security of the car.

First of all, the Data Acquisition PCB is the ECU responsible of logging all the data that manages the car.

This data is obtained from 4 different CAN bus. It allows the team to have a reliable source of information in order to validate or simulate any mechanical or electronic improvement performed in the car by any department.

​On the other hand, the TSAL controller (acronym of “Tractive System Active Light”) is a hardwired electronics PCB that is required because of the Formula Student Germany (FSG) Rules.

The purpose of this PCB is to control the TSAL light colour depending on the conditions that the Tractive System (TS) has in the car where it is installed.

Moreover, the TSAL light is very important because it represents the state of the Tractive system at any time while the car is with at least the LVMS in the on position.

Furthermore, there is an important definition for TS that must be taken into account: TS is defined as every part electrically connected to the motors or the HV accumulators.

As a result of all the stated before, since it is a really important PCB in order to ensure the safety and the reliability of the car, it is required to be designed without any MCU control in order to not spoil or to not have bad practices regarding the real state of the TSAL light.

Once all PCB designs are finished it is time to manufacture them.

This is the reason why having the opportunity to collaborate with Eurocircuits allows us to, year after year, accomplish our goals as a Department and as a team for the Formula Student competition.

Thanks to Eurocircuits

Miguel Ángel Sánchez Corbí

Electronics Chief, ETSEIB Motorsport

www.etseib-motorsport.upc.edu/en/home/