HAN Solarboat Team

The HAN Solarboat is a boat powered by solar energy. Enthusiastic students from various education programs from The HAN University of Applied Sciences and professionals from Qconcepts Design & Engineering collaborate in a hybrid setting to work on this boat. With the HAN Solarboat, the team participates in national and international races, such as the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge. In the 2022 racing season, we became second in the international competition, and we made the headlines with Prince Albert II on our homemade HAN Solarboat clogs! This year we made several PCBs with support of Eurocircuits, including a controller for our pump.

The cooling pump controller

The HAN Solarboat incorporates a substantial array of electrical systems, one of which is the water pump. This pump is responsible for cooling both the motor controller and the motor itself. Last season, we recognised the need for a new cooling system. The pump controller is an essential part to ensure that our main motor and motor controller operate at their optimal temperature for maximum efficiency. Additionally, it prevents the pump from running at maximum speed when unnecessary, such as when cruising at low speeds or idling in the water, hereby minimising energy wastage.

Initially, we prototyped a PCB on a breadboard until we had a functional concept. Following that, we utilised Eurocircuits PCB Prototyping Service to test our design quickly and cost-effectively on a PCB and make the necessary adjustments to arrive at the final product.

We chose to order the PCB from Eurocircuits due to their exceptional print quality and the helpful support provided during the design upload process. One standout feature of this project was the invaluable assistance of the PCB Prototyping Service, which significantly aided our design process, enabling us to swiftly develop a final working product.

Challenges

Throughout the design process, we faced difficulties in sourcing suitable components. The components we had previously selected during the prototype phase were unavailable due to the challenging component market conditions. Consequently, we had to redesign the PCB multiple times before we could place an order.

Connectors

Connectors play a vital role throughout the boat, and they must be resistant to (salt)water. Initially, we used connectors that did not meet their water resistance specifications. As we experienced after racing in harsh offshore conditions, we opted for different connectors that were not only more water-resistant but also easier to use. Easy use is an underestimated aspect we think. But nothing is more annoying than systems that don’t work in e.g. quick emergency pitstops. However, we encountered the same challenge; the selected connectors were also out of stock. Which caught us by surprise (again)!

To address this, we devised a creative solution: ordering connectors with PCB mounts and using them for wire connections. The standard approach is to solder wires to a connector but given the sheer number of connectors in our boat, we needed a simpler and faster option. We designed a small PCB that converted the PCB mount from the connector into large solder pads, serving as a strain relief for the connections. This customisation enhanced our boat’s functionality.

To prevent the risk of misplacing these tiny PCBs, we ventured into uncharted territory: using the panel function in the Eurocircuits online order tool. We created strips with 2 PCBs in one direction and 10 in the other, resulting in sets of 20 PCBs per strip and eliminating the hassle of losing these minuscule PCBs.