Proposed Solution
Our solution to monitoring the performance of the Baja car will be implemented on the car. We will need a variety of sensors to track speed, temperature, and tire pressure. Some examples of these sensors are Hall Effect Sensors and thermistors. The data that we are collecting will need to be displayed on a LCD touch screen in the car, so that the driver knows what conditions the car is going through as well as its progress throughout the race. We will also need to be able to extract the data collected from the car. We will be using a USB memory stick to collect the data. We will need to cover the USB port to protect against the muddy environment that the car will be racing on.
Theory of Operation
The system was designed as if power would be provided by the same battery powering the Baja car. However, because implementation of the system in the actual car was purely hypothetical, the final system was designed to be powered by a separate and smaller battery battery. The ability to be powered through a usb cable was also added to the system; a switch is used to choose between the two. The system is housed in a case that was designed and created with a 3D printer. While the main board, LCD screen and GPS receiver are secured inside of the case, the external sensors (rpm and temperature) are connected to the board via wires threaded through an opening in the side of the case. If the system were to be installed in the Baja car, these external sensors would be placed throughout the car where needed.
Upon power-up, the LCD “Home” screen (consisting of buttons leading to other more functional screens) is shown. At this point the system is idle (no data from any of the sensors is being seen or stored by the microcontroller). The LCD touch screen serves as the system user interface. If a “Save” button is hit on any of the screens, data display and storage is initiated. Data from all sensors are recorded in either mode (race mode or test mode) but only specific data is displayed for each. This continues until the same button is pressed again and the system returns to idle. If the ”Download” button is pressed, the download process is initiated. If the companion windows program is up and running, the system will download the previously recorded data into a text file. When done, the system will return to idle.
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