“For the process to work it must be continued”- Ron Shockley
Coming into the New Year, we hoped to have finalised designs and models and to begin construction as soon as possible. To start our very own brand of welding, construction and excess use of glue, we are delighted to present our new workshop, which you can take a sneak peak at below. Members from all of our teams were happy to come and clean out the space and to make it truly feel like home, as this is where a lot of free time is going to spent after hours. The enlightened among us even suggested a bed be put in the back office.
All of our teams are back to full speed after a long Christmas break, with Mechanics and Electronics teams finalising parts lists and timelines for construction and testing as we get ever closer to July and the Silverstone Circuit. As part of the competition, each competitor has to justify each and every single one of their design choices, which leaves a bit of thinking to be done by both of our technical departments. Failure to provide evidence supporting purchasing choices will result in a heavy penalty from the judges when it comes to game day.
To focus on our Electronics team, as we rarely do (the Mechs are more photogenic), control and circuit board designs are being finalised to hopefully print out our first set of Printed Circuit Boards (PCB). Our first order of PCBs should be headed out in a weeks time, with an expected two more revisions needed before the final set can be ordered. Low voltage systems are up first for testing, with sensors and other telemetry pieces to come soon after. High voltage systems still have to go through safety revisions and inspections before they are sent to be printed, so they will come together at a later date.
2019 is a big year for UCD Formula Student and we are just getting started. With January almost in the wind, the rest of the year brings lots of exciting things. As always, if you have any questions or are interested in supporting us in anyway, please don’t be afraid to get in touch at info@ucdfs.ie
We have just moved in and cleaned up our new workshop. Pictured below are members of the mech team in the workshop catching up on their 2019 progress. The Mechanics team are looking to begin to order certain parts to keep on track with their decided timeline of construction.
Currently they’re working on getting reports together documenting the justifications of material choices for our design. In terms of sub-teams, the suspension team is working in a full simulation using MSC software. Steering and braking are powering through calculations for the skid test and the fatigue life/failure of all braking components. Let’s hope they get it right for our drivers ahahahhaimsofunnyahahaha!!!. Chassis have completed the structural equivalency spreadsheet and the impact attenuator report for submission. Powertrain continue to examine and design the cooling system.
The Elec team have been slaving away to finalise designs and to implement them onto printed circuit boards. They hope to have their first revision sent for manufacturing in early February. Just in time for Valentine’s day because because we love our low-voltage system!! Ahahahahnowi’macomedianahahahhaha. Once this is done individual board testing can be performed which will be followed by a full scale system-level tests for the low-voltage system. Below some of the hypothetical printed circuit board designs can be seen.
The telemetry team have been examining and beginning to apply all sorts of communication setups. They’re finding ways in which the data can be processed and analysed to give useful information and feedback. An example of possible feedback can be seen below. A 3-D simulation of the car is also been crafted and is hoped to be fully running in the next few weeks.
The Business team are as busy as ever continually looking at ways to raise capital and effectively use that which has been raised so far. The marketing team are organising a fundraising event that will raise funds to keep us moving in the direction of our goal. The team is also look at ways in which our project can be utilised as a education tool for UCD students and the wider community alike. In-depth research into market strategy is also kicking off with educating the team all about financial projection calculations.
2019 promises to be a pivotal year for all of us here are UCD Formula Student As always, if you have any questions or are interested in supporting us in any way, please don’t hesitate to get in touch at info@ucdfs.ie
0 Comments