Powering MSXIV — Hardware Team Spotlight
Our Hardware team designs, assembles, and conducts validation testing on all the electrical subsystems of our solar car. These include the power distribution, battery management system, solar, as well as driver and motor controls. To achieve this, they build multiple revisions of the PCBs used to control each subsystem and integrate them into the car.
Today, we feature interviews with our Hardware leads of MSXIV, our current solar vehicle, to take a closer look into the type of work our members have done and what they’ve been up to this term!
What program are you in and what is your role on Midnight Sun?
Aashmika Mali: I am in 2A Mechatronics Engineering and I am one of the Electrical Hardware Leads.
Micah Black: I’m in Mechatronics Engineering in my 2A term. My role this term on Midnight Sun is Battery and Electrical Hardware Lead.
Our responsibilities on the hardware team greatly involve teaching new members everything they need to know from designing to building to testing and validating boards. We walk new members through soldering, reflow, component selections, power supplies, oscilloscopes, and more, to help them develop a foundational understanding of electrical design. Most importantly, we keep the team motivated and continue to build a positive atmosphere to ensure we work efficiently.
What has been your biggest accomplishment on the Hardware team?
Aashmika Mali: I would say my biggest accomplishment has been putting in the commitment needed to be a successful and contributing team member on Midnight Sun. But this isn’t very difficult, considering how much fun it is working on the team and participating in competitions. I also believe that the commitment to learning and being involved with the team has helped me become a better Hardware lead.
Micah Black: I would say being able to make a tangible contribution to the electrical system of a solar race car is a pretty big accomplishment in itself. Helping to design a state-of-the-art lithium-ion battery management system is pretty cool.
What was a challenge you’ve had to overcome, and how did you do it?
Aashmika Mali: One challenge we are currently facing is completing MSXIV’s hardware on time while simultaneously onboarding around 30 new Hardware members. This has definitely been a challenge for the few core members on Hardware right now, and trying to stick to our deadlines has become difficult. But with continuous communication (between Hardware, Firmware, and Mechanical) and building documentation, I believe we are doing pretty well so far.
Micah Black: At the beginning of my commitment to the team, it was pretty overwhelming to have so much information available to you about the car. I had no idea about where to start learning, but the best resources were the people (and datasheets), and so I spent a lot of time in our work bay. There, I talked to a bunch of people, and even started helping out with troubleshooting MSXII, our previous vehicle. Through exposure, I was able to gain a greater understanding of the entire electrical system of the car. It then became much easier to dive into the specifics of what each board does.
Where did you leave off last term, and what are you up to this term?
Aashmika Mali: I help out anywhere I can and especially with making sure that all of our deadlines are being met for the production and testing of all our subsystems. Last term, we sent out few boards for fabrication and this term, we plan to send the rest, which include the board for steering, and complete validation testing for all of them. This term, I am interning at Apple on the AppleTV team, while also trying to help the team in Waterloo reach their targets, which includes designing/redesigning a few boards.
Micah Black: Last term, we finished the design of many of the boards that are being redesigned for MSXIV. These include the Battery Management System boards, the Power Distribution Boards, and a redesign of the Controller Boards to increase efficiency in manufacturing using a pick-n-place machine. We tested the DC-DC converter that powers our low voltage system from the main battery, and are making small revisions this term. The end goal is to create a mock-up of the electrical system so that integration testing with firmware can happen easily. But before that happens, the electrical team must ensure that the boards work properly, electrically. A large portion of this is figuring out how to individually test the features of the boards.
What are your personal goals for the team?
Aashmika Mali: My goals have always been to contribute as much as I can to a fully functional MSXIV and to be an effective Hardware lead. I would love to see this car run (especially all of the electrical systems), and I look forward to working on it until it’s ready for its first race.
Micah Black: As far as personal goals for the term, I would say it is to become a better leader. Taking on a lead role on the battery box team is much more work and requires more organization than I initially thought. In the past, we have had some failures in previous competitions due to poorly assembled boards. And so moving forward, I hope to implement changes in the assembly process of the boards to minimize failures.
Our team is currently in the manufacturing phases of our new car, MSXIV. Keep an eye out for some more status updates from our other subteams!
To learn more about UW Midnight Sun and our cars, please visit uwmidsun.com, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn or send us an email at solar@uwmidsun.com.
