McMaster Baja Racing – Data Acquisition PCB 2023 (V3)

Background – McMaster Baja Racing Team

This project is the Data Acquisition PCB V3/2023 for use in the McMaster Baja Racing Team. The team is comprised of over 75 undergraduate students at McMaster University in Canada, dedicated to building the best Baja vehicle (a single seater off-road race vehicle) and competing with in the SAE Baja Series.

Background – SAE Baja Series Competition

The Baja SAE Series is competition for custom-built single seater off road race vehicles. The various events in the competition are designed to test the abilities, stability, engineering quality, and durability of the vehicles. Some of the events include a four-hour endurance race.

Data Acquisition PCB Information & Specifics

The 2023 Data Acquisition PCB (V3) is designed to interface with 13 different sensors that measure suspension travel distance, engine RPM, and temperature on various locations on the vehicle, all using a Teensy 4.1 USB Dev Board. The PCB also houses multiple strain gauge daughterboards (separate from this PCB) that collect data from a maximum of 6 different strain gauges on the car that measure the applied the forces on acting on key locations on the vehicle during a race. Additionally, the PCB interfaces with an onboard screen and other electrical components using the I2C communication protocol, and it also works with a GPS and ESP32 board that will transmit GPS data back to our base during competitions. Some of the innovations that we are particularly proud of include a battery protection circuit that prevent the LiPo battery that is used from going below a dangerously low level where the battery becomes bricked.

Picture of the 2D and 3D views of the board are below!