Byron Hopps / circuit design, mechanical/electrical integration

If you organize a 1-on-1 with this person, then fill in the timeslot and your name in the table below.

Feb 22

Question 1: What are your thoughts on E-Fuses (BTS7080-1EPA or TPS1H160-Q1) vs traditional fuses for LV circuit protection?

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Question 2: What's the best lab equipment investment that you would recommend / the places you've worked have bought?

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Question 3: What are the general approaches you take for deciding when to modularize systems?

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Question 4: To follow up with a discussion you had during your presentation, what suggestions might you have for counteracting car vibration when designing board mounts?

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Question 5: What kind of efficiencies for the main low voltage systems DCDC converters have you seen from other teams, and what are the heat dissipation methods you have found are used most often with them?

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Feb 21

Question 1: What are the most common causes for electrical failure during competition?

• People plugging the wrong connectors

  • fix with plugs that can’t be plugged in the wrong way

  • reverse voltage protection

    • PFET

      • zener diode for higher input voltage range

    • fuse for overcurrent

    • zener clamp

• Spraying water on the solar array (for keeping cool)

  • need appropriate drainage

• Not securing wires/cables

  • crimped connectors recommended

Question 2: Numerous teams have implemented sequential lighting. Do you have any advice for designing these?

• Specific board for sequencing

  • keep in mind things like turn signal vs hazards

• Need to be able to split LED arrays into segments.

Question 3: What would be the limiting factors in terms of electrical integration if making a solar powered EV larger than a cruiser (e.g: van for instance) ?

• Sun needs to be powering a significant portion of car during operation. Not possible with current technology.

• Solar panels need to improve (the hard part)

• Electric motors also need to improve (realistic)

Question 4: Apart from battery technology, what other key areas in the system do you think need the most innovation to make EVs more accessible to the consumer market?

• See above

• Electric power train; efficiency so high in electronics that active cooling is no longer required.

Question 5: What would you say would be the best ways to learn circuit design for people who are new to it, especially in a remote environment ?

• By doing - kinda hard in COVID though lol

• Doing layout/schematics

• “I wonder how xyz works” + simulations (ex. using LTSpice)

• Discrete logic/FPGAs instead of software control

• Talk to people and ask the right questions (leads/alumni e.t.c)

Question 6:

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