Rabbit® Helps Use the Sun to Run in the "Rayces"

NUsolar of Northwestern University uses the BL1800 and BL2600 for Solar Car Electrical Management

The Rabbit products we have used have the processing power and precision we needed to accurately control our electrical systems.

—Brian DeConinck, NUsolar

Increasingly numerous organizations both public and private are hosting competitions to bring out the best talent to solve today’s problems. One popular competition is the North American Solar Car Challenge. This is a yearly event which brings out the brightest minds from universities across North America to build and "rayce" a solar powered vehicle. In competitions involving solar power, races are commonly referred to as "rayces." The race stretches over 2,400 miles starting from Dallas, Texas to Calgary, Alberta. For the 2008 competition the NUsolar Team of Northwestern University chose Rabbit BL2600 and BL1800 for data logging and power management, taking their SC5 solar car to the finish line.

NUsolar is an undergraduate organization at Northwestern University who’s committed in building a solar-powered vehicle under the tight constraints of the North American Solar Car Challenge. For their 2008 vehicle the SC5, the group required embedded components that could precisely control the power systems for the vehicle. In the past, the group had used Rabbit‘s BL1800 for previous version of their solar car, but for the SC5 more was needed to handle the complex design demands.

The BL1800 and BL2600 single-board computers control the core electrical system of the SC5. The BL1800 controls the main functions of the car, reading digital and analog inputs from driver controls such as acceleration, braking, and cruise control. More importantly, the BL1800 uses most of its processing time communicating serially with the controller for the car’s motor.

"The BL1800 is a vital connection between the driver and the motor because it sends everything the motor needs to operate: gains, speed/torque control, braking, etc," says Andrew Seward, Electrical Specialist of NUsolar.

Rabbit’s BL2600 is the second vital component to the SC5 electrical system. The BL1800 sends motor data to the BL2600 which then formats data taken from the motor as well as data from other sensors and sends the information to a data logger. Data can later be accessed to analyze data on power consumption, array output, and speed, which can help with efficiency and electrical strategy. The main function of the BL2600 is to protect the Lithium-Ion battery pack. The BL2600 multiplexes battery cell voltages, currents, and temperatures to make sure all are within operational tolerances. Due to the accuracy of the BL2600, it became the perfect part for the function it serves.

"As vehicle designs became more complicated, we wanted to continue using products that were a proven success, and with the addition of the BL2600, maintain consistent and compatible systems," explains Brian DeConinck representative of NUsolar.

"The BL2600 high precision A/D conversion was the main factor in choosing this model over other computers," says Seward.

Both the BL1800 and the BL2600 provided the NUsolar team with the needed processing power and precision to bring them closer to finish. This year’s race pitted 25 teams in which the NUsolar team finished 13th which is an improvement since their last race.

"The Rabbit products we have used have the processing power and precision we needed to accurately control our electrical systems. They have served as dependable components in our previous vehicle," explains DeConinck.

NUsolar has been familiar with Rabbit products since they have used them in previous models of their solar cars. In past competitions, Rabbit products have proven themselves time and time again to deliver reliable results to the NUsolar team.

For more information on NUsolar, visit: www.nusolar.org/sc5.php

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