VoltTemp Board

VoltTemp Board

Due Dates:

  • Requirements/Considerations - 2/20/2025

  • Component Selection - 2/20/2025

  • Initial Schematic - 3/01/2025

  • Initial Layout - 3/20/2025

  • Rev. A Ordered - 4/20/2025 ?

  • Firmware/Testing - 06/01/2025

    • Will be tested during the summer.

Description/Purpose

  • Measure the voltage across battery modules.

    • Each battery module consists of 9 cells in parallel.

  • Measure the temperature of battery modules using thermistors.

    • Each module will have 4 thermistors, however the board can support more.

Requirements

  • Must be able to monitor voltage of at least 4 battery modules. Should be possible to adjust configuration based on alternative cell configurations.

  • Must be able to monitor temperature of at least 4 modules. Should be capable of handling more inputs in case we decide we would like to monitor additional components.

Application Note

Interfacing with the BMS chip for voltage monitoring:

  • On the right side of the board there are two 1x5 nano-fit molex connectors. Starting from the top of the board (near the reboot button) and heading down, connect the tap for the next module.

    • There are dead pins on the connector to prevent shorts. These dead pins are marked on the PCB with an X where the connector is soldered to the board.

  • For the default 4 module configuration, shorting VC3&VC4 is required. This is accomplished by placing a 0Ω resistor near the BMS chip.

    • image-20250507-040101.png

       

    • The additional 0Ω resistors are for alternative cell configurations. Consulting the BMS chip data sheet will show which need to be shorted for various setups.

  • All voltage taps run through a 6-pin DIP switch for scrutineering.

 

Interfacing with the ADC chip for temperature monitoring:

  • On the left side of the board are 6 nano-fit connectors for thermistors. The two larger ones are for channels 0 to 3 on the ADC and are placed on the top and bottom of the board for easier access to taps coming from the battery.

    • The ADC channel is indicated by a number ranging from 0-7 next to the connector.

    • Analog Ground is indicated by a '-' symbol. (Maybe this should change for the next iteration to avoid confusion)

  • Channels 0 and 1 run through a 2-pin DIP switch for scrutineering.

 

Interfacing with CAN:

  • There are two I-CAN connectors on the top of the board.

    • Order of connection does not matter.

Context

Location of the board:

There will be 8 copies of the board. Each one will be located on a battery segment.

Connection List

#

Name

Type

Ideal Voltage

#

Name

Type

Ideal Voltage

J1

 

 

 

J2

 

 

 

J3

 

 

 

J4

 

 

 

J5

 

 

 

Main

Schematics

image-20250507-041731.png
Main sheet - contains voltage monitoring components
image-20250507-041824.png
Second sheet - contains temperature monitoring components

 

Circuit Components

 

BMS Chip: BQ7692003PW

  • Due to our use-case only requiring 4 channels for the BMS chip, we didn’t want to go with a chip that supported much more. This is one of few chips to support 5 channels, which meets our requirements while still giving a little bit of leeway for possible changes.

  • Furthermore this chip offers built in under & over voltage protection, as well as integrated cell balancing.

8-Channel ADC: ADS131M08QPBSRQ1

  • This is a very robust 8-channel ADC which exceeds all requirements for this board.

  • Because this ADC meets requirements for many other boards throughout the car, it will likely become a regularly used component in order to standardize firmware across projects.

Layout

Github link:

GitHub - lhr-solar/PS-VoltTemp: Measures the voltage/temperature of a battery segment (4 series modules)

PCB:

image-20250507-044101.png
Front view of the PCB

3D Model

  • Lakshay had a nice render that i will steal later

 

Firmware

No firmware has been written yet.

Drivers

High-Level (Block Diagram)