Welcome to Power Systems!

Hey! Yeah you. Welcome to Power Systems (a electric subsystem as part of Univerisity of Texas' Solar Vehicle Team) Resources! Your go to place for Power Systems stuff and shenanigans. This doc should be the home to all of your questions and concerns relating to the tools, concepts, and quirks specific to Power Systems.

What is Power Systems?

Power Systems is a subsystem of Longhorn Racing Solar and the electrical backbone of the car. Our HV system distributes power from our battery to the rest of the electrical systems. As such, we are absolutely cricitcal to the correct functionality of the car. No other electrical systems can run without the work Power Systems is putting in.

Our domain consists of both hardware and software projects. As per our name, our hardware primarily focuses on high power Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs). As for software, we work a lot with Embedded Systems, so C and microcontrollers.

Here are some resources specific to Power Systems:

Getting Started:

Electronic Design Automation Tools:

KiCAD - https://cloud.wikis.utexas.edu/wiki/spaces/LHRSOLAR/pages/28284681

Version Control Tools:

Git - https://git-scm.com/
GitHub - https://github.com/
Setup - https://cloud.wikis.utexas.edu/wiki/spaces/LHRSOLAR/pages/28285528

Software:

Visual Studios Code - https://code.visualstudio.com/download
Windowns Subsystem in Linux - https://cloud.wikis.utexas.edu/wiki/spaces/LHRSOLAR/pages/28287146

Current Projects:

2024-2026:

Big Brain Power Distribution Unit (BBPDU)
Active Precharge Board
High Voltage Redesign
Battery Characterization Board

2022-2024 (Daybreak):

Power Board Redesign
Contactor Driver Redesign
Supplemental Monitoring Redesign
Battery Pack Redesign

[WIP] Power Systems Onboarding Guide