DAQ

[Rami]

our team planning to use the EDGE ecu from PE....as we see from the datasheet that the ecu has built in data logging up to 1 MB... i wonder if i add sensors like (wheel speed sensor,accelerometer, vehicle speed,another sensor for brake system performance)....would this lead us to add an additional DAQ unit to store this data...and send the info in a telemetry system for analyzing only...or by using the 1 MB memory could be enough??...our team is first year...so don't be harsh on me

[NickFavazzo]

I'm not the electrical guy on the team however I know a little, you may run out of inputs with the ecu, also (we use MoTec) if you want to use maths and micros the loggers can have that capability. 1Mb turns out to be more than you expect, an enduros worth at least [depending on logging rate and how many channels etc]

[Rami]

hi nick,
thank you for your information,but we have 8 aux analogue inputs and 6 digital inputs so i think that we had a lot of space for placing many sensors...we run the PE ecu because its very cheap in comparison with motec so we avoided in the first place using motec due to the cost....beside the Ethernet communication that is included in the EDGE is really helpful in the telemetry

[NickFavazzo]

Keep in mind what sensors you use and what you want from the DAQ, you have 4 tyres for wheel speeds, steering angle, G-sensors, engine sensors, extra engine sensors(that you can use to help you tune and then remove them), gear position. heaps of sensors.

Define what you want from your DAQ then find out how many inputs you have left, when you have done so, look at how often you want the data saved, I imagine the manual would give you an approximation on how much you can store too.

[Rami]

as for now we did not get the ECU so i think we don`t have the capability to have the manual....here is what i think about the hole situation and please please help me if i am wrong or not.....Ethernet connection in pe ecu is very good as we are going to make a telemetry...the data will be saved in the ecu and the unit can send the data to dashboard through a can bus and we use the Ethernet port in the ecu to connect it to a PCB and antenna that can send the data wireless to a receiver... the receiver will be a laptop but our main problem is the software interface...we think about the ECU software but i think that's not true...we still for now can`t get any information how the capacity of the data...as we still in design phase and we don't have any hardware to test ...so please tell me if iam wrong or not

[Ashmeet]

@rami, I'm also researching about the same ECU. The Edge System Datasheet at this page http:/ /www.pe-ltd.com/ downloads.htm says 1MB of datalogging, which translates to around Approx 5hrs of data with 10 channels at 20 Hz. Now its up to you to figure out how much you want from it.

Ashmeet Singh Sidhu
Captain
IIT Roorkee Motorsports

[B Lewis @ PE Engine Management]

Hi Guys,

Ashmeet, your correct about amount of data. There is some book keeping in the data also but 10 channels at 20 Hz is about 310 min of data.

Please feel free to ask questions directly.

[Cardriverx]

We use the edge ECU (Pitt).

The internal memory will be fine for a runs worth of data, maybe a couple hours. If you do not mind taking the data off the ECU that frequent, then it is fine.

Also keep in mind that if you want GPS, at the moment you will need to buy a separate DAQ unit anyway.

[Rami]

Originally posted by Cardriverx:
We use the edge ECU (Pitt).

The internal memory will be fine for a runs worth of data, maybe a couple hours. If you do not mind taking the data off the ECU that frequent, then it is fine.

Also keep in mind that if you want GPS, at the moment you will need to buy a separate DAQ unit anyway.

The team is the first team of our school so i would like to ask you if i can take the data out form the ECU, we can save it,right? because we build the formula student branch and upcoming teams in the next years can start from our data that we saved.

also i would like to know if you mean by GPS that you send the data on board to a receiver that can make the team evaluate the performance of the vehicle during the event (telemetry),then why i should buy external DAQ???

[Chapo]

I think that this fits in here, it was mentioned in the previous few posts, what is peoples opinions on the use of GPS in FSAE?

To my knowledge most GPS used for racing has a positional accuracy of approx 5m and a update rate of 5-10hz (based off the MoTec system and general commercially avaliable units). This seems to be too large for plotting a decent FSAE track map due to the sheer volume of close packed corners.
Of course if you were to use D-GPS thats a different story, but a system like that tends to cost a lot more and requires more setup. Or the GPS could be use to correct INS drift, but again that is more of an advanced use and costs a lot to set up.

Where I am going with this: Have people been using GPS with their DAQ systems? Has it been compared to a G and wheel speed sensor trace?
How well does it work? Lastly, is it useful or did it just make a good intergration project that now makes people say "ooooo GPS"?

Chappy