Project Overview
Delta Racing, our Formula Student team, is proud to present our custom-designed Battery Management Unit (BMU) – a critical safety component manufactured through Aisler’s generous sponsorship program. Thanks to Aisler’s support, we were able to produce high-quality PCBs free of charge, enabling us to focus our limited budget on other crucial aspects of our race car development.
The Challenge
In Formula Student electric racing, battery management is not just about performance – it’s primarily about safety. Our BMU needed to meet strict competition requirements while reliably monitoring our high-voltage battery pack under demanding racing conditions.
Technical Implementation
Core Architecture
The BMU is built around an STM32F303 microcontroller, providing the processing power needed for real-time battery monitoring and safety management. Communication with our battery’s 10 individual modules is handled through an LTC6820 isoSPI interface, creating a robust daisy-chain topology that monitors both voltage and temperature across the entire pack.
Safety-Critical Features
TSAL Green Circuit (Tractive System Active Light)
The board implements the mandatory TSAL Green indication circuit, which signals that the battery system is in a safe state. This visual safety indicator is a critical requirement in Formula Student competitions.
Hardware Safety Latching
One of the BMU’s most important features is its hardware-based fault management:
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Insulation monitoring device (IMD) faults are latched in hardware
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Battery management system errors trigger immediate hardware latches
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Upon fault detection, the shutdown circuit is opened, immediately disconnecting the high-voltage system
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This hardware-based approach ensures fail-safe operation independent of software
Battery Monitoring
The daisy-chain communication architecture allows continuous monitoring of:
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Cell voltages across all 10 battery modules
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Temperature distribution throughout the pack
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Real-time fault detection and response
Why Aisler?
Aisler’s “beautiful boards” aren’t just aesthetically pleasing – they deliver the quality and reliability we need for safety-critical motorsport applications. The PCB quality, precision, and fast turnaround time have been instrumental in our development process. Being able to iterate on designs without budget constraints has accelerated our development cycle significantly.
Results & Impact
The BMU has proven itself as a reliable safety guardian for our high-voltage system, meeting all Formula Student requirements while providing the monitoring capabilities we need for optimal performance. Aisler’s sponsorship has directly contributed to our team’s ability to compete at the highest level of Formula Student competition.
Acknowledgments
We extend our sincere gratitude to Aisler for supporting Delta Racing and student motorsport. Their commitment to fostering engineering education through beautiful boards enables teams like ours to turn ambitious designs into reality.
Delta Racing
