Hi everyone,
We’re the YTU Racing Formula Student team from Istanbul, Turkey. We want to share the architecture of our new 4-layer Brake System Plausibility Device (BSPD), designed for Tractive System safety and freshly manufactured by AISLER!
Per Formula Student rules, the BSPD is our ultimate safety net: a standalone, completely non-programmable hardware circuit that must open the Shutdown Circuit (SDC) if hard braking (>30 bar) and high power delivery occur simultaneously for more than 500ms.
Since this board acts as the final judge for vehicle safety, here is how we optimized it for noise immunity and component reliability:
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Signal Conditioning & EV/CV Modularity: To process raw analog signals without threshold drift, we utilized an AEC-Q100 automotive-grade nanopower comparator. The input stage is designed to be modular and universal—allowing it to interface directly with either an EV’s Current Sensor or a CV’s APPS without hardware modifications.
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Hardware Logic & 10-Second Auto-Reset: If both fault conditions are met, an analog hardware logic network triggers the 500ms delay. However, to avoid permanent latches from transient faults, we engineered a 10-second analog auto-reset mechanism that safely closes the SDC line once the error clears, allowing a quick return to the track.
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EMI/EMC Strategy (4-Layer Shift): In the electrically noisy environment of a race car, protecting precise analog timing is critical. We migrated to a 4-layer stack-up with dedicated internal Power and GND planes to drastically shorten signal return paths and maximize EMC.
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Why AISLER? When your safety depends entirely on precise RC networks and hardware timing without a microcontroller, physical board characteristics matter. The flawless via registration and solder mask precision from AISLER ensure that parasitic capacitances don’t interfere with our milliseconds-level timing.
A closer look at our freshly manufactured BSPD V2 board, highlighting its compact 4-layer design, precise component alignment, and integrated status LEDs.
Questions for the community:
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What methods do you prefer for the 500ms delay and 10s auto-reset blocks? Do you rely on pure RC networks, or do you use hardware timer ICs (like the 555 series) for sharper edge triggering?
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What extra PCB routing or filtering precautions do you take to prevent heavy mechanical vibrations or intense EMI from accidentally triggering analog timing mechanisms?
Best Regards,
Bedirhan Akpınar
YTU Racing Safety Electronics