This project is a dynamometer controller designed for the Formula SAE team to use on their custom engine dynamometer. In order to improve efficiency and accuracy, a PCB was designed to communicate with the Engine Control Unit and output stepper control signals to a stepper driver. This PCB uses an STM32 C-series microprocessor, has CAN bus communication via a CAN transceiver, has digital stepper control pins for step and direction, has 6x 12V tolerant digital input pins using a hex inverting buffer, and has 4x 5V analog sensors pins for additional analog sensor inputs. The PCB also has an onboard power supply circuit that accepts a wide range of external power voltages, as well as overvoltage and reverse polarity protection. The PCB was manufactured by JLCPCB and assembled in-house. The firmware package included control via CAN communication that would allow the user to select multiple different operation modes, including manual and automatic control. Automatic control was implemented by using closed-loop PID control.
The Purdue Formula SAE Team wants to improve their engine development program to improve future competition vehicle performance. The team currently has a custom water-brake engine dynamometer that was developed specifically for use with Formula SAE compatible engines, however the current control solution is making the control of the brake inconsistent. The team is asking for a custom controller that integrates with all components on the dynamometer.