With almost all the programming working, and the car getting ever closer to being finished, the SOCKEYE looks more promising than ever. Our code has had multiple revamps including the Telemetry data and to the Cruise Control. To start, our car is primarily run on two microcontrollers (Teensy 4.1s), which both have their unique duties […]
There is a long lasting proverb that says, “you’re only halfway done when you think you’re 90% finished.” So, with the PCB done and the mechanics of the car all together, the car appears to be all together. But as the proverb goes, that last 10 percent will take tremendous work from our electrical, software […]
As we wait for a sunny weekend to test SOCKEYE, we are simultaneously implementing a new printed circuit board to replace the interconnecting board shown below. Our interconnecting board houses microcontrollers, current sensors, and power distribution modules for all low-voltage components of the car.
In the coming weekends, we are hoping to start testing SOCKEYE in preparation for the race. Of course, this will rely on many extraneous factors such as weather, so it may take a few weeks. In the meantime, we are making some not-so-interesting final preparations. Instead of talking about that, let’s take a trip to the past and revisit just a few parts of SOCKEYE’s design that were overshadowed in last year’s blog posts.
As we refine SOCKEYE for the 2024 Solar Car Challenge, the solar panel subteam has been experimenting with new, potentially more effective soldering strategies. The use of our sponsor, Maxeon Sunpower’s solar cells is vital to the team, as they produce the industry-leading super-efficient silicon cells that make up the heart of the car. Throughout […]
As the team continues to progress toward Texas, it is important to revisit old projects to see how they can be improved. One of these projects is the open-top trailer that was built for the 2022 race. With SOCKEYE’s new wheel profile, we needed to modify the trailer to fit. Unfortunately, as the new design […]
Kicking off the new year, we’ve been working around the clock to perfect SOCKEYE for the 2024 National Solar Car Challenge. Throughout January, our members have participated in ongoing projects as we continue to prepare for testing the car, with many members stepping up to lead their own projects.
On Saturday, July 23 2023, the RAHS Green energy team traveled to PACCAR Technical Center with the goal of finishing the year strong with a full final day of testing. We decided to push our solar car to the limit in an eight-hour endurance challenge to see how many miles the new car could drive […]
Energy management for solar car racing is critical. For our upcoming endurance test at PACCAR Technical Center, we want to travel as far as possible in roughly 7 and a half hours. To travel as efficiently as possible, we must make precise decisions on how fast to drive the car. The power needed to overcome […]
After learning the unfortunate news that we would not participate in the Solar Car Challenge, Larsen Matthew Mendoza summed up our emotions: “It’s upsetting, it’s really upsetting, but it’s not about the destination but the journey.” So we persisted. Our focus shifted from the cross-country open-road challenge from Texas to California to an endurance challenge […]
