This week, our team refined the content of our Preliminary Design Review (PDR) by finalizing our concept selection and systems architecture. As you can see in the diagram, we’ve now defined the electrical architecture for our battery pack. This has given our mechanical team a much clearer idea of the size and form factor needed for the housing.

The system’s core is the Printed Circuit Board (PCB), which includes the Battery Management System (BMS) and a microcontroller. The BMS ensures safe operation and monitors the battery’s state, while the microcontroller acts as the brain, controlling all of the other components. A Buck converter and LDO Voltage regulator provide stable power for the low-voltage electronics.

For safety and reliability, a Failure Detection subsystem with an accelerometer and temperature sensor feeds real-time data to the microcontroller. The system also includes a fuse for thermal runaway. The microcontroller manages the cooling system (fans and heat sinks) and user feedback through LEDs, a display, and an app.

While we’ve fully defined the overall design, the internal physical layout is still being refined. We’re still debating the best ways to orient the batteries, design the wiring, and create the opening and closing mechanisms. We’ll have a better understanding of what’s feasible as we order parts and begin prototyping.