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FORMULA SAE ELECTRIC

How to complete the Electrical Systems

Form
Overview

Electrical System Form is a design document for the tractive system of the
vehicle.

Purpose
Provide feedback to teams early in the design process when it is easier to fix
the problem.
Enforce a design process for the tractive system.

THE ESF is NOT

o A collection of all data sheets you can find for your parts
o A complete collection of theoretical electrical engineering

Reviewers are Engineers with significant experience in HV electrical

systems for vehicles.

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Format of the document

First Section
Provides a high level overview of the tractive system
Provide a simplified schematic of the TS to give the reviewer a reference of
the architecture of your TS.

Subsequent Sections
Go into detail for each component/subsystem in the vehicle.
Description Give an overview of the system, describe the theory of
operation.
Wiring, cables, current calculations, connectors Show important
calculations about the circuit, include a detailed schematic of the circuit and
detailed information about key components Wire, fuses, connectors,
relays,
Positions in car Include a picture of the component in the car or CAD
model showing its location. Be sure that the picture is a wide enough view
to understand where in the car the component is located.

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Keys to a Successful ESF

Start Early
Putting together 75 pages of documentation is not quick.

Learn to use Microsoft Word

Keep with next
References

Get support from both electrical and mechanical team members

CAD Tools
Provide CAD model images of components in car.
Provide readable accurate schematics

The reviewer will be considering your design with respect to the rules for
the competition. To the extent that your initial submission talks to all the
required rules the faster the review process.

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Guidance

Remember that the reviewer isnt going to be familiar with special

component names/nicknames your team uses. Be sure to define these
in the document.

Write at the correct level. You dont need to describe Ohms law.

Schematics
Consider what is an appropriate level of detail and scope for each schematic
is.
For example the IMD schematic should have lots of detail about the
connection of the IMD to the TS and the IMDs output. There is no need
to show the motor controller and motors in this schematic.
Make sure part numbers and symbols on schematic are correct
Pspice is great for modeling your circuit, maybe not the best for creating an
ESF schematic.
It is not obvious that Voltage source V1 is your sensor, or probe 3 is the
output.
It can be helpful to indicate enclosures in system schematics.
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Common Mistakes

Not enough information in the document. Many ESFs seem to start

around 50 pages on their first submission and end at around 100. If the
document, including appendixes is not > 75 pages, its very likely you
dont have enough information in the document.
Not following direction
Hyperlink the appendices
Include relevant pages/table in appendix and hyperlink to the full version.
Not completing all the sections of the document.
If you cant complete most of the document, you are behind in the design
process, and in jeopardy of not completing the vehicle in time. Use this
deadline as an opportunity to get back on track.
Forgetting fuses on low current TS components like the IMD.
Watch out for the voltage ratings of all components in the TS (wire,
fuses, connectors,)
Failure to include CAD of student designed PCBs with TS circuits (and a
scale for the reviewer to determine important measurements.

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Historically

Only 52% of teams passed the ESF

Average number of tries to pass was 4

Your team must pass the ESF before entering Electrical Tech Inspection

You must follow the template and formatting guidelines. ESFs will be
automatically rejected that do not follow these criteria!
Attempts Before Passing the ESF
30

25

20

15

10

0
1st Try 2nd Try 3rd Try 4th Try 5th Try >5 Tries

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Automatic Rejection criteria

Large portions of the document are incomplete

No datasheets in the appendix

Appendix not hyperlinked properly, both externally and internally

Template modified (incorrect section numbers)

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