connector and the German Qualification Jungle
ept GmbH equips Formula Student racing team with Zero connector
The Racetech Racing Team at TU Bergakademie Freiberg is a student club that develops and builds a new electric race car every year as part of Formula Student—the world’s largest student engineering competition. The goal of the project is to compete against other teams from around the world in international competitions and to demonstrate the vehicle’s technical capabilities.
The challenge:
Maximum reliability under extreme conditions
A key component of the all-electric race car is the high-voltage battery. With a voltage of up to 600 V, it supplies power to the vehicle’s most critical components.
Where high voltages are involved, safety is the top priority. This is ensured, among other things, by the Battery Management System (BMS), which monitors all cell voltages as well as cell temperatures.
Key facts:
Where high voltages are involved, safety is the top priority. This is ensured, among other things, by the Battery Management System (BMS), which monitors all cell voltages as well as cell temperatures.
Key facts:
- Due to space constraints, the reading of voltage and temperature has been offloaded to a BMS slave
- All cells are connected for temperature measurement on the cell connection board (ZVP)
- Data is analyzed several times per second.
A single incorrect measurement—caused by an unstable connection—would immediately trigger the safety system (the so-called shutdown circuit). The vehicle would be disconnected from the battery’s power supply, and the race would end prematurely.
Therefore, the interface must be compact, robust, and fault-tolerant.
Since the installation space on the board is extremely limited, data evaluation does not take place directly on the cell interconnect boards (ZVP) but rather on the BMS slave located above them. The critical connection between the cell interconnect board and the slave is implemented using two ept Zero8 PCB connector in each instance.
Therefore, the interface must be compact, robust, and fault-tolerant.
Since the installation space on the board is extremely limited, data evaluation does not take place directly on the cell interconnect boards (ZVP) but rather on the BMS slave located above them. The critical connection between the cell interconnect board and the slave is implemented using two ept Zero8 PCB connector in each instance.
Why Zero8?
The demands on the racetrack are enormous: severe vibrations, high centrifugal forces in turns, and thermal stresses put the components to the test. The Zero8 connector offer decisive advantages here:
- tolerance compensation: Thanks to its innovative design, the connector allows for an offset of ±0.4 mm in the X and Y directions when mated. This is an invaluable mechanical advantage when mounting multiple circuit boards on top of one another.
- Reliable Contacting: Despite continuous stresses, such as those caused by vibrations and shocks, the innovative Scale-X contact technology ensures uninterrupted signal transmission. This effectively prevents loose contacts that could lead to a system shutdown.
- Space-saving: The compact pitch of 0.8 mm allows us to build the BMS slaves as small as possible, which primarily saves space on the printed circuit board.
Together to Pole Position
Thanks to our support, the Racetech Racing Team was able to significantly improve the battery’s reliability. The Zero8 connector have proven themselves as “hidden champions” in the system and ensure that signal transmission functions flawlessly and reliably despite high loads.
Learn more about Zero8
Learn more about Zero8
Any questions?
Then please contact us!
Submit an inquiry via the form
+1 (806) 304-0402
sales@eptusa.com
Then please contact us!
Submit an inquiry via the form
+1 (806) 304-0402
sales@eptusa.com