Power distribution unit for my school's FSAE team
Currently, my school's FSAE team uses a Bosch PBX90 to distribute power from the car's low-voltage battery to all low-voltage systems in the car. Its main purpose is to monitor for overcurrents, control the order in which boards are powered when the car is turned on, and control power to certain systems in response to commands it receives over a CAN bus. However, the PBX90 has several limitations that needed to be addressed. First of all, the team plans to use a 24-volt low-voltage battery next year, and the PBX90 only goes up to 20 volts. Additionally, the vertical connectors made packaging more difficult and are generally more difficult to use than the Ampseal connectors we use on the rest of our boards. Finally, the PBX90 costs several thousand dollars, so manufacturing an equivalent board in-house would also save money. Thus, I volunteered to design a power distribution unit (PDU) to replace the Bosch PBX90 in next year's and in future ca...