This roadmap defines upcoming electrical and systems engineering initiatives for the Baja SAE platform, with focus on harness reliability, communications, telemetry, power architecture, and test validation in severe off-road conditions.
Vehicle Wiring Harness Redesign (In Progress / TBD)
- Harness wire spec upgrade: Transition from 20 AWG Tefzel to 18 AWG TXL (19/30 stranded), targeting approximately 60% conductor-area increase for durability with around 10% weight penalty.
- Connector standardization: Move vehicle electronics and sensors to Deutsch DT Size 16 (13 A) to replace smaller DTM connectors and reduce crimp failure rates.
- Splice and termination standards: Standardize on uninsulated F-crimp and closed-barrel splices with dual-wall adhesive heat shrink for visual crimp verification and reduced bulk.
- Modular harness architecture: Add inline DT segmentation points for fast fault isolation, signal interception, and pit-side sub-harness swaps.
- Strain relief and protection: Apply service loops, Kapton underwrap, Raychem SCL boots, and Techflex F6 Battlewrap sleeving for vibration and abrasion resilience.
- Cage attachment method: Replace zip ties with Velcro One-Wrap to avoid insulation pinch from over-tightened tie points.
Driver and Pit Radio Communications (Planned / TBD)
- Frequency migration: Shift from UHF/GMRS to VHF/MURS (151 to 154 MHz) to improve propagation through foliage, moisture, and terrain without external repeaters.
- Radio hardware integration: Target Baofeng UV-82HP units with 1 W audio output and IP54 ingress rating for race-noise intelligibility.
- Egress-compliant headset interface: Design around Amphenol Nexus 4-pin (TJ-101 / TP-120) connectors to support driver egress timing constraints.
- Antenna placement and routing: Use chassis-grounded NMO mounts with flexible external antennas and route coax away from high-interference engine zones.
- In-house harness construction: Build custom comms harness around $45 target cost, saving more than $230 versus commercial off-road kits.
Custom Data Logger and Telemetry (Under Development / TBD)
- Teensy CAN logger: Develop in-house logger on Teensy 4.1 (600 MHz Cortex-M7) using FlexCAN and SdFat for CSV and binary recording.
- Processing pipeline: Integrate AiM EVO5 data with Race Studio 3 and MATLAB workflows for actionable suspension, powertrain, and chassis analysis.
- Sensor sourcing and validation: Evaluate cost-effective alternatives for brake pressure, RPM pickup, shock position, CVT belt temperature, and strain-gauge torque measurements.
Power System and Grounding Architecture (Planned / TBD)
- Battery upgrade: Move to single 12.8 V 10 Ah (128 Wh) LiFePO4 pack, targeting 66% capacity increase with only around 0.45 lb mass increase versus prior 6 Ah setup.
- Alternator elimination trade study: Candidate removal of 5.75 lb alternator assembly in favor of battery-only architecture to cut weight and maintenance while supporting endurance runtime.
- Grounding scheme: Implement single-point chassis ground at battery negative ring terminal for improved fault behavior and simpler diagnostics.
Environmental Protection and Bench Testing (Planned / TBD)
- Ingress protection targets: Minimum IP65 for enclosures and IP68-rated Deutsch connectors for mud, water, and sand resilience.
- Custom test fixtures: Build mud and sand box rigs to cycle connectors, switches, and sensors before field deployment.
- Pit diagnostics documentation: Create quick-reference charts for nominal sensor voltage ranges to accelerate pit-lane troubleshooting.