Category Archives: Engineering

Steering Wheel – Electronics Prototyping

The steering wheel electronics were the first part of the steering wheel and electronic dash design to be researched and prototyped. The selected electronic components were assembled on a breadboard to allow for alterations to be made easily during the research and development stage of this project. As we didn’t have access to a running engine, the electronic dash was tested using car telemetry provided by the racing game rFactor.

Arduino

The Arduino Uno is an open-source microcontroller and simple I/O board. Due to its simplicity and low-cost it is a popular development environment for stand-alone and computer connected projects. Arduino is programmed using a Wiring-based language which is similar to C++.

RPM indicator

Located on either the top of the steering wheel or on the dash, a row of LEDs will represent the RPM range. The range will consist of a number of green, yellow and red LEDs and will light up from the outside inwards. Optional is the addition of a shift light.

Selected Gear Indicator

A 7 segment led display will be located in the middle of the steering wheel and be used to indicate the current gear. When no gear is selected (neutral) then “n.” will be displayed.

LCD Display

A small LCD display may be used to display important temperatures and current car states. This would be useful to the driver and car mechanics to monitor conditions without having to plug in a laptop. It will display a number of screen or menus that can be changed by directional buttons.

List of Steering Wheel Components

  • RPM indication LED array (6 x Green, 6 x Yellow, 3 x Red)
  • Selected gear indicator (0.8” Character size)
  • LCD display (20 x 2)
  • Warning LED (High Power Blue)
  • Push Button

Formula Ford Body Restoration Completion

Over the past year, Dreamtec Racing have spent a considerable amount of time working on the Formula Ford restoration in the garage.

From  previous posts, it was clearly in need of some care and attention in order to bring it back up to scratch. Initially what was thought would be a relatively simple restoration turned out to be a ‘one step forward, two steps back’ project.

The completed restoration work was as follows:

  • Full front end stripped back (Front end and electrics all removed).
  • Full clean and inspection of all parts (new conical washer and bolts where needed)
  • Replacement of banjo bolts.
  • Re-grease and tightening of steering rack
  • Full bleed of brakes.
  • Re-conditioned suspension re-fitment.
  • All new wiring loom constructed and routed.
  • Rain light mounted and wired in.
  • Complete re-refurbishment of driver controls/interface. Re-finished dashboard and switches.
  • Complete overhaul of the bodywork. This included repairs, painting and finishing.
  • Re-molded and altered engine cover and nose cone.

Due to University demands and other projects the whole process was not documented and uploaded in the detail desired. The photos below are from the day it was collected  ready for the new engine fitment.

In the near future I would like to shared more  up-to-date news on the Formula Ford following some testing of the new engine and fine tuning. Including pictures of the final bodywork all in the same colour!

Formula Ford Engine Cover

When we started the Formula Ford restoration project, we quickly decided that the current engine cover was unusable due to being excessively heavy and the unsuccessful alterations made to accommodate the relocated air filter.

Therefore the decision was made to make a new engine cover out of glass fibre reinforced resin using an existing mold that we planned to modified. After the minor modifications to the nose cone, it was thought that the engine cover would be a similar task. However we were more than surprised by the amount of work that it required to get it to the state it is in today.

Initially the mold was modified by adding a piece of supported mdf to made the mold shallow and effectively bring down the height of the pattern (to allow for recovery access to the roll hoop in case of an accident). Unfortunately this plan did not work as the weight of the glass fibre matting and resin while being laid up, caused the mdf to bow and set in an irregular shape.

When the engine cover was placed on top of the chassis, it was apparent that certain sections did not have adequate clearance. This resulted in the offending sections being cut and the cover made to fit. Replacement sections were made from the mold and flat panels and merged together (plenty of resin).

The majority of time created this new engine cover was spent either filling or sanding. This was to ensure that the top was perfectly flat, sections met without a seam and all imperfections were removed. The filler was applied in thin layers and heavily sanded to keep the weight to a minimum and strength high.

Unfortunately it is still waiting for it’s final coat of white paint to match the rest of the freshly painted body panels, but will hopefully in the near future be either used on the car or as a pattern to create a mold for future engine covers.