Multidisciplinary Senior Design Project

TI-IDE Racing Car Platform: Red Top Racing

Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) has historically participated in the NXP Cup as a method of showcasing their students' abilities and educating aspiring engineers with regards to important technical concepts such as systems control. The centerpiece of this educational experience is a small remote-controlled car that is controlled by a programmable microcontroller. This project aims to provide a suitable replacement for hardware that is no longer being supported by partnering with Texas Instruments (TI) to design a new car platform that allows students to continue to reach educational goals and has long-term availability for production and maintenance by RIT. Special attention was given to maintaining qualities from the currently used platform such as speed, durability, and size. The resulting car platform combines commonly available parts such as hobbyist cameras and batteries, alongside a pre-built chassis and TI's MSP432 platform, which will ensure that equivalent and interchangeable parts are available for use. Additionally, in order to facilitate interconnect between the microcontroller and other hardware, a PCB was designed and prototyped to cut down on pin-level connections that might have otherwise caused issues during construction and operation. Visitors will gain an understanding of what is involved in building an autonomous vehicle in both the mechanical and electrical aspects. They will have the opportunity to view the built car and its various components as well.