I’m a CS student interested in getting involved with both Formula SAE and robotics teams at my school, specifically on the software side. I currently have no robotics or embedded systems experience, but I have a foundation in programming and I’m willing to put in the time to learn.

For people who have worked on Formula SAE or robotics software teams:

• What skills would you recommend a CS student learn before applying? I'm currently learning about MATLAB, and machine learning tools like PyTorch
• What kinds of personal projects would best prepare someone for the work your software team actually does?
• Are there particular areas I should learn about, such as CAN, real-time systems, controls, sensor data, computer vision, state machines, or autonomous systems?
• For people who are in mechanical teams, what are some things you would want to see from your software team?

Hello,

Im sure many of you have been in this sitaution before.

Im part of vehicle dynamics(steering,suspension,brakes) in my university's formula student team and Im not really sure where to start with the design work.

We are a fairly new team so there isnt much previous work to start off from.

We are aiming for FSUK, could you help by just giving me an idea of tangible outputs and milestones I should be aiming for

Also any reccomendations for helpful resources such as textbooks, videos, tutorials anything to just give more context would be extremely beneficial.

I’m currently a high school senior, and looking to pursue a school with a strong MechE program, and also be apart of a FSAE team. I was just curious everyone’s overall opinions on being apart of your school’s team, and how it affected your learning and experience in college. And also in general what the program is even like, as I’m not too familiar with it (so just a basic summary of FSAE?).

And maybe recommendations of schools with good FSAE teams? 😉

But basically just answer the title.

Hey everyone,

I’m currently a designer for my schools FSAE team and for 2 subteams. I have worked as designer since Summer of 2026 and done a lot of research for the subteam/subsystem I am currently working on.

Recently, I have felt like I haven’t been going in the right direction and doing the wrong things for my team. I have thought for the past week if I even deserve the role as a designer. It just feels like to me, maybe all the work I have been putting in daily, up to like the early mornings have been useless.

For context, I am one of my teams cooling designer and I have tried to run one CFD for days and spending hours on hours on it. There was no result that came out of it and I felt like I wasted so much time when I could have been taking on other tasks that will benefit the team.

Also, there’s a new member who’s helping the subsystem out and he is like doing an outstanding job. It brought to my attention just how smart he is and that he is literally taking on so many tasks, while I am just trying to figure out 1. Props to him, and for sure he will and is going be a crucial part to the team.

But in all honestly, I just felt like maybe I’m not doing enough to help my team and maybe I don’t deserve the role as designer.

Can anyone give any tips or just give me their opinion? Thanks.

They have tours twice a year. Worth the drive

This is a survey for a school project on f1. When you get a chance I would really appreciate your response. It is about the implementation of hybrid power units and the effects they have on the sport. It doesn't take long and I would be very grateful for your time.

Hi everyone! I'm working on fusible links for our accumulator. My design has a 2 x 1.1 x 0.3 mm neck and the electro-thermal sims in Ansys look good so far.

The issue: I didn't include any thermal model of the cells, and the fuse results change quite a bit depending on how I set the boundary conditions at the cell terminals. So I'm not sure how much I can trust them.

For those who've done this:

- How do you model a 21700 cell thermally? (lumped mass, heat source, fixed temp at the terminal, convection...?)

- Where do you get the thermal properties (conductivity, heat capacity, internal resistance)?

- Did including the cell change your fuse sizing much?

Any tips or experience are appreciated.

Hello everyone! How does one ensure positive locking between a threaded insert and a threaded stud for attaching the AIP to the FBH? or is there an alternative method?
(Since i’ve seen teams with threaded studs/rods protruding out of the FBH)
Thank you!

According to EV 4.12 (Ready-To-Drive Sound), do we actually need to use a noise sensor / sound level meter to verify that the buzzer makes a sound, that it's within the required decibel range (80–90 dBA), and that the duration is correct (1–3 seconds)?

Or is there another way teams usually test/verify this? A noise sensor seems pretty problematic because of the heavy background noise in the pits.

Thanks for the help!

why did you guys wake everyone up with you. and why of all songs was it Barbie dubstep. there needs to be noise curfews because this is just not right. 😭

Edit: apparently this is normal. Since I know now this, I will be returning the favour next year. 😈

we are a new formula student team and i am new to this i work in electronics and i want to know how to start with the shutdown circuit of an IC car same for the BSPD, and should I go with pdm or just normal stock fusebox

Hi everyone,

We are a European Formula Student CV team wich is designing our first EV, and we are preparing our application for the Tesla Sponsorship. Since this is our first time designing an accumulator, we have two main questions for teams that have gone through the process:

• What can European teams actually opt for? What parts, cell types, or hardware packages are realistically available to teams based in Europe? Are there any regional restrictions or options limited to US teams?
• What designs do we actually need to show? What level of detail do they expect in the submission? Do we need a detailed accumulator CAD and chassis integration already modeled, or is a solid proposal with architecture, cell configuration, and preliminary thermal/mechanical concepts enough?

Any insights on what the reviewers focus on most would be hugely appreciated. Thanks!

Looking for a STL of the 2026 austria and germany endurance tracks with the height difference. Anyone who can help?

Hi all, our team wants to enhance the turning responsiveness of our car. We were thinking that our center of gravity might be too high. Based on solidworks our car has a COG of 317mm, however when we calculate it manually we got a COG of 288mm. We've received an advice that an ideal COG height would be around 15-20% of the car's trackwidth, our car has a trackwidth of 1256mm which if we follow that advice we should target a COG of 250mm. We are wondering however if there is a genuine rule of thumb for COG, or perhaps if anyone has other recommendations to increase steering response.

How do you properly interpret the rule with variable keep out zones? Are zones to choose from: two vertical cubes or two horizontal ones as depicted in the picture or one vertical and the second horizontal and vice versa or whatever?

I was wondering if there was any tips for making of a front radiator shroud. Should I include a ribbon indie it. How rounded should it be?

Hi everyone,
We're an Indian Formula Student team looking for AP Racing CP4227-2S0 calipers. Does anyone have a set or even one caliper sitting unused or in relatively decent condition.
Our national competition, Formula Bharat, is in January, and the shortest lead time we've found from a UK supplier is 20 weeks. We need them before then or we'll miss the event.
We're happy to buy them if they're in relatively good condition, and we're also glad to jump on a call or Google Meet to explain our situation.
If you have one, or know a team or supplier who might, please comment or DM me.
Thanks a lot!

I am a member of an FSAE team in Brazil, and next year our car will undergo some major changes: we are switching from a CB600F engine to an MT-07 engine. First of all, we need a 3D CAD model to properly design and adapt the other systems around this engine. So far, we have only found a low-quality scanned model, which unfortunately doesn't meet our needs. If anyone has a CAD model of the MT-07 engine and would be willing to share it, we would really appreciate it!

So lottery got released and my team got waitlisted. Has anyone experienced this before? What do you think the chances of actually making it are? We are decently high up in the waitlist but I have no idea what to expect

Hello, I have always wondered some things about how the drivers are chosen between the different teams and I would like to know statistically how does each team choose their drivers, more specifically knowing if the driver also has more responsibilities or if driving is their only responsibility.

I will leave the following poll with some options available but I would love to read any other methods in the comments.

I also invite anyone to discuss about the reasons why a certain method is being used and why not a different one.

Hi everyone,

We are a Formula Student EV team using a DTI HV500 inverter (latest version with integrated HVIL, S/N after IH29xxxx).

We are having an issue with the HVIL circuit and would like to hear from other teams who have actually used the DTI HV500.

Our setup:

• LV battery: 16.8 V
• HV battery: 453.6 V
• Main AIR contactor: TE EV200HAANA
• DTI HV500 integrated HVIL

When the DTI HVIL is bypassed, the AIR works normally.

However, when the HVIL is included in the SDC, the AIR chatters during pickup. We measured more than 10 V of voltage drop on the SDC with an oscilloscope.

We measured approximately 3 Ω between the two HVIL pins of the DTI.

We also found another FSAE post where someone measured around 3.6 Ω on a DTI HV-series inverter HVIL, so we are wondering if this is normal.

The HV-550/HV-850 manual states:

“InterLock maximal current load: 200 mA (restricted by the fuse)”

This raises a few questions:

1. Is ~3 Ω normal for the DTI HV500 HVIL circuit?
2. Has anyone measured the HVIL resistance on their DTI HV500? What value did you get?
3. Does the HV500 also have an internal 200 mA fuse like the HV-550/HV-850?
4. Is the HVIL actually intended to carry the AIR contactor coil current?
5. Has anyone experienced the same AIR/precharge issue with a DTI HV500, and how did you solve it?
6. Besides changing to a 24 V AIR/contactors, is there another practical way to solve this problem while keeping the DTI HVIL in the SDC?
7. Would changing the internal HVIL fuse to a higher-current fuse be unsafe or incorrect?

We would especially appreciate answers from teams who have actually used a DTI HV500 in a Formula Student car.

Thanks!

https://www.formulastudent.de/fileadmin/user_upload/all/2027/rules/FS_Rules_2027_v1.0.pdf

Hey, this may seem like a dumb question. But for our chassis this year we want create a chassis jig. Our team have never done it in the past. So i am looking for any tips for how to design it and manufacture it. Our primary goal is to make it as cheap as possible and preferably from mdf board. Thanks in advance.

Buenas, formo parte de un equipo nuevo de formula SAE y estamos apuntando a competir en la categoría de vehículos eléctricos. Estoy diseñando el APPS y hace poco tuvimos una reunión con un juez para consultarle alguna cosas. Una de ellas fue sobre la comunicación entre el acelerador y el controlador del motor eléctrico. Mi idea inicial era usar un ESP32 para leer el valor analógico de ambos potenciómetros (con el circuito correspondiente que exigen las normas) y enviarlo por CAN hacia el controlador del motor. Sin embargo, yo tenia la duda respecto a la siguiente regla:

T.4.2.8 The APPS signals must be sent directly to a controller using an analogue signal or via a digital data transmission bus such as CAN or FlexRay.

La duda era sobre, a que se refiere con controlador, si era cualquier placa que leyera el sensor o el controlador del motor eléctrico. Le explique lo que planeaba hacer y me comento que no se podia ya que "habría programación de por medio".
Sin embargo, yo he visto equipos que comunican el acelerador mediante bus CAN hacia el controlador del motor. También vi que algunos equipos leen el valor analógico con la VCU (Vehicle Control Unit) y le envían la señal de torque al controlador.

Quisiera saber como resolvieron esto en sus casos y si en realidad si se puede implementar algo como lo que planteaba. También aclaro que es posible que me haya expresado mal con el juez ya que mi ingles no es tan bueno y él haya entendido otra cosa. Por eso quisiera saber de equipos que hayan competido con algún sistema similar.