PCB Designer

As a PCB designer, you will have to create circuits for very specific applications. To complete that, you will also have to run simulations, thoroughly analyze the requirements of the circuit and keep in mind that it will have to run on a race car, which means that temperatures and humidity can vary greatly and the circuit must be protected from the elements. You get to interact with the theoretical side of race car electronics by crafting wiring diagrams, circuits, PCBs and more! However, that doesn’t mean that you are limited to doing just that!

In Formula Student, you often have to make do with alternative parts, for example, scrap car or motorcycle parts. You’ll often need to design circuits around electronic components that you don’t know how they work, which means that you’ll have to analyze them properly before and see how they behave. Being careful is important. We don’t want to see more smoke coming out of the electronics than the exhaust pipe!

Responsibilities and duties

• Meeting with the members of the electronics department to discuss your progress and problems you’ve encountered (and how you tried to fix them).

• Designing electronics circuits, power diagrams, and PCB’s (up until the point they are ready to be sent to manufacturing).

• Searching for technical solutions and developing innovative ones for all sorts of electrical projects.

• Completing your given task in time.

• Searching for components and parts on dedicated websites (TME/Mouser/local vendors).

Qualifications and skills required:

• Simulations - pSpice/OrCAD/ModelSim/others

• Be Creative

• Design PCB - Eagle

• Sensors knowledge - how they work, what kind of signal they output

• Have the ability to remain calm and hold of the situation during challenging, time-demanding tasks

• Have a sense of humor

• Pick adequate components (but avoiding overkill)

• Speak English fluently for public events

Nice to have

• CAN knowledge (how it works, how to read messages)

• Graphics design (for external screens - Arduino/Raspberry)

• CAD design

• Power electronics

• Experience with automotive electronics

• Knowing about communications protocols

• Microcontroller programming