It’s been a while since our last blog update, but the intrepid CalSol crew has definitely been busy. Both Zephyr’s mechanical and electrical systems are nearing completion, and with all the work being put into making this our greatest vehicle yet, we’ve got plenty to report with new updates!
We would like to thank Vicor Corporation for their generous donation of the DC/DC converter and its appropriate mounting and connection accessories, as well as the assistance of their applications engineers in selecting the components! But first, what does a DC/DC converter do?
The solar array charges the batteries, and these batteries in turn power the vehicle: the motor, the integrated circuits, the air-conditioning (just kidding, we’re too cool for A/C), and so on. The battery pack typically outputs voltage at around 100 V (using direct current, as all batteries do), while the car instead needs a 12 V DC line for its integrated circuits. Therefore, a DC/DC converter is used to account for this difference.
Thanks again to Vicor, who had also donated our the converter on our previous vehicle, Impulse, which had served us very well. We look forward to installing our new converter into the battery box, and getting one step closer to a finished Zephyr!
Thanks for catching up with us!