Radio keeps track of solar car

The power-efficient wireless technology of London-based Radiometrix is helping British academia to promote greener transport. The company's TX3B-869.85-64 and RX3A-869-10 radio modules are being used by the Engineering Department of Durham University to monitor the performance of its solar-powered racer.

The university's car has a steel space frame with a carbon fibre body shell. This makes it incredibly light and the high-efficiency photovoltaic cells that cover its outer surface can produce 1.4 kW allowing the vehicle to reach a maximum speed of 90 km/h.

The modules being used in the telemetry system allow the transfer of important information to the chase vehicle allowing team engineers to gain access to a continuous stream of real-time data on the voltages/currents passing through the DUSC's circuitry and on how much solar energy is being received.

The TX3B-869.85-64 transmitter in the vehicle can deliver a 7 dBm (5 mW) RF output and supports 64 Kbps data rates.

This is complemented by the RX3A-869-10 receiver, in the chase vehicle. When paired with the TX3B, the receiver allows a reliable data link to be implemented up to a range of 300 m.