Featured product articles Stanford Solar Car Dyno

As the eager Stanford engineering students await the results of this year's World Solar Challenge, we'd like to take a look back at their preparation for this 1850 mile race — primarily at their custom motor. The Stanford Solar Challenge Project (SSCP) Team wanted to add a clever twist to their dynamometer (dyno): implement one of Xenith's regenerative brakes as its energy absorber. This setup would allow them to simultaneously study the efficiency of their regenerative braking system while testing their motor. But it was unclear if such an improvisation could be made to this standard. To gain perspective on if this approach could be realized, the SSCP Team called on the experts at FUTEK. Consulting with application engineers at FUTEK made it clear that their dyno would need a TRS605 Rotary Torque Sensor as the center of its measurement system.