Automotive Microcontroller - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: jackW
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 16, 2020, 09:01:24 am
content: Hi everyone,Just starting to get into making some interfaces to go between analog sensors on race cars which put the sensor values onto canbus.What would be the easiest way to move towards this kind of thing? Would starting with an Arduino and a Can transceiver be the best way then once that is working make a custom PCB that has only the required bits on it for the job? Or would a different type of microprocessor be a better place to start?Interested to hear any opinions!

author: Siwastaja
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 16, 2020, 09:54:59 am
content: Completely depends on if this is a hobby or research project, or actual commercial qualified product. What kind of team do you have?If it's a research project, don't fixate on automotive-qualified parts, instead use what you (or your team members) are familiar with to get the job done. Arduino it is if that's what you have;Iwould start with brainstorming HW specifications then spin a custom PCB in a quick cycle (< 1 month) to get real-world feedback ASAP so that we could spin revision 2 in less than half a year.If it's a real commercial automotive project, it's meaningless to discuss this on this forum at this level of detail, the only thing you can do is hire someone who knows what they are doing (and have a history of actually building such products and getting them certified). It will be roughly a $100-500k project with a timespan of minimally one year but likely two.

author: robzy
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 16, 2020, 12:12:24 pm
content: Assuming this is a hobby/research project (like Siwastaja defined) then consider looking into STM32 "black pills" or ESP32 microcontrollers.These microcontrollers are far more powerful than an Arduino, come with some onboard CAN bus hardware, but are compatible with the Arduino software stack.Personally I just started a project with an STM32 and kind of regret it - I should've just used an ESP32 that comes with WiFi and Bluetooth. They aren't required, but they're nice to have.

author: poorchava
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 16, 2020, 09:01:22 pm
content: I have some automotive background.... First of all the REAL automotive controllers like for example TriCore family are hard to come by from usual sources (dickey and such). Secondly the tools (IDE, compiler, debug proves and such) are expensive as hell. You won't get a usual Eclipse + gcc combo for that. The dedicated tools are cumbersome as fuck on the account that the users have nowhere else to go, so they can't complain. Libraries are usually sold separately and you are expected to have a team of a dozen people to get them to work.Those parts are also complex as hell, having massive amounts of security features (eg. TriCore has corrs working in lockstep and comparing register contents - required for Class C certification) and loads of very specific hardware interfaces that have special features for special automotive protocols (CAN, Flex day and such are only layers 1 and 2 of OSI model).This goes on and on. Do yourself a favor and just don't... If you need really hardened parts, most Microchip uCs are available in AEC-Q100 Grade 0 variant, which means they are certified up to 145*C.STMs are also not bad, but some are susceptible to EMI.Arduino is a bad joke in this case, same as ST HAL and other bloated libraries. You need really fine control over what you cpu does, as well as a Class B certified library (some uC vendors have those for free). Class C can't be done on commodity uCs due lack of special hardware features.