UR Baja SAE

Baja SAE is an international collegiate design competition where teams design, build, test, and race a single-seater off-road vehicle. Between May 2024 to October 2025, our team improved from the bottom 30% to the top 40% of competiting schools.

Page Contents

2025-2026 Electronics and Data Acquisition Subsystem Lead

  • Established and build the Electronics Team

  • Data collection system for transmission shift

  • Data collection system for suspension shock travel

2024-2025 Steering Team Lead

  • Design, build, and testing of the steering system

Electronics and Data Acquisition Team Building

From August 2025 to May 2026, I established and grew the Data Aq team from one member to more than 10.

I also created and compiled a set of training materials for the new members so they could understand the purpose and methods for the shift curve testing. Attached is a video I made with the CVT lead, and a training document with definitions, tools, and plans.

My part starts at timestamp 2:35.

Training Document

Transmission (CVT) Shift Curve

Note about the team: I did not do this entire project on my own. I oversaw the shift curve project, contributed a lot individually, and delegated a lot to my new great team.

I worked with a few teammates to set up a test fixture to point an older hall effect sensor towards the primary pulley on the lathe and test the sensing distance and signal. We learned that the maximum sensing distance increases if the hall effect is pointed towards a magnet instead of steel, and that electrical noise is a significant challenge.

Working with one other teammate, we are writing the Teensy microcontroller code for data collection, and the MATLAB code for data analysis and graphing.

A line graph showing RPM over time. The x-axis represents time in seconds from 245 to 270 seconds, and the y-axis shows RPM values from 0 to 1800. The RPM starts around 200, increases sharply, stabilizes near 1000, peaks above 1700, then declines back to 300.

Objective: Create an electronic system to collect a shift curve graph for the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) during an acceleration run.

Method and tools: Mount two variable reluctance sensors, one measuring signal from a magnet on the primary pulley of the CVT, and the other measuring signal from a magnetic shaft collar on the gearcase output shaft. Both send signals to a data collection box that includes signal modifying circuits and a Teensy 4.1 microcontroller. The Teensy tabulates the signals from each sensor, saving to a CSV file on an SD card. After all data is collected, run a MATLAB script to interpret and graph the data, creating a shift curve.

Delegated projects:

  • creating a shaft collar for the output shaft that holds magnets for the variable reluctance sensor to point to

  • Creating mounts for each of the variable reluctance sensors

  • Researching CAN bus capabilities

Metal mechanical component with a circular shape, threaded hole, and slots, placed on a white surface in a laboratory or workshop environment.
Oscilloscope display showing a complex waveform with various measurements and settings, including voltage, time, and frequency.
Blue electronic sensor module with a black integrated circuit chip and labeled pins including GND, VCC, CLX, DX, and CML.
Close-up of a metal industrial sensor with threaded body and attached wiring.

Steering Subsystem

From May 2024 to April 2025, I was the steering subsystem lead for our team. This means I oversaw all design, manufacturing, and assembly of the steering subsystem.

Requirements & Specifications

High Level Goal: Robustness

  • No interference with upper a-arms

  • Outer turning radius: 11 feet

  • Butterfly steering - lock to lock steering is 180 degrees

  • Front tire maximum rotations = 28 degrees outer tire

  • Rack movement amplitude = 1.57 in

  • Steering link adjustment +- 1 in

To start the design, I worked closely with the suspension lead to create a kinematic motion model in Nx. We included the geometry and joints between each component, and then simulated the shocks over the full range of motion. The left image shows the simulation setup. The right image shows the left and right tire angles over the full range of motion of the steering wheel and the shocks.

After deciding on the geometry for all of the mounting points, I designed and assembled a complete CAD of the subsystem (left). I also ran FEAs on susceptible components. The right image shows the FEA results for the steering gear system.

To manufacture the steering system, I used a variety of tools. I 3D printed prototypes of the steering housing to test fit (top left). I used a milling machine (top right), lathe, and hand tools to manufacture larger components. Then I plasma cut mounting tabs (bottom left), and fixtured all components to the frame to prepare for welding (bottom right).

Lastly, I assembled the entire steering system in tandem with the suspension and the rest of the car (far right).

Results and Improvements

  • Eliminated all interference with suspension a-arms

  • Met all competition and design requirements

  • Reduced subsystem weight by 6 pounds

  • Improved driver comfort and control

  • Increased design evaluation score by 20%

Design Evaluation Poster
Computer-aided design (CAD) model of a mechanical assembly with labeled parts and colorful pipes and components.
Colorful off-road vehicle chassis with large tires and structural components.
Gray metal mechanical part with multiple holes and a circular cutout, placed on a wooden surface.
Assorted mechanical parts, including bolts, gears, brackets, and washers, arranged on a wooden workbench with handwritten labels and packaging in an industrial setting.
Graph showing two sets of data with red and blue lines representing steering angle and displacement over time, with axes labeled for time in seconds and angle in degrees.
Finite element analysis image showing a gear mechanism with stress distribution, using a color scale from blue to red indicating low to high stress levels.
A CNC milling machine cutting metal, with metal shavings scattered on the work surface.
Metal framework of a race car in a workshop, with tools on the workbench and shelves in the background.
An off-road racing vehicle with large tires, red shocks, and a blue frame, displayed outdoors. People are standing around it, and a folding chair and a laptop are visible nearby.