What work will be done with this money?

The primary goal of this fundraiser is to secure funds for the construction of a new controller for car 4. The original resistor based controller currently installed is beyond its current life span and for safety and maintainability reasons must be replaced.

Remaining monies will go towards projects such as reinstalling seats, replacing batteries, and manufacturing new brake drums.

What is a controller?

A controller is the electronic circuitry which transforms the 600V DC from the overhead line to the needed voltage and current levels to drive the motors under the car.

The UBC Electrical and Computer Engineering students will be designing and constructing a controller as part of a credit course on high power electronics under the supervision of Professor William Dunford. This will first involve constructing a prototype under lab conditions and testing this for safety and usability.

Once this is complete their prototype will be installed in to car 4 for field tests and inspection. Of course before any members of the public ride on car 4, the device must be ensured to be completely safe and have adequate fail safes.