Project case study · Embedded hardware
Steering position, measured for race conditions.
For Virginia Tech BAJA SAE, I helped build an automotive-grade steering position sensor that translated a magnetic measurement into reliable CAN data for a competition vehicle.
- Team result
- 3rd of 100+ nationally
- Sensor
- Magnetic Hall effect
- Board
- Custom KiCad PCB
- Output
- TI MCU + CAN
01 · The need
Useful telemetry in a mechanically hostile environment.
The vehicle needed steering-position data that could survive vibration, limited packaging space, electrical noise, and the practical realities of a student-built race car. The design had to be compact, serviceable, and compatible with the existing vehicle network.
02 · Implementation
A complete signal chain, not just a sensor.
The design used a magnetic Hall-effect sensor for non-contact measurement, analog amplification and conversion for a usable input range, and a custom PCB laid out in KiCad.
Embedded C on a TI microcontroller converted the measurement into vehicle-ready data and transmitted it over CAN, integrating the sensor into the broader telemetry system.
03 · Result
Hardware that contributed to a national podium.
The completed subsystem ran as part of the Virginia Tech BAJA car during a season in which the team placed third among more than 100 teams nationally. It remains one of my earliest examples of the work I still enjoy most: connecting a physical signal, an embedded interface, and a team’s operational need.