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MCU Car Rally Europe
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MCU Car Rally Europe
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FAQ

Is it appropriate to use more than 8 batteries on the car? 

Please refer to the Competition Rules and Regulations document available on the MCU Rally website.

In the competition regulations, under 1.2 Rules Regarding Machines it states that you can use up to 8 AA alkaline batteries, no more.

 

 

While reading through the documentation again I saw that in the Motor Drive Board Assembly Manual there is a table with varios information including: "Servo,Motor Control Period: Motor 16ms ; Servo 16ms Unable to set individually".

What does that mean?

Please refer to the ‘Program explanation manual’. You can download the manual from our MCU Rally website, https://renesasrulz.com/university/mcurally/m/documents.

For a detailed answer please see the Program Explanation manual, sections 3.7 and 5.4.

 

 

I would like to add some capacitors to the motor bridge. I could not find anything about a limit, is there one?

As it is not stated as a rule, then it is ok to change Capacitor, providing doing so doesn’t break any other rules like dimension, etc.

Word of warning -  if they are changing Capacitor to get more power through the motor, then should bear in mind that excess power could make the car fly off the track at corners and thus get a penalty fine.

 

 

My team are facing a vibration problem on the servo motor, could you give support about this problem?

In regards to the Body Assembly manual, please ensure that following instructions have been followed accordingly:

  • 3.5.2 - Finishing the servo Support plate
  • 7.2 - Adjusting the Servo Centre
  • 7.3 – Mounting the Servo Horn on the front Wheel Support Plate

 

 

Is it appropriate to use different electric motors for MCU car ?

As stated on the Rules and Regulations document. It states the following:

3.4 Are there any rules regarding the motors that can be used?

There are no rules regarding the number, manufacturer, or type of motors that can be used.

 

 

Is there any limitation on the length of the car?
 

In the Renesas MCU Car Rally Rules and Regulations document (Version 2.0), under 1.2 Rules Regarding Machines, it states the following:

‘The length of the car may be decided by the competitor’

The rules and regulations document can be downloaded from in this forum under MCU Car Rally Europe > Files > Documents

 

 
Can we use a battery which are not AA size?
 

According to the rules and regulations document it states the following:

It must use up to eight AA alkaline batteries (LR6, 1.5V) or AA secondary (rechargeable) batteries (NiCad or NiMH, 1.2V) as a power source.

 

Do I need an unlock key for Flash Development Tool software?

If you come across this prompt, you may have the ‘product’ version instead of the free evaluation version. To download the evaluation version please visit the following link https://www.renesas.com/en-eu/software/D3017335.html.

 

 
How many laps will my car do in a race/what sort of battery life will my car need?

In the first ‘heats’ round, all racers will race 3 laps of the track. If you progress to the final, your car will be expected to complete a race of 5 laps. You may change batteries before each race (heats or finals) but you cannot replace mid-race.

 

Can I use FDT with Windows 10?

Currently, Renesas Flash Development Toolkit & FDT Basic are not compatible with Windows 10. To program your car you will need access to a Windows 7/8 machine. If you cannot use a suitable machine please contact info@mcurally.com to let us know.

 

I’ve broken something! What should I do?

The support team have a limited stock of spare parts. If you require one please contact the support team with your request & we will try to arrange a replacement for you.

 

What is the ‘LM350 Add-On Set’ & how do I get one?

The ‘LM350 add-on set’ enables greater voltage to the drive motors whilst maintaining correct voltage supply to servo motor & MCU board. It has been an option-fit addition for the Japanese MCU Rally.

However, the set is not available from Renesas Europe & cannot be supplied to teams. We therefore encourage you to look at alternative ways in which you could supply the motors with extra drive, using the info from the manuals that talks about the LM350 voltage regulator as a place to start.

Note: take care if you plan to boost the drive voltage & make sure you read all the information provided in the Program Explanation Manual section 1.3 concerning extra voltage, so that you do not damage any of the components.

 

FDT is complicated – can I program using an E1 instead?

Included in the download from the MCU Rally site is FDT & FDT Basic. Your PC may only create a shortcut for the full FDT but locate the Basic version in your program list & try this instead – Basic is much simpler.

The MCU board should support E1 programming but this requires an additional 10-pin header (not supplied in kit).

 

I have an RX62G board but the documentation refers to RX62T – are they the same?

The RX62T & RX62G are nearly identical (the reason they are grouped together in the same datasheet). They can be treated in the same way & all of the supplied code has been trialled with the RX62G board provided to teams.

If you did want to do a comparison you can view the product overview pages here:

http://www.renesas.eu/products/mpumcu/rx/rx600/rx62g/index.jsp

http://www.renesas.eu/products/mpumcu/rx/rx600/rx62t/index.jsp

 

Can I use an additional MCU on my car? What about adding an MPU?

If you require more processing power or would like to section off functionality to more than one processor you may add additional MCUs to your car. These must be Renesas MCUs. Renesas are unable to provide such additional hardware however, so teams must source extra hardware independently.

There are different options available for different needs – for example an additional MCU target board to look at is the GR-Sakura RX63N development board (Full). Please get in touch with the support team for more info on additional hardware.

The Rally Rules indicate that the car must be controlled via an MCU, MPUs are not permitted.

 

What sort of motors does the basic car kit use? Can I change to different motors?

The basic kit comes with 4 motors in total, two are included in the High-Speed Gearbox set & two are labelled ‘MCR’. Please use the motors marked MCR as these are matched to the voltage supplied by the default motor control board. More info can be found in the datasheet.

if you copy and paste this link: http://www.mabuchi-motor.co.jp/cgi-bin/catalog/e_catalog.cgi?CAT_ID=rc_260ra You can upgrade to new motors if you wish but these will not be supplied to teams.

 

I want to store data during test laps that I can access later for debugging – is this possible with the MCU board?

It is indeed possible to write and retrieve this sort of data and one method (with the bonus of being able to use the existing hardware as it is) is to use the on-board flash memory. This is non-volatile memory as with say a USB stick and through Renesas’s Simple Flash API, you can look into how you might be able to log and view lap data. Have a look at the links below as a starting point:

http://documentation.renesas.com/doc/products/mpumcu/apn/rx/r01an0544eu0250_rx.pdf

http://www.renesas.com/support/downloads/download_results/C1000000-C9999999/mpumcu/rx/an_r01an0544eu_rx_flash.jsp.

 

What material is the competition race track made from?

The race track is made from Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) foam sheet (Foamex).

A base white layer of foamex is machined; matt black & matt grey PVC plastic inserts are then added to form the black track & track markings.

 

 
How do I test my car?

There are instructions on making a test track from card & masking tape included.

 

Do I need experience with Renesas MCUs?

No, everything you need is in the car kit or at www.mcurally.com.

A quick start guide will be provided with the supplied kit to assist you in the initial stages.

 

 
Is the event open to anyone?

The event is primarily aimed at university entrants. However, depending on the level of interest, we may run a parallel non-university challenge.

Renesas staff are not permitted to enter although they may participate in exhibition sessions.

 

What is the cost of participation?

There is no cost for Renesas Partner Universities. Car kits are supplied free of charge to partner universities subject to availability. You will be expected to pay your own travel costs to the challenge event in Germany in the first quarter of following year. Renesas will provide overnight accommodation.

 

 

 

 

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