Car electrics - surely there is a better way?

X5Sport · Post by **X5Sport** » Sun Jul 05, 2015 6:05 pm

Many cars like ours can have up to 10 or more kilometres of wires inside. The question as an engineer has to be why?

Is it just because it's cheap to just use wires, or because no one wants to take the next (obvious?) step to use a 12v power supply distribution bus and a universal Comms data bus to actually control what happens/is displayed/switches on/off etc?

Light units can have a distribution circuit board, controller unit, power feed and data bus as an example. No need to run wires for each bulb.

Some areas like speakers etc will still need wires, but there must be systems where meters of cabling could be reduced or even removed altogether?

Just wondering......

Steamyrotter · Post by **Steamyrotter** » Sun Jul 05, 2015 11:30 pm

Litigation nation..

No one willing to risk a blue screen of death on throttle, brakes and lighting...

Let alone the radio mysteriously playing Miley Cyrus causing you to veer off the road in fright, or just pure desperation to stop your ears bleeding!!!!

X5Sport · Post by **X5Sport** » Mon Jul 06, 2015 4:43 pm

)

)

But we have 'drive by wire' already......and I can see the mechanical brake linkage being correct, but there must be other bits?

Greydog · Post by **Greydog** » Tue Jul 07, 2015 10:10 am

I agree with Richard in my business we were installing intelligent Bus systems to control complicated conveyor and production lines a lot operating in harsh conditions in the mid 90's.
Only motors requiring their own power supply, all sensors and control elements being on the Bus if we needed to add or move a sensor the Bus software automatically identified configured and numbered it on the system.
Cabling was reduced to a minimum, installation and commissioning times were reduced and reliability increased. By today's standards mid 90's was stone age, now fibre bus systems are common using wireless links to connect remote systems and buildings.
As these Bus systems are now proven technology used in many industries its surprising the Car manufacturers haven't adopted it at a higher level, there must be a better way than 3 cables (or more) to each item in the car.

Steamyrotter · Post by **Steamyrotter** » Tue Jul 07, 2015 1:15 pm

You dont need to tell me mate..
Been an industrial Electrical / Process Control Engineer for MANY years now...

Love the bus systems we have now, compared to how it was.

Just was my thoughts on the automotive side and to provide a giggle along the way..

Greydog · Post by **Greydog** » Tue Jul 07, 2015 4:55 pm

Or could it be that instead of the cars on-board system being like a box of bats, take the lid off and you'll never get them back.
There would be to many people who would/could understand them ?
Most car companies only use bus for entertainment, just not sure whose theirs or ours ??

X5Sport · Post by **X5Sport** » Tue Jul 07, 2015 5:14 pm

[quote="Greydog"]
Or could it be that instead of the cars on-board system being like a box of bats, take the lid off and you'll never get them back.
[/quote]

Just like the E53 under seat 1st Aid kit then. Never EVER take it out coz it won't fit back in and the lid won't close again.....ever! Oh how I enjoyed that little Bavarian 'gotcha'... >:(

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Car electrics - surely there is a better way?

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