AP Calculus Flowchart

I created a flowchart in AP Calculus to help decide which method was best to solve for the derivative. It can be used to help decide whether to use methods like power rule, chain rule, or quotient rule based on how the formula is written.

BMS Repair Deep Dive

Project Description

A Battery Management System (BMS) is the electronic brain that oversees a battery pack. Its main job is to monitor and protect the battery cells by preventing issues like overcharging, deep discharging, or overheating to ensure safety, longevity, and optimal performance. When a battery has something go wrong, the BMS turns "bad" first and shuts off the battery. When someone brings in a bike with power failure due to a fried BMS, a repair can be done to put a new BMS in without replacing the entire battery. The project for me was to accomplish a BMS repair from start to finish and get the customer's bike back on the road. Being able to do repairs like this benefits Edison because the owner can work on management tasks that help the company run instead of devoting time to repairs, the shop stays less cluttered with bikes in need of repair, and Edison profits off of the repair. My role was to help take the battery out of the bike, remove the old BMS, solder the new BMS in, and reinstall the battery.

Process + Engineering Methods

To repair the BMS, first I had to take the faceplate off of the bike using a 5mm hex wrench. I then removed the charge port from the bottom of the downtube by unscrewing the bolt, which freed up space to slide the battery out. Once the battery was out, I disconnected all of the wires and bullet connectors that connected the battery and the controller. I then carefully cut out the bad BMS from the top of the battery pack, and soldered off the the connection points to the battery pack. From this point I essentially did everything in reverse, I soldered the connection points onto a new BMS, connected all of the wiring, inserted the now working battery pack, and installed the charge port and face plate. I didn't encounter many challenges during the repair, but I made sure to practice individual steps of the repair before trying it all at once. When testing the bike to make sure that everything was done correctly, I realized that the throttle sensor had disconnected during the installation, so I went back in reconnected it and everything worked well. 

Results + Impact

The result of my work was a successful BMS repair. This helped get a customer back on the road, generated money for Edison in service costs, and saved the customer from having to pay for a whole new battery. I learned that engineering in the workplace can be used to help others along with saving money for the company you work for, by turning big problems into cost effective solutions.

Evidence of Work