Cosworth

Renault Sport Technology required a cutting edge electronics package for the 2012 variant of the senior single seater class in the World Series by Renault. The aim was to provide the technological advancements demanded by modern day racing reams and drivers. In answer to this, Renault chose to upgrade the engine and electronics alongside a major aero update.

Cosworth Electronics supplied the ECU, logger and full car sensor package, alongside constructing the CAN architecture to communicate with the instrumented steering wheel and dash. 

Pectel MQ12 Engine Controller

Cosworth Electronics selected its flagship ECU for this application, the Pectel MQ12. It provided advanced control for the new engine - Zytek's 530 horsepower V8. But that's not where it stops - Cosworth developed new code for the ECU to control the FR 3.5's new DRS system, bringing the series in line with F1 technology.

Other features which made this product a huge success were:

• Fly-by-Wire throttle control, allowing the drivers 3 pedal maps for varying track conditions
• Advanced gearshift control, allowing Renault Sport to tune the shifts to suit drivers needs and extend the gearboxes life
• CAN communication with the Omega L2 Logger for engine data analysis, and the XAP steering wheel to interpret the drivers switch commands and display engine parameters on screen
• Series specification engine mapping
• Scrutineering capability - the MQ12's data encryption process paired with Cosworth Electronics' scrutineeing software make this series a completely level playing field in terms of engine performance

Cosworth Electronics provided their professional support engineers throughout the engine development process to ensure that all engine systems were to the series specifications, with emphasis on the DRS system and throttle behaviour. 

Pi Omega L2 Logger 

Renault Sport required one unit for both chassis and engine logging. The Omega L2 beat competition hands down on performance and price, and its compact size was helped in packaging, considering the FR 3.5 had adopted new super capacitors, making any other space in the cockpit invaluable.

Cosworth Electronics worked with Renault Sport in developing a series specification logging configuration, taking both companies extensive experience in running racing series to provide the most efficient logging capability in the interest of series organisers and teams alike.

Pi Toolbox Pro Analysis Software

As with all Cosworth Electronics products, the software related to them gives extra scope for development and end-user satisfaction. The team of over 20 engineers who led the development of the FR 3.5 2012 all used the industry leading Pi Toolbox software. The power of this analysis tool enabled the development team to provide a car more than 2.5 seconds per lap faster than its predecessor.

Cosworth Electronics support engineers worked with the different branches of the development team to create custom analysis workbooks with multiple views for the engine, clutch, gearbox, chassis and DRS system to ensure each area was given the correct attention needed to create a fast and robust single seater car.