Thread: About problems with telemetry in the winter tests, 2013

About problems with telemetry in the winter tests, 2013

Several Formula 1 teams participating in the winter tests in 2013, complain about the new version of unified electronic control unit (ECU). Because of problems with the software engineers did not receive telemetry from the machines in real time.
Electronic control units to all the teams championship delivers a division of McLaren - McLaren Electronic Systems (MES). The contract with the FIA was concluded in 2006, and in early 2008, all cars were equipped with the first version of the device, the TAG 310. Later it was replaced TAG-310B.
For several years the use of blocks, their work did not cause virtually any problems. It is not surprising that when the FIA announced a tender for the creation of a new ECU for the period 2013-2015, the victory again won MES.
The company has developed a new ECU generation - TAG-320. These new blocks many times more powerful than the previous, and were to be used on machines with a V6 turbo engine and a more powerful system ERS. However, the introduction of new regulations on motors was postponed for a year. And instead continue using the old system, the FIA decided to enter immediately TAG-320, but with an adapted software that had to be developed specifically for 2013.
According to the logic of the representatives of the FIA, the earlier start of the operation was to help identify the potential disadvantages of new products, and they really don't have to wait. The machine left the boxes and screens technical monitor remained blank. According to the Manager Williams Dickey Stanford, "We could not communicate with the machine".

It soon became clear that the problem is not in the block, and the software for it. The fact that in contrast to the ECU of the previous generation, the new software was not fully universal piece of software was developed by the teams themselves and their partners.
This was done in order to give teams the opportunity to work with a more convenient interface, although on the basis of the standard shell. "We wanted to take the best of both worlds," explained development Manager Tim MES Strafford. But to combine them was not so easy, on this site you experience any difficulties, and in varying degrees of failure affected all.
To solve the problem, MES had to go back to the old version of the software, and gradually, step by step, to download new software. "We get updates every day," said head of engines and electronics Ferrari Luca Marmorini. - And sure to Melbourne everything is working properly."