Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Lubbock, Texas » Cropping Systems Research Laboratory » Cotton Production and Processing Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #297906
Title: Methods for Protecting a Personal Computer and Data Acquisition Electronics Installed on Mobile Equipment

Author
item Pelletier, Mathew
item Wanjura, John
item Holt, Gregory
item Funk, Paul

Submitted to: AgriEngineering
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/8/2018
Publication Date: 10/16/2018
Citation: Pelletier, M.G., Wanjura, J.D., Holt, G.A., Funk, P.A. 2018. Methods for Protecting a Personal Computer and Data Acquisition Electronics Installed on Mobile Equipment. AgriEngineering.1(1):4-16. doi:10.3390/agriengineering1010002.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/agriengineering1010002

Interpretive Summary: Successful data-acquisition on mobile platforms, such as tractors, require that protection is provided to the sensitive electronics as the platforms are inherently rife with electrical transients of sufficient energy that unprotected instrumentation will be damaged. The objectives of this study were to identify requirements for protecting mobile platform instrumentation and equipment, or circuits that can perform this function. The research developed a new circuit that is capable of protecting a computer and data acquisition electronics installed on 12 VDC mobile equipment. The reported cirtut provides a simple, inexpensive design that meets Automotive Electronics Council requirements using readily available components without a specially fabricated circuit board.

Technical Abstract: Successful data-acquisition on mobile platforms, such as tractors, require that protection is provided to the sensitive electronics as the platforms are inherently rife with electrical transients of sufficient energy that unprotected instrumentation will be damaged. Unfortunately, while there are many protection options for industrial applications, installed at 120 VAC, off the shelf products for mobile protection are extremely limited and after a survey were determined to provide insufficient protection. The objectives of this study were to identify requirements for protecting mobile platform instrumentation and equipment, or circuits that can perform this function. A literature review of electrical transients typical to automotive electronics was performed along with circuit simulations were performed using open source software. Off-the-shelf circuit components were tested, via simulation, in various configurations until a design emerged that provided adequate protection from all classes of surges. To ensure protection of valuable data, one of the design criteria’s was to ensure the circuit would continue to supply power to the PC and electronics even during a load dump event. The circuit was also designed to provide protection from electrical fast transients and electrostatic discharges. The reported circuit is capable of protecting a computer and data acquisition electronics installed on 12 VDC mobile equipment. This simple, inexpensive design meets Automotive Electronics Council requirements using readily available components without a specially fabricated circuit board.