Antasena ITS Team: Smart Falcon Instrument & Joule Meter System

Founded in 2010, Antasena ITS Team is a multidisciplinary student team from Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS), Indonesia, consisting of around 40 passionate students from various academic backgrounds such as engineering, science, and design. The team is dedicated to advancing sustainable mobility by developing hydrogen-powered vehicles, with a strong emphasis on research, innovation, and real-world application.

Our current flagship project, Falcon 3.0, is a hydrogen-fueled vehicle competing in the Prototype category of the prestigious Shell Eco-Marathon—a global competition that challenges student teams to design and build the most energy-efficient vehicles. Falcon represents Antasena’s bold vision in pushing hydrogen fuel cell technology to its limits, combining lightweight design with smart energy management to achieve maximum efficiency. Over the years, Antasena has consistently delivered strong performances, earning awards and recognition at regional and international levels.

Currently, the team’s Electrical and Powertrain Division is focusing on two major subsystems: the Smart Falcon Instrument and the Joule Meter, both of which are crucial for performance monitoring, energy optimization, and safety assurance.

Smart Falcon Instrument is a fully integrated data acquisition, control, and telemetry system built to monitor and manage various parameters of the hydrogen vehicle. It not only displays key sensor information in real-time but also enables remote condition monitoring (telemetry), ensuring that the car can be observed and analyzed from a distance during testing or competition.

Key Components and Functions:

• ESP32 DevKit: Main microcontroller handling data processing, control logic, telemetry transmission (Wi-Fi/Bluetooth), and interfacing with sensors.
• Arduino Nano: Secondary microcontroller supporting auxiliary tasks and system modularity.
• ADS1115 ADC: 16-bit analog-to-digital converter used for high-precision voltage and current measurements.
• Voltage Divider Circuit: Scales down fuel cell voltage for safe ADC input.
• Shunt Resistor: Measures current by sensing voltage drop across a known resistance.
• MQ8 Gas Sensor: Detects hydrogen gas leaks; triggers safety cutoff via relay.
• Hall Effect Sensor: Measures wheel rotation to calculate speed.
• GPS Module: Provides real-time vehicle position and velocity data.
• Temperature Sensors: Monitor fuel cell and ambient temperatures.
• Compass & Altitude Sensors: Provide orientation and elevation data.
• LCD I2C Display: Displays real-time sensor data to the driver or engineers.
• Relay Modules: One relay cuts hydrogen supply (via solenoid valve) during leaks; another relay cuts power from the deadman switch.
• Transistors (e.g., S8050): Interface microcontroller outputs to drive relays safely.
• Logic Level Converter: Ensures voltage compatibility between 3.3V and 5V components.
• Deadman Switch: Safety mechanism to disable motor power when not actively pressed by the driver.

System Workflow:

• Sensors send analog/digital signals to ESP32/Nano.
• Analog signals (voltage, current) are processed via ADS1115.
• ESP32 displays the data on the LCD and optionally sends it via telemetry.
• If a critical threshold is exceeded (e.g., gas leak, inactive driver), relays are triggered to isolate power or gas systems.
• Telemetry & DAQ:
• The system functions as a full data acquisition platform, continuously logging sensor inputs. Through built-in wireless capabilities (Wi-Fi/Bluetooth), telemetry data is transmitted in real-time to a remote monitoring station, allowing engineers to observe critical vehicle parameters during operation.

Joulemeter :

The Joule Meter is a custom-developed subsystem that accurately tracks the total energy consumed by the vehicle’s powertrain throughout a race or test cycle. It is essential for optimizing energy usage, maximizing fuel cell efficiency, and conducting post-race analysis.

Key Components:

• Shunt Resistor
• Voltage Divider
• ADS1115 ADC
• Arduino Microcontroller
• SD-card Module

Functionality:

• Voltage (V) and current (I) values are measured in real-time.
• Power is calculated using: P(t) = V(t) x I(t)
• Energy is integrated over time: E = ∫P(t) dt
• Final result is expressed in joules or watt-hours, either displayed and logged.

Conclusion

With these subsystems, Antasena ITS Team not only ensures operational safety and performance insight but also embraces engineering transparency and data-driven development. The integration of Smart Falcon Instrument and Joule Meter exemplifies the team’s commitment to advancing hydrogen vehicle technology while cultivating an ecosystem where students collaborate, innovate, and lead in the global energy transition.

By supporting the Smart Falcon Instrument and Joule Meter initiatives, PCBWay is not only enabling cutting-edge student innovation but also aligning with a global shift toward sustainable, hydrogen-based transportation. Antasena ITS Team represents a unique fusion of academic excellence, hands-on engineering, and environmental commitment, all embodied in a real-world, competition-proven platform. Our custom-designed PCBs are central to vehicle safety, energy efficiency, and technological integrity—precisely the kind of advanced, purpose-driven design that PCBWay stands for.

With PCBWay’s trusted manufacturing quality and technical expertise, we can ensure that our instrumentation systems perform reliably under race conditions, and demonstrate what student-engineered sustainability truly looks like. Supporting this project means supporting the future of clean energy innovation and the young minds leading it forward.

• Joulemeter
• Data Telemetry
• Instrumentation
• ESP32