RaceTracker

Custom PCB data logger for motorcycle racing: GPS position + IMU motion data, logged to a microSD card, with an e-Paper status display. Built around an ESP32-S3 (WiFi/BT built in) so it can also stream/sync over WiFi.

Current version: V3 (ESP32-S3)

This is the active, current board. Everything else in this repo (see History / older versions below) is superseded — kept for reference only, not under active development.

RaceTracker.kicad_prj/V3 ESP32/RaceTracker_v3/RaceTracker_v3.kicad_pro

Open that project file in KiCad (10.0.5 or newer) — schematic (RaceTracker_v3.kicad_sch) and PCB (RaceTracker_v3.kicad_pcb) are alongside it.

Status

• Schematic: ERC clean (0 violations).
• PCB: fully routed by hand, kicad-cli pcb drc --severity-all → 0 errors (a handful of expected warnings only — see below).
• Board: 4-layer, ~56×66mm with rounded corner bosses for 4× M2 mounting holes.
• BOM: all 44 parts have a manufacturer part number and LCSC code (or DigiKey, where LCSC doesn't carry the part) in the schematic symbol properties — see bom/bom.csv.

Known, expected DRC warnings (not bugs):

• lib_footprint_mismatch on J1, J5, J6, SW1, U1 — these footprints were deliberately hand-adjusted to match real component pad geometry (pulled from the parts' own datasheets/reference designs) rather than the stock KiCad library footprint. Do not run "Update Footprint from Library" on these — it would silently overwrite the verified geometry.

Key components

Pin-header connectors (J3, J5, J6) have their pin functions silkscreened next to each pin so nothing gets miswired when the board is in hand without the schematic open.

3D preview

Rendered straight from the board file (kicad-cli pcb render). A ready-to-embed, interactive 3D model (quantized GLB, 3.4 MB — Draco was tried first but needs an external decoder that not every embedding context can reach) lives at RaceTracker.kicad_prj/V3 ESP32/RaceTracker_v3/3d/RaceTracker_v3.glb — drop it into a <model-viewer> tag on any webpage to let visitors spin the board around (also works in AR on phones). More stills in assets/renders/.

Open items

Not yet done — flagging so nothing is assumed finished:

1. RF review — the ESP32-S3's on-board antenna keepout is respected on the PCB, but nobody with hands-on RF experience has reviewed the placement. Espressif's own guideline calls for ≥15mm clearance between the antenna and any metal (enclosure, shielding) — the two mounting holes closest to the antenna (top-left/top-right) are only ~3mm away, so use nylon/plastic M2 screws there, not metal.
2. Enclosure / mechanical design — no current mechanical spec for a case; board dimensions have changed several times, don't reuse an old one.
3. 3D models / "finished" 3D view — not started.
4. Two BOM values are assumptions, not confirmed: D2/D3 LED colors (set to red/green — schematic didn't specify a color) and SW1's exact MPN (couldn't verify its physical dimensions against the datasheet).
5. 27 pads show as "no net" against the schematic's auto-generated placeholder nets — reviewed at a glance as genuinely-unused pins (GPIO headroom, USB SBU lines), not individually re-verified.

Repo layout

RaceTracker.kicad_prj/
├── *.kicad_sch, RaceTracker.kicad_pcb   ← V1 (SAMD21 + onboard GPS/WiFi modules) — historical
├── V3 ESP32/RaceTracker_v3/             ← V3 (ESP32-S3) — CURRENT, see above
└── V3 ESP32/tools/                      ← pcbnew scripting helpers used while building V3
v2-simple/                                ← V2 (SAMD21, simplified, external GPS/WiFi) — abandoned mid-layout, superseded by V3
reference/eagle/                          ← imported Eagle symbols (Arduino MKR WiFi 1010) used as a source for V1/V2 parts
bom/bom.csv                               ← current BOM with MPN/LCSC/pricing data (V3)

History / older versions

• V1 (RaceTracker.kicad_prj/*.kicad_sch at the repo root, tag v1-full): original design — Arduino MKR WiFi 1010 (SAMD21) + separate u-blox ZED-F9P RTK GPS module + MPU-6050 IMU. Fully routed, but heavier and pricier than needed for the actual use case.
• V2 / v2-simple: a pivot to drop the onboard GPS/WiFi modules in favor of external pluggable headers, still on the SAMD21. Placement-only; routing was never finished before the project moved to V3's ESP32-S3 (which has WiFi/BT built in, removing the need for a separate radio module entirely). Kept for reference; not maintained.

Branches

main tracks the current state (V3). Historical exploration happened on v2-simple — merged into main and not separately maintained going forward.