4" Avionics
Avionics CAD Render
About the Avionics Team
The Avionics team brings rockets to life with custom PCBs and flight weight electronics. The team works on flight computers, GPS, antenna systems, radios, sensors, and power systems to ensure reliable telemetry and fault protection. This team specializes in electronics, embedded systems, and hardware integration for rocket control systems.
Overview of System
The avionics system is composed of five modules interconnected through CAN bus. These modules are: Power, Sensors, GPS, Antenna, and Recovery. The backplate features PCIe slots, and connects all the modules.
Requirements and Design Goals
The primary goal of the 4-inch avionics system is to enable learning. This will be the first system of many.
Primary Functional Requirements
- Don't be janky.
- Fully open-source.
- Assemblable by JLCPCB.
- Incorporate all known best practices to enable scalability.
- It will be a CAN-enabled system in a 4-inch diameter form factor.
Battery
The system will use a SRAD battery pack for custom-built boards, and COTS components will use a commercial battery pack. For the first launch, a 2s 2p pack inspired by this video will be used.
Improvements for the Next Version
- USB Multiplexer: Controlled by a Raspberry Pi Zero. The backplate will host the MUX, enabling digital reboots and removal of USB ports except on the Pi Zero.
- Programmable Power MUX: Allows remote rebooting of components.
- Ethernet: Inclusion for data transmission.
- Camera Transmission
- USB Protection IC
- Auto fuel fill