BUTCube - Electronic power system

cube-sat, mission demonstrator, satellite, 1U concept, electronic power system

The electronic power system unit is designed to provide power to the other units of satellite and is also responsible for the batteries and charging them from the solar panels.

The unit itself consists of two identical units that are able to operate independently and fully replace the other unit in the event of its failure or malfunction. Both blocks are mounted on a single printed circuit board. Their communication and power outputs are connected to the other satellite units via a 40-pin stack connector. Each unit can be powered by up to 6 solar cell modules which charge a battery that falls under the power control unit. The unit is capable of monitoring the battery temperature and possibly regulating this temperature by heating the battery, for example for charging purposes when the temperature is below 0°C and is unsafe to charge the battery.

The power supply unit also contains the blocks responsible for activating the satellite after launch. These are logic gates that process the inputs from the separation switches and the activation switch. The battery charging rate is regulated according to battery temperature and environmental conditions.

The voltage from the battery is regulated to the individual supply rails and the voltage and current of each power rail of each unit can be monitored and the problematic rail disconnected from the output if necessary.

The product is physically located at the FSI - Institude of aerospace engineering. Production documentation and source code are available at the link below.

STRaDe Git: https://strade.fit.vutbr.cz/git/imalanik/BUTCube

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