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STORM

Stratospheric Observations and Radiation Monitoring

comments welcome: mrongen@halifax.rwth-aachen.de

Summary

  • Still under development (T.B.D. = “to be done” or “to be determined”), no flight experience yet,…
  • 4 AA Batteries, Latex Balloon
  • 434.xxx Mhz, Shift xxx, xxx Baud
  • Transmission every 30 second

Payload

  • Five main modules clustered around central battery pack
  • (mainly) I2C as communication protocol between modules
(System overview image)

Power Distribution Board (PDB)

  • Distributes 6V from 4 AA batteries to all modules
  • Mounted to back of standart battery pack
  • Monitors battery voltage and total current via INA219 IC and 200mOhm shunt resistor
  • Design Files: (Link)
Batteries

Flight Controle Unit (FCU)

MicroController and GPS
  • NavSpark Microcontroller (originalle an Indigogo Campaign)
  • 100MHz 32bit LEON3 Sparc-V8
  • Full GPS support with external battery
  • 2x UART, 2x SPI, 1x I2C, ~80uA/MHz @ 3.3V
  • P1PPS time reference with ± 10nsec accuracy
  • Software: (Link)

(Photo)

Inertial measurement unit (IMU) and Telemetrie Module
  • Integrated buck-converter power supply to 3.3V for itself and the uC
  • Design Files: (Link)

IMU

Telemetrie

Storage

  • not all data can be transmitted, but everything is stored for offline analyses
  • 1 GB micro SD-Card interfaced via SPI

(Photo)

Sensor Fusion Board (SFB)
  • distributes I2C to OTP, RD and PDB modules
  • UART to GSM module
  • +3V3 to OTP and PDB
  • Design files: (Link)
Data packet structure and integration into the HabHub

T.B.D.

Outside Temperature Probe (OTP)

GSM-Module

Radiation detector (RD)

Theory
Options
  • PMT (Photomultipler) with Scintillator:
    • + high sensitivity
    • + good energy resolution
    • - high voltage needed (~ 1kV)
    • - heavy
    • - suscaptible to temperature and magnetic field changes
    • - complex to setup
  • SIPM (Silicon photomultiplier) with Scintillator
    • + high sensitivity
    • + good energy resolution
    • + lightweight
    • - high voltage needed (~80V)
    • - VERY sucaptible to temperature changes
    • - complex to setup
  • Geiger Müller tube
    • + easy to setup
    • + lightweight
    • o average sensitivity
    • - high voltage needed (~500V)
    • - no energy information at all
  • Solid state detector (Teviso RD3024)
    • + trivial to setup
    • + low voltage (~5V)
    • + “some” energy resolution through the pulse with
    • + lightweight
    • - low sensitivity
    • - EMI sensitive
Teviso RD3024 Module
  • array of radiation soft PIN diodes
  • integrated bias-, amplification-, comperator-, and output-shaping circuit
  • ~6CPM/uSh/h, essentially stable from 3 - 6 V, -40 - 60 °C
  • pulse width is supposed to be slightly correlated to particle energy (to be tested further)
  • SMD package
  • Teviso sponsored one unit, otherwise ~120€
Breadboard test
  • ATTiny85 triggers on rising and falling edges of RD3024 TTL pulse
    • pulse width resolution: 1us
    • accuracy test with 130 us function generator pulses: 130.2 +- 2.3 us digitised
  • ATTiny acts as I2C slave against FCU

(Photo and plots)

Flight module
  • Integrates buck-converter power supply to 3.3V
  • allows soldering a grounded aluminium EMI shield over the RD3024
  • Design Files: (Link)

Camera

  • FlyCamOne Eco V2
  • integrated power supply
  • Video, Timed Pictures
  • 720 x 480px @ 30 fps
  • max. 8 GB Micro SD card
  • 4-6 V input

Conformal coating

  • breakdown voltage of air is drastically reduced at low pressures (Paschen Law)
  • can lead to elevated discharge rates even at voltages below sparking
  • coat PCBs and plugged connectors with Plastik70

Environmental testing

Vaccum
  • T.B.D.: Test full electronics system with conformal coating for elevated discharge at Paschen minimum.
Temperature
  • T.B.D.: Battery temperature is not supposed to drop below -10°C when exposing powered payload to -50°C for 20 minutes
EMI
  • T.B.D.: Test GPS reception and RD noise during 70cm and GSM transmissions
Telemetries range
  • Possibly a test chasing a commercial hot air ballon with the payload
Boyancy
  • Should stay afloat on standing water for at least 10 minutes

Mechanical integration and isolation

T.B.D.

Ballon and Parachute

T.B.D.

Radar reflector

T.B.D.

Chase car

  • Diamond MR-77S Mag Antenna
  • Custom QFH antenna - T.B.D.
  • FunCube Dongle
    • Datasheet: (Link)
  • DVB-T Dongle
    • Datasheet: (Link)

Red Tape

  • in Germany I need a Flugverkehrskontrollfreigabe (liftoff permission) from the Deutsche Flugsicherung (German airspace control)
  • 2 weeks lead time
  • this includes the need for a 1 day aviation insurance (~60€)
projects/storm.1420201854.txt.gz · Last modified: 2015/01/02 12:30 by storm

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