Notes from the Avionics Meeting 7/17/01
1. Telemetry Link
Decision: We're using 802.11b for the September flight. We're not using power amplification. We are going to use antenna amplification. If Larry gets an FCC waiver, then we'll go way overboard with antenna amplification ;).
But: We desperately need someone to design cylindrical patch antennas for us!.
2. Flight Computer:
- PC104 586 - $350 -> w/ SRAM and CHIPDISK $600
- PC104 PCMCIA - ~ $120
- PC104 CAN - ~ $200
3. Microcontrollers (CAN Nodes):
- No PIC18F458 Yet (ack!)
- Alternative? PIC16F873 + SJA1000 CAN
- Motorola DSP56F8xx?
- Dragonball?
- 68HC805xxx?
4. Ground Support Equipment
At the Launch Tower:
LB: Launch Box (battery, key interlock, toggleswitch -> PLEASE PLACE AT LEAST 12ft FROM THE LT). LTM: Launch Tower Microcontroller (Relays, ?RocketReady relay). LTC: Launch Tower Computer (Laptop with 802.11b & YAGI, soundcard, loudspeaker).
At the Launch Control Module:
Telemetry Computer (laptop w/802.11b & YAGI (Aimed? Or static?)). Launch Computer (laptop w/802.11b & YAGI).
Monitors in the LCM: ATV, Telemetry, Launch Computer
5. Launch Tower Safety interlock:
- Key * Switch * ?RocketReady = Ok
- Tminus2 signal goes wireless
6. Launch Computer Features:
- Countdown start/stop, display, voice
- Subsecond precision
- Manual control on Relays
- Tminus2 communication to rocket
- Encryption - SSL?
- Turn on the damn video capture
7. Telemetry Computer Features:
Enhanced rocketready display:
- IMU data (scaled)
- Pressure (altitude)
- GPS data (lat/long and distance and bearing)
- Status Messages
- Traffic meter (transmission rate, signal strength)
- Generic data display
- Time stamp data coming in
Command Uplink:
- Arm
- Turn modules on and off
- Fire pyrotechnics
- Test (IMU, FC, data channel)
- Reset
- Encryption (SSL?)
-- AndrewGreenberg - 24 Jul 2001