Title: Building a NearSys BalloonSat Easy Flight Computer for a Near-Space Payload
1Building a NearSysBalloonSat Easy Flight
Computerfor a Near-Space Payload
- AEM 1905 Spaceflight with Ballooning
- University of Minnesota
2BalloonSat Easy kit and instructions
3Parts in BalloonSat Easy kit
4Printed Circuit Board (PCB)
5Resistors, to be numbered R1 R8
6Diode polarity indicated by the stripe
79-volt battery snap for main power
8AAA battery pack for servo power
9Wires for switches, camera, etc.
10Toggle switches for main power and servo
11Heat-shrink tubing (AKA shrink-wrap)
12IC (only one shown) and two IC sockets
13Capacitor polarized longer lead is positive
145-volt voltage regulator
15Main power indicator LED flat edge is the
negative lead
16Reed relay to fire hot-wired camera (in any)
173- and 6-pin headers, including the Programming
Header, the Commit Header, and the (female)
receptacle
18Shorting plug (AKA pull-before-flight pin) which
goes over Commit Header
19Identify which resistors are which then solder in
R1 through R8 in exact locations. R8 330 ohms
(missing from instructions).
20Solder in diode use strip for polarity
21Use Helping Hands to hold Commit Header in place
for soldering
22Commit Header now soldered in place (sticks off
edge of the PCB)
23Solder in 9-volt battery snap using the strain
relief holes in the PCB
24Do the same with the servo battery pack
25Cut long wire into 6 equal pieces then strip one
end of each to ¼ inch length
26Leave other end of two unstripped (for camera
unimplemented) but strip the others ¾ inch and
twist to avoid fraying
27Solder in camera wires, using strain relief
28Solder in 4 switch wires, using strain relief
29Slide on shrink-wrap before proceeding
30Hook one pair of switch wires through the center
and one side post of each switch
31Solder wires to pins, minimizing diameter
32Slide shrink-wrap over solder joints once both
wires have been soldered
33Shrink with heat gun complete 2 switches
34Insert IC sockets in PCB watch notches
35Solder in the capacitor watch polarity
36Insert voltage regulator watch polarity
37Avoid solder bridges on closely-spaced pins of
the voltage regulator
38Insert power indicator LED positive
lead (non-flat edge) goes next to the letter A
39Insert REED relay only goes in one way
40Insert 3-pin male Programming Header and 3-pin
male Servo Header (short ends through the PCB)
without soldering yet. Insert the 6-pin female
receptacle (it may be too tight for all the
pieces to fit flush).
41Shave or sand off receptacle if need be so it
fits next to Servo Header. Once all fit flush to
the PCB, solder pieces in place.
42BalloonSat Easy Flight computer, without
chips, ready for testing