Chapter 4 Sensors and Actuators Selections
4.1 Comtech AA Coarse Sun Sensor
Figure 7: Dimension of Coarse Sun Sensor
Sun sensors, although mass-produced according to listed specifications, contain minute
differences in photodiode angles and sensitivities that necessitate calibration for use in space. The goal of
the data from the Coarse Sun Sensor (CSS) which are located along the sides of the satellite is to allow
Attitude Determination & Control (ADC) to determine the Angle of Incidence (AOI) and make attitude
adjustments to bring the view of the Sun. The AOI varies at 15° increments because the CSS requires
only a coarse view of which direction to turn and then the Fine Sun Sensor (FSS) data will allow for finer
adjustments. The CSS data are symmetrical and include voltage outputs that could correspond to either a
positive or negative AOI. The Field of View (FOV) of the CSS at the bottom of the satellite overlaps
with the FOV of those mounted on opposing sides, telling the ADC which AOI the voltage corresponds to
base on whether or not the CSS at the base shows a voltage output.
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The following table provides the CSS data and specification [11].
Table 1: Data and Specifications of Coarse Sun Sensor
Flight Heritage ALEXIS, HETE, MOST, ChipSAT and STPSat‐1
Field of View
120° full‐angle circular field of view
FoV
3sigma 5° of 1‐axis knowledge
Accuracy
Power None required
Volume 1.27 cm diameter x 0.90 cm height
Mass 10 g w/ 1.27m flying leads
Housing diameter: 1.27 cm
Size Flange diameter: 2.286 cm
Sensor height: 0.899 cm
Bandwidth 100KHz
Operating
‐40°C to 100°C
Temperature
Vibration Test 14.1g rms protoqual testing procedure
Levels
Shock Test Levels 60g protoqual
Radiation TID 1 Mrads
Materials Epitaxial Silicon help makes the sensor radiation hardened
$2,641.4 US per 1
Price
$13,207 US per 5
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4.2 SSBV CubeSat Sun Sensor
Figure 8: Fine Sun Sensor
The Fine Sun Sensor (FSS) data allows ADC to make minute attitude adjustments, allowing the
adjacent solar array to maximize solar power generation. The threshold orientation accuracy for the
satellite is 5°. ADC required calibration data that would allow for fine adjustment: the data set included
10° increments along the entire FOV and 2° increments surrounding the region normal to the sensor
mounting surface [12].
The FSS has four individual diodes canted towards the sensor’s quadrants, each receiving voltage
outputs. A potential application of the data is to relate x angle, y angle and voltage by processing
calibration data into a 3D surface. By orienting these surfaces to correspond to sensor setup, ADC could
generate contour projections of AOI based on on-orbit voltages. The intersection of these projections
would be the satellite’s attitude relative to the Sun.
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The following table provides the FSS data and specifications:
Table 2: Data and Specifications of Fine Sun Sensor
Flight Heritage UKube‐1 and TDS‐1 satellites in 2012
Mass 5g
Power 5 mA
Size 33mm x 11mm x 6mm
Operating temperature ‐25°C to 150°C
Field of view 120°
Update Rate 10Hz
Bandwidth
Accuracy 0.5°
Power Supply 3.3 or 5 V
Interface I/F: 4 analogue channels, 9‐way Nano‐D Connector
Material Aluminum & Titanium
Price $5,000 US
To capture the necessary calibration data, the sensors were tested using a Calibrated AM0 Sun
Simulator light source at varying angles of incidence, recording voltage output from the photodiodes at
each position. The sensors were also tested across a range of temperatures to see if there is performance
variation within the company’s listed temperature range.
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4.3 EVAL-ADXRS450Z-M Gyroscope
Figure 9: Gyroscope
The EVAL-ADXRS450Z-M is a simple breakout board that enables easy connection of an
ADXRS450 into an existing system. The EVAL-ADXRS450Z-M is a digital-output, single-axis
gyroscope with built-in temperature calibration [13].
The ADXRS450 is available in two packages: an SOIC package for yaw-axis rate sensing, and a
vertical-mount package (VMP) for pitch- or roll-axis sensing. In applications requiring multi-axis sensing,
the innovative VMP greatly simplifies assembly by eliminating the need for additional boards mounted at
90°. An advanced, differential, quad sensor design rejects the influence of linear acceleration, enabling
the ADXRS450 to operate in exceedingly harsh environments where shock and vibration are present [14].
The ADXRS450 uses an internal, continuous self-test architecture. The integrity of the
electromechanical system is checked by applying a high frequency electrostatic force to the sense
structure to generate a rate signal that can be differentiated from the baseband rate data and internally
analyzed.
The ADXRS450 is capable of sensing angular rate of up to ±300°/sec. Angular rate data is
presented as a 16-bit word, as part of a 32-bit SPI message. The ADXRS450 is available in a cavity
plastic 16-lead SOIC (SOIC_CAV) and an SMT-compatible vertical mount package (LCC_V), and is
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capable of operating across both a wide voltage range (3.3 V to 5 V) and temperature range (−40°C to
+105°C).
The following table presents all the ADXRS450 specifications and pin connections:
Table 3: Specifications of Gyroscope
Operating Temperature ‐40°C to 105°C
Sensitivity 80 LSB
Typical Bandwidth 80 Hz
Voltage Supply 3.15V to 5.25V
Board Size 33mm x 33mm x 1.2mm
Price $59.54 US
Material Aluminum & Titanium
Connect Main Computer
SPI digital output with 16‐bit data‐word
Internally temperature compensated
Complete rate gyroscope on a single chip
Figure 10: Gyroscope Pin Connection
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4.4 Magnetometer
Figure 11: Magnetometer
Table 4: Data and Specifications of Magnetometer
Size 17.78X17.78X0.9mm
Mass 18 mg
Operating Temperature ‐30‐85 C
Heading Accuracy 1‐2 Degree
Linearity 0.1%
Measurement Period 6ms
Supply Voltage 2.16‐3.6V
Max Current Draw 6 μA
Rate 100 KHz or 400 KHz
Price 14.95$
Materials Nickel‐Iron Permalloy
Last year’s Design and Analysis project outlined a Magnetometer created by Honeywell, a leader
in the sensor/detector industry. This component satisfied three of the four design guidelines set forth by
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the first Design and Analysis team from 2011 [1]. The Magnetometer selected is the HMC5883L 3-axis
sensor, with a suggested breakout board built by SparkFun. This magnetic sensor had excellent flight
heritage, measured all 3 axis, and operates in the 3.3V range. Also, the component has a very low cost.
Taking the HMC5883L as a baseline, initial research was done to see if there were any new
components made by the same company, or similar parts made by a different company. The Honeywell
Company touted the HMC line as the ‘premiere sensors’ in the field. The Freescale FXOS8700CQ: 6-
Axis Xtrinsic Sensor, a component combining an accelerometer and magnetometer, was looked at, but
determined to be much too heavy, with a lesser accuracy for the magnetic measurements. Also, the power
requirements were much greater to power both types of sensors [15]. The HMC5883L was again selected
as the most viable option because of its accuracy, weight, and flight heritage.
Two mounting options were presented by last year’s Design and Analysis team for the
magnetometer. The first was a static option, where the sensor was on the top +Z face of the design, with
its axis aligned with the body axis of the CubeSat. This option is mechanically simple, cheap, and does
not create any torques or disturbances during normal use. The second option was to use a boom-style
solar panel deployment to get the sensor as far away from the rest of the electric components as possible.
This approach is mechanically complex, and required additional analysis done to acquire inertial
measurements. However, after restrictions from the P-POD document were discussed, it was realized that
a deployable sensor would not be practical for our design as the sensor would have to remain un-deployed
for thirty minutes after the ejection of the CubeSat from the launch vehicle. The magnetometer is
necessary for initial de-tumbling functions, and thus waiting thirty minutes to begin to de-tumble would
vastly increase de-tumbling time. Thus, the top surface mounting option was selected because of the ease
of integration and the simplicity of the design.
The Magnetometer would need to have its data output conditioned by its own breakout board, and
then sent, under last year’s specifications, to the main computer [16]. From last year’s design, the Clyde-
Space Mission Interface Computer was suggested as the main computer for the WPI mission. This
motherboard is integrated with pluggable processor modules (PPMs), which allow direct connection from
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the sensor output to the computer. The Clyde-Space component was selected because of its two types of
PPMs, one for high performance data handling (the ARM922T), and one for low power requirements and
redundancies (the MSP430). The HMC5883L would be connected to ARM922T module, as the
magnetometer can output data up to 400 Hz.
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4.5 Magnetorquer Selection
Figure 12: Magnetorquer
After testing three types of magnetorquers last year, the ADC team determined that the best
possible component for the WPI mission would be the ZARM MTO.2-1 Magnetorquer [1]. This
component had the lowest mass, size, and power requirements of all the types tested, and reached the
magnetic moments required with a low power requirement and much less weight. The Zarm Technik
Corporation was contacted for more information about their MTO.2-1; however they had discontinued the
MTO.2-1 product line. Zarm suggested the possibility of using a MTO.5-1, which was one of the other
products tested by last year’s team. This piece reaches the same magnetic moments as the MTO.2-1, but
at a much lower power cost. However, the MTO.5-1 is longer, heavier, and more expensive than the
MTO.2-1, but given that there are no other viable options, the MTO.5-1 has been selected as the
magnetorquer of choice for the WPI mission.
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Figure 13: Magnetorquer Power and Moment Output Comparison
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4.6 Clyde-Space ADCS Command Board
Figure 14: Clyde‐Space ADCS Board
In researching new magnetometers and magnetorquers, the Clyde-Space ADCS board was
discovered. This is a new product made by Clyde-Space, a trusted and prominent company in the CubeSat
industry. This component would serve as a command hub for the systems involved with de-tumbling and
attitude determination/control. With PPM interfaces for multiple sensors, including but not limited to;
coarse and fine sun sensors, GPS systems (an included GPS daughter board is optional), and gyroscopes.
The advanced version of the board comes with it’s own included magnetometer, but the company has
stated that it is a modular component and could be removed depended on the design constraints specific to
each user. This board could be connected to a PPM on the main computer, and would control the sensors
and actuators connected to it, while sending the necessary information to the main computer. Clyde-Space
has embedded programs in the board, such as de-tumbling and sun tracking, but also states that the board
has the ability to accept custom MatLab coding [17]. All 5 of the CubeSat sun sensors, as well as the
GPS, gyroscope, and magnetometer, will be connected and feeding information to the ADCS board,
which will be directly controlling the actuators using the information being fed to it by the sensors.
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4.7 Summary of Final Hardware Selection
Table 5: Final selections of Hardware
Sensor/ Model Manufacture Number Total Power
Needed Price Requireme
Actuator
nt
Sun Sensor Coarse Comtech AA 4 $10,566 None
Sun Sensor Fine SSBV Space 1 $5,000 140 mW
and Ground
Systems
Magneto‐ HMC5883L Honeywell 1 $14.95 0.25 mW
meter
Gyroscope ADXRS450 Analog Devices 1 $59.54 30 mW
Magnetic 5‐1 PO Zarm Technik 3 Unknow 275 mW
Torquer n
Materials employed included dissipative paints, indium-tin-oxide films, carbon loaded polymers,
thin SiOx coatings on metallic substrates, Nickel-Iron Permalloys, and conductive tapes.
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