1U CubeSat OBC & Radio — Full-Stack Flight Avionics

Overview

A flight-ready On-Board Computer and UHF radio for a 1U CubeSat — full schematic design, component selection, multi-layer layout and EPS integration, taken through fabrication, assembly and live bench bring-up.

Challenge

Design a complete CubeSat OBC with ATmega2560, dual redundant F-RAM, UHF transceiver with PA, closed-loop EPS integration, IMU, RTC — all within PC-104 form factor.

Our Approach

• ATmega2560 flight computer with full housekeeping firmware
• Dual redundant CY15B104Q F-RAM for mission-critical data
• Si4463 UHF transceiver + RFFM6406 PA with SAW filters
• Closed-loop EPS integration over PC-104 header
• BMX160 IMU, DS3231 RTC, CP2102 USB-UART chain

Technical Highlights

• ATmega2560 (100-pin TQFP) running all satellite housekeeping
• Dual redundant 4 Mbit SPI F-RAM for fault tolerance
• Si4463 UHF with PA bypass for low-power eclipse beacons
• Full PC-104 compatible stack integration

Deliverables

• ✓OBC schematic and PCB layout
• ✓3D model and assembly drawings
• ✓Bench bring-up and validation report
• ✓Firmware specification