Athena

Advanced Flight Computer with Triple MCU Architecture

Key Features • Board Overview • Specifications • Components • Credits • License

Key Features

• Triple MCU Architecture: STM32H753VIT6 (MPU), STM32H743VIT6 (TPU), STM32G474RET6 (SPU)
• 6 Pyro Channels: Direct 12V battery connection with fuse protection
• 6 PWM Channels: 2 for TVC (Thrust Vector Control), 4 for fin control
• Advanced Sensors: Triple ICM-45686 IMUs, LIS2MDLTR magnetometer, ICP-20100 & BMP388 barometers
• GNSS & Communication: NEO-M8U-06B GPS, LoRa RA-02 telemetry, Bluetooth DA14531MOD
• Storage: SD Card + Winbond W25Q256JV flash memory
• Power Management: 7.4-12V LiPo battery with BQ25703ARSNR charger, USB-C PD support
• 6-Layer PCB: Dedicated power planes and signal routing

Board Overview

Athena is a high-performance flight computer designed for advanced rocketry applications. The board features a sophisticated 6-layer PCB design with dedicated power planes and optimized signal routing.

Board Images

PCB Design Process

The board was designed in EasyEDA with careful attention to power distribution and signal integrity:

Specifications

Physical Specifications

• Board Size: 80mm × 140mm
• Layer Count: 6 layers
• Thickness: Standard PCB thickness
• Connectors: USB-C, SD Card slot, various headers

Power Specifications

• Input Voltage: 7.4V LiPo battery
• Regulated Outputs: 5V, 3.3V
• Charging: USB-C Power Delivery support

Communication Interfaces

• GNSS: NEO-M8U-06B GPS module
• LoRa: RA-02 for long-range telemetry
• Bluetooth: DA14531MOD for local communication
• CAN: TCAN1057AVDRQ1 transceiver
• USB: TUSB2036 USB hub
• UART: Dedicated UART channels for each STM with ESD protection

Components

Microcontrollers

• MPU (Main Processing Unit): STM32H753VIT6 - Handles sensors and Kalman filtering
• TPU (Telemetry Processing Unit): STM32H743VIT6 - Manages LoRa, SD card, and flash memory
• SPU (Servo Processing Unit): STM32G474RET6 - Controls pyro channels and PWM outputs

Sensors

• IMU: 3× ICM-45686 (triple redundancy)
• Magnetometer: LIS2MDLTR
• Barometers: ICP-20100, BMP388 (dual redundancy)

Power Management

• Battery Charger: BQ25703ARSNR
• USB-C PD Controller: TPS25750
• Buck Converters: LM5145RGYR (servo), TPS5430 (3.3V)

Storage & Communication

• Flash Memory: Winbond W25Q256JV
• SD Card: Standard microSD slot
• GPS: NEO-M8U-06B
• LoRa: RA-02
• Bluetooth: DA14531MOD-00F01002

Credits

This project uses:

• EasyEDA - PCB design and schematic capture
• STM32 HAL - Hardware abstraction layer
• JLCPCB - PCB manufacturing and assembly
• Figma - Silkscreen design

You may also like...

• Niveles De Niveles – Real-time flood alert app
• Linea – An EMR tablet
• Tamaki – A cute HackPad

License

MIT

---

notaroomba.dev  ·  GitHub @NotARoomba