The following pages describe a microcontroller board which was presented by Utah as an option for miniaturizing the MADEFAST seeker controls. The final controls design for the seeker can be found on the Stanford/CDR MADEFAST Web Page.
Russ Fish has found, through a Salt Lake City company, a microcontroller board which we feel is a viable option to produce a durable, self-contained seeker. With the use of this board, it is hoped that the electronics could be completely contained within the seeker base cylinder. The only external connection would be a wire from the power supply. Also, the interface would be a small display and keypad that would fit on the back of the base, as described below.
This page describes the end result that is expected if we decide to use this board in the seeker. Please see the board specifications and application details for further information.
In these images, two boards have been placed inside the seeker cylinder: an HPC2 on the top, and another card linked to it by 50-pin connectors and ribbon cable. The bottom card represents a "glue card" which would hold and interface the seeker electronics modules to the HPC2 inside the base cylinder. The cards could be mounted either vertically or horizontally.
This image shows the back end of the seeker base with the proposed user interface. If this option is chosen, we would need to machine an appropriate bezel to hold the LCD and keypad in place. A power connector and switch would also be included.