What?
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Designed and fabricated electronics to position and control the shape of ultra-thin deformable mirrors for space applications
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Optimized PCB layout to protect MCU from browning out due to close proximity to fast switching high-voltage line
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Tested and validated boards for space applications
How?
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Improved PCB layout from EE engineer using Autodesk Eagle
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Measured EM field to understand correlation between MCU shutdown and fast switching of HV lines for picomotor control
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Experimented with different shielding options from external copper shields to PCB ground plane layers (final solution)
Results
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Boards built and assembled inside mirror payload assembly
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Boards tested in a thermal vacuum chamber replicating the thermal cycles expected by the satellite AAReST during its mission in low earth orbit
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Boards certified for space application (TRL 8) after successful thermal, vacuum, vibration, and shock tests
