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Alan Johnston edited this page Dec 20, 2023 · 145 revisions

Welcome to the AMSAT® CubeSatSim Project Wiki, the CubeSat Simulator

There is beta release for the new CubeSatSim hardware and software.

The beta wiki instructions are here:

https://CubeSatSim.org/wiki-beta

The beta Bill of Materials (BOM) is here:

https://CubeSatSim.org/bom-beta.

The beta hardware files are here:

https://CubeSatSim.org/hardware-beta

Information about the latest beta software release is here:

https://github.com/alanbjohnston/CubeSatSim/releases

The CubeSatSim is a low cost satellite emulator that runs on solar panels and batteries, transmits UHF radio telemetry, has a 3D printed frame, and can be extended by additional sensors and modules. This project is sponsored by the not-for-profit Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation, AMSAT®.

CubeSatSimu 1U Frame

Here you will find documentation about this project and detailed install instructions.

This is the new version of the CubeSatSim. If you have an older version of the CubeSat Simulator, you might be looking for these instructions.

The CubeSatSim has the following features:

  • Working solar panels and rechargeable batteries

  • Multi-channel voltage, current, and temperature telemetry transmitted in the Amateur Radio UHF band

  • Telemetry decoding using FoxTelem software or APRS software

  • STEM Payload board with Sparkfun Pro Micro or STM32F103C8T6 “Blue Pill” microcontroller & sensors

  • Tape measure monopole, dipole, or SMA antenna

  • Integrated Low Pass Filter

  • New 3D printed frame and solar panels

If you don't have the time or money to build a CubeSatSim that transmits real telemetry, you can build a CubeSat Simulator Lite.

Here are the four boards that make up the complete board stack. Left to right: Raspberry Pi Zero WH, Main Board, Battery Board, and STEM Payload Board.

4 Boards of CubeSatSim

Here is the built board stack:

CubeSatSim Board Stack

There is a 3D printed frame, including solar panels:

Frame Built

Here is a block diagram of the design:

Block Diagram

Parts List to build the CubeSatSim is available here http://cubesatsim.org/bom
Here is a photo of a kit of parts:

Frame Built

Here are the steps to build a CubeSatSim:

1. Build the Main board Part 1

2. Install the Software

3. Build a Ground Station

4. Continue Building the Main board Part 2

5. Build the Battery board

6. Assemble the Solar Panels and Frame

7. Finish the Main board Part 3

8. Build the STEM Payload board

9. Put the Board Stack together and mount in the Frame

The BOM has a sheet "By Steps" which lists the parts needed for each step in order. http://cubesatsim.org/bom If you have a Google account, you can make a copy of this spreadsheet ("File" then "Make a Copy") and check off each part as you install it.

Here is a set of videos showing the various steps: https://cubesatsim.org/build-videos

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