Change Description
Icarus
System Electrical Routing Guidelines
Daniel Puratich
daniel.puratich@uwaterloo.ca
Description of Change
Adding a section regarding system level electrical placement information as described below:
The frame should not be electrically connected (aka should be at floating potential)
This can be checked with a DMM (when the system is not powered)
This means that if a PCB we are using has electrically connected mounting holes we need to take proper steps to achieve isolation
Sometimes PCB mounting holes are electrically connected to a GND plane for thermal reasons so we should also approach thermals with caution on sensitive electronics
Conformal Coating can be used within reason
The pro of conformal coating is waterproofing and makes it harder to accidentally should with a screw driver
The con of conformal coating is it prevents heat from leaving a PCBA
So anything that is conformal coated should receive a thin layer at most
Another con is that it can be annoying to remove in the case of reworking a PCBA
For example it would be fine to conformal coat a flight controller that runs cool
However, for example an RF transmitter we would want to approach with more caution
We could place a large heatsink on the primary chip(s) using thermal paste
Then we could consider conformal coating the other portions of the board
Cables, especially longer cables, should be within sheaths when reasonable
This offers protection against abrasion during natural flight vibrations
Exception to this rule is shorter cables that are placed further from anything that could be abrasive, specifically cables purely within the avionic compartment of our aircraft
Varying conductor types should be separated when reasonable
Generally we consider four different types of cables: Digital, Analog, Power, & Coax/Rf
Digital: Characterized by signals with fast edges
Fast edges refers to low microsecond rising/falling edge range and faster
Clarify rise/fall time (offer examples of rise/fall times we’d expect on our system)
Generally transcieving in 0 and 1 states asynchronously or synchronously
I.E. a GPS module’s cable connection to our flight controller is digital
Analog: Characterized by signals with slow edges
Slow edges refers to high microsecond rising/falling edge range and slower
Clarify rise/fall time (offer examples of rise/fall times we’d expect on our system)
Generally transcieving data in varying voltage states
Though some protocols we consider analog will also transmit some digital data as well
I.E. a hobby fpv analog video camera has an analog data output
Power: Characterized by constant voltage varying current designed for power transmission
Generally the voltage is constant though higher frequency noise may be present
These conductors can have significant current pulses
I.E. a connection from a battery to an ESC
Coax/Rf: Characterized by oscillating signals accross the spectrum (~20kHz to ~300Ghz) intended for wireless transmissions and notably contained within a coaxial cable
Maybe a nice name here ?
A coaxial cable, specifically for our applications utilizing an SMA or RP-SMA connector, is generally used to guide sensitive RF signals between transceivers & antennas.
It is also worth noting antenna placement is critical, this is noted below in more detail
SMA & RP-SMA connector info should be found in the corresponding connectors arch doc section.
Because coaxial cables offer strong noise immunity the routing constraints of these cables are looser than others
This is true right ? I know coaxes aren’t perfect, hmm
Each of these type of conductors should be physically grouped together, however, each type should be separated
I.E. All power stuff near each other, all digital near each other, but power separated from digital
This grouping and separation is physical distance, though of course there are other factors
Within PCBAs these groups may be mixed, this is fine, we will assume the PCB designer has taken the proper care to avoid issues as necessary
RF Transceiver Care
An RF transmitter should not be turned on (given input power) without a proper antenna connected as this can permanently damage the transmitter
Possible violations of this policy should be reported in Discord and transmitters should be labelled as damage (notably degraded performance) may not be immediately evident. We don’t want to blame each other, stuff happens, we just want to note it for the future! If you do not feel comfortable stating this publicly feel free to DM a lead you’re comfortable speaking to who can relay the message without naming names.
Transmitters generally get warm
They require a lot of power and therefore require some cooling
They are sometimes designed to be mounted outside an airframe for ambient cooling of wind passing the frame. As we may not be doing this we need to approach this with caution.
Notes regarding conformal coating are above.
The lower the frequency the longer the distance we can get for the same output power generally
The higher the frequency means more bandwidth generally
Antenna mounting
Radio waves do not like to change medium
Specifically they do not like to pass through materials of varying dielectric constant
Verify if this is true / worded correctly - my RF knowledge isnt that cracked
Passing waves through some varying materials may be fine, but be careful!
This means mounting antennas outside of cases/airframes and providing LOS when reasonable
Antenna polarity should be deliberate
Antennas that use diversity should be mounted with opposing polarities
Ground antenna should be mounted with as much distance away from the ground as possible
This is to reduce ground reflection and has a considerable effect on reliability of an RF link
Antenna spacing should be minded
Any device with diversity (multiple antenna inputs) should have it’s antennas mounted with some spacing between them. Always follow manufacturer guidance here.
IE our VN-300 has specific manufacturer recommendations regarding recommended spacings and clearances
Different devices should have their antennas spaced out
add reasonning and maybe notes about frequencies
Implementation
We will discuss in RFC channel. This is just documenting knowledge for newer members to understand.
Reason for Change
Assist in Mech Elec integration
Priority
Medium
Impact of Not Responding to Change
Confusion
What Groups, People, Sub-teams Need to be Notified?
Mech: Nathan Green
EFS: Anthony Luo
Electrical: Daniel Puratich Ethan Abraham Farris Matar Rayyan Mahmood Nolan Haines Michael Botros
Change Impact
Additional Parts/Resources Required and Costs
None
Impact on deadlines
Minimal
Alternatives and Recommendations
NA
Comments
I would appreciate verification and input on some of what I’ve written here. See Discord thread.
Change Request Sign Off -
Status
✅ Accepted / ⏸️ On Hold / ❌ Rejected / 
More info Requested