2023-03-24 - System Electrical Routing Guidelines

Owned by Daniel Puratich, created
Last updated: 2023-03-27
6 min read

Change Description

Icarus

System Electrical Routing Guidelines

Daniel Puratich

daniel.puratich@uwaterloo.ca

Description of Change

Add the below section to the arch doc:

System Level Electrical Placement & Routing Guidelines/Information:

  • The frame should not be electrically connected (aka should be at floating potential)

    • Complies with: UL1740

    • 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

  • Avoid loops in cable runs if possible

  • 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

        • Definition of a fast edge in this context and some examples to be added by an EE

        • Generally transcieving in 0 and 1 states asynchronously or synchronously

        • I.E. a GPS module’s cable connection to our flight controller is digital

        • An IMU is an example of a particular digital device that is sensitive to external noise.

      • Analog: Characterized by signals with slow edges

        • Definition of a slow edge in this context and some examples to be added by an EE

        • 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

        • An analog video feed out of an analog camera is an example of a particular digital device that is sensitive to external noise.

      • 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 across the spectrum (~20kHz to ~300Ghz) intended for wireless transmissions and notably contained within a coaxial cable

    • 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

  • (Antenna Mounting Continued)

    • 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

        • See notes about frequencies and channels above.

  • Some notes about lightning

    • This entire section can be ignored for WARG purposes on nice days and the odds of a lightning strike are relatively low so don’t worry too much about these guidelines

    • As long as the current from a lightning strike is allowed to pass through your structure relatively unimpeded it will not harm the system

      • Notably isolating important electronics from the structure is important for this, see above.

      • To ensure this is possible having a somewhat conductive frame helps

        • This is not possible for composite frames and thus more complex techniques can be employed

    • Lightning likes to, if possible, enter and exit through sharp points

      • Ensuring that the sharpest points on a region of the system are all not electrical elements (notably antennas) will ensure lightning passes where we want it to!

      • A side safety note is that people are also relatively sharp points sticking out of the ground, however, unlike structures, you aren’t replaceable.

        • Be sure in lightning prone weather that people are not the path of lowest impedance for a lightning strike! This can be done easily by ensuring taller, pointier, grounded structures are nearby humans.

    • For ground equipment (towers and stations) grounding rods can be used

      • Notably this may not be possible for ecological reasons as well as if our ground station is on pavement

      • Grounding rods should connect into the earth (with a pointed end) electrically to the sharpest point at the peak of the structure

        • Ideally, as mentioned above, the entire structure is conductive which makes this easier to achieve.

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 by Anni

Accepted

Comments

See Discord Thread

Signatures/Name

Daniel Puratich

Anni