SpaceBridge HAB PCB

High Altitude Balloon (HAB) PCB Tracker with cutdown mechanism, GPS, environmental monitoring, LoRa telemetry and particle detection capabilities.

Created by Lucy Moglia eigenlucy@proton.me

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Project Structure
• Block Diagram
• Features
• Getting Started
  • Building the Project
  • Installation
    • Linux Installation
    • Mac Installation
    • Visual Studio Code/Cursor Extension

Overview

The SpaceBridge HAB PCB is a comprehensive tracking and instrumentation system for high altitude balloon experiments. It integrates multiple subsystems including power management, telemetry, GPS tracking, environmental monitoring, and a particle counter based on CERN open source hardware.

Project Structure

Module	Source File	PCB Layout	Description
Mainboard	mainboard.ato	layouts/default/default.kicad_pcb	Final PCB incorporating all submodules
MicroMPPT	micromppt/elec/src/micromppt.ato	micromppt/elec/layout/default/micromppt.kicad_pcb	5W MPPT battery charger with embedded set point adjustment algorithm
Particle Counter	particle_counter.ato	layouts/particle-counter/particle-counter.kicad_pcb	Alpha particle detector based on CERN open source hardware kit
Cutoff Mechanism	cutoff.ato	layouts/cutoff/cutoff.kicad_pcb	Balloon cutoff circuit using lithium hybrid supercapacitor discharging through nichrome wire
BQ24045DSQR BMS	bq24045dsqr/elec/src/bq24045dsqr.ato	bq24045dsqr/elec/layout/default/bq24045dsqr.kicad_pcb	5V 1A single cell LiPo/Li-ion charger + BMS
TPS63020DSJR	~/.ato/modules/tps63020dsjr/elec/src/tps63020dsjr.ato	~/.ato/modules/tps63020dsjr/elec/layout/tps63020dsjr.kicad_pcb	1.8V-5.5V In/Out 4A boost-buck converter (5V from Vbat)

Block Diagram

Original Block Diagram

Mermaid Diagram

graph TD
    %% Power System
    Solar["Solar Panel"] --> MPPT["SPV1040 MicroMPPT"]
    MPPT --> BattProt["UVP/OCP/OVP Battery Protection"]
    BattProt --- Battery["LTO Battery"]
    BattProt --> BoostBuck["TPS63020 Boost-Buck"]
    BoostBuck --> Power5V["5V Power Rail"]
    
    %% ESP32 Microcontroller (Central)
    ESP32["ESP32-S3"] 
    
    %% 5V Devices
    Power5V --> LoRa["E22-900M30S/SX1262 LoRa Module"]
    Power5V --> ParticleCounter["CERN DIY Particle Counter"]
    Power5V --> CutoffSystem["Cutoff System"]
    
    %% Cutoff System Components
    CutoffSystem --> Supercap["3.5V Low ESR Supercap"]
    CutoffSystem --> Nichrome["Nichrome Wire ~20Ω"]
    CutoffSystem --> TIP120["TIP120 NPN Darlington"]
    
    %% I2C Devices (3.3V)
    ESP32 -- I2C/IO6+IO7 --> OLED["SSD1306 128x32 OLED"]
    ESP32 -- I2C/IO6+IO7 --> BME680["BME680 Sensor"]
    ESP32 -- I2C/IO6+IO7 --> GPS["ATGM336H GNSS/GPS"]
    
    %% SPI Connections
    ESP32 -- SPI/IO10-13 --> LoRa
    
    %% GPIO Connections
    ESP32 -- GPIO0 --> Supercap["SC_GATE (Supercap Control)"]
    ESP32 -- GPIO1 --> TIP120["CUTOFF_GATE (Nichrome Control)"]
    
    %% ADC Connections
    ParticleCounter -- ADC/GPIO2 --> ESP32
    
    %% Antenna
    LoRa --- Antenna["915MHz LoRa Antenna (30dBm TX max)"]
    
    %% Styling
    classDef power fill:#f96,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    classDef sensor fill:#bbf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px
    classDef communication fill:#f9f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:1px
    classDef controller fill:#9f6,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    
    class Solar,MPPT,BattProt,Battery,BoostBuck,Power5V,Supercap power
    class BME680,ParticleCounter,GPS sensor
    class LoRa,Antenna,OLED communication
    class ESP32 controller

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Features

• Power Management: Solar charging with MPPT, battery protection and 5V regulation
• Communication: 915MHz LoRa radio for long-range telemetry (30dBm TX max)
• Positioning: ATGM336H GNSS/GPS module
• Sensors:
  • BME680 temperature/humidity/pressure/gas sensor
  • CERN DIY particle counter for radiation detection
• Display: SSD1306 128x32 OLED screen
• Control: ESP32-S3 microcontroller
• Recovery: Nichrome wire cutdown mechanism for payload separation

Getting Started

Building the Project

1. Clone the required submodules

   git submodule update --init --recursive
   

2. Build the project to select components based on JLCPCB availability

   ato build -t all
   

3. Complete/review the layout with KiCad Standalone PCB editor

4. Gerbers/PCBA files are generated through an Actions run on a commit

Installation

Linux Installation

1. Install uv

2. Install KiCad with your preferred package manager (apt for Debian, pacman for Arch, etc.)

3. Install atopile as a tool with uv (Python 3.13.2 recommended):

   uv tool install atopile
   

   Alternative installation method:

   1. Clone the main atopile repo
   2. Remove the uv lock file:

      rm uv.lock
      

   3. Sync repo to dev release:

      uv sync --dev
      

   4. Compile atopile:

      uv build
      

   5. Install the binary:

      uv tool install atopile-0.3.XX-cp313-cp313-linux-_x86_64.whl
      

   6. Add the uv tools binary directory to your PATH (command depends on your shell, e.g., with fish):

      fish_add_path /home/user/.local/share/uv/tools/atopile/
      

4. Check your version:

   ato --version
   

5. Configure the atopile plugin:

   ato configure
   

Mac Installation

1. Install Homebrew
2. Install KiCad 9:

   brew install --cask kicad
   

3. Install atopile with Homebrew:

   brew install atopile/tap/atopile
   

4. Configure the atopile plugin:

   ato configure
   

Visual Studio Code/Cursor Extension Install

Install the atopile extension into Cursor or Visual Studio Code.