VikramSAT EPS Board

Created by [@Rishaan] • Started on July 01, 2025

Electrical Power Sub-System for VikramSAT

July 1, 2025, Getting Started!!!

I guess all the necessary information about this repository was available on README.md but whatever, there should not be laziness just for the introduction again, so here it is. I am Rishaan Sharma, aged 14, working on the VikranSat.v0 with 4 of my friendzzz. I have been assigned the responsibility to make the Electrical Power Sub-System of the CubeSat. Yup it is a big duty, but I am up to it with all my patience and hardwork. I have made the whole EPS PCB Schematic 3 times in the past, and yes, It's me building it again for the fourth time due to some technical glitches. I will Keep you updated each time I do something. That's all for today, we'll meet again very soon!!!

Time Invested: 0 Hours

July 3, 2025, Day-2!

Yoo, what's goin' on?, not that uch progress today, most of the time invested in learning, how to use Kikad?, but I did choose some components, take a look at them:-

Screenshot 2025-07-03 203139

Time Invested: ~1.5 Hours

July 4, 2025, Day-3!

Yuppp, I'm up again! Everything going kinda chaotic here, just because of tight schedule, only a bit work done today. Just take a look at it:-

image

Time Invested: ~0.75 Hours

July 5, 2025, Day-4!

Yeah, it's the day-4 and still a bit work done. But as compared to previous days, it's more ig. Here, take a look:-

image

Time Invested: ~0.75 Hours

July 11, 2025, Day-5!

Huhhh, that was a week full of tiring examinations. By the way, did a little work today. Here, see it:-

Screenshot 2025-07-11 230220

Time Invested: ~1.25 Hours

July 12, 2025, Day-6!

Yooo, I completed the battery chargers today!!!. It was very tiring. See this:-

image

Time Invested: 3 Hours

July 13, 2025, Day-7!

Yeahhhh!, I'm back with something interesting. I finalised the 3.3V buck converter for the load. Also did some meeting kinda stuff with the project head and we finalised to have RP2350A as the power management IC. Negligible work done on the schematic today. Nevermind, just take a look:-

Screenshot 2025-07-13 183851

Time Invested: 2 Hours

July 14, 2025, Day-8!

What's up, I'm back with something interesting. Well, it was a very chaotic day for me and I could only invest a bit time for this. that's the completion ofthe 3.3V Buck Converter. It was quite interesting and easy. Take this:-

Screenshot 2025-07-14 230419

Time Invested: 0.75 Hours

July 15, 2025, Day-9!

Yoooo!!! Today I kinda wasted my time just to add this RP2350A PMIC to my schematic, cause I'm just 14 and struggling to find my way in this electrc world. Whatever, just see this:-

Screenshot 2025-07-15 191457

Time Invested: ~1.5 Hours

July 17, 2025, Day-10!

Hello there!!! I'm back with the start to add the Type-C port on the PCB and kinda wasted the time to know how to do it, yet no efficient outcome. well see it:-

Screenshot 2025-07-17 211422

Time Invested: ~1.5 Hours

July 19, 2025, Day-11!

Yeah, It's me again!!! Today I made the Battery Protection unit. Well that's just a BMS kinda IC, but I like exagerrating names, so yeah, see this:-

image

Time Invested: ~0.5 Hours

July 20, 2025, Day-12!

How're you all!!! I am here today with the completion of the C-Type Receptacle on the schematic. Well, we haven't figured out anything about the PMIC(RP2350A), as we have to change it because of it's power consumption. Well, here's the schematic of the day:-

Screenshot 2025-07-21 224359

Time Invested: ~0.5 Hours

July 23, 2025, Day-13!

I'm back with only a bit things done today. Well I was guided to add LICENSE and README.md in this repository. I also had a meeting with my teammates to figure out if there was something wrong with the power board, and fortunately, there wasn't any flaw, just the values of some components were not fixed as I was not able to figure them out, but hopefully I guess they will be fixed after a few tutorials. Well, I also did very minor changes to the C-Type receptacle today. There's nothing to see in it, but just see it:-

image

Time Invested: ~1.75 Hours

July 24, 2025, Day-13!

I'm back today with a good news that I found a very nice Power Management IC which is STPMIC1A, for the EPS. I also did all the connections of the current sensors. The schematic looks like a monster now, take a look:-

image

Time Invested: ~2.25 Hours

July 26, 2025, Day-14!

Hello again!!! I am back with something really exciting. I did the connections of PMIC and the configuration has been changed from 4P1S*2 to 8P1S! A few ICs have also been reduced such as one battery charging IC with its protectin unit. It was a drastic change and a lot of effor for me today, but here's the outcome:-

Screenshot 2025-07-26 172438

Time Invested: ~2 Hours

July 27, 2025, Day-15!

Yeahhh!!! I kinda selected the 5V boost converter for the Magnetorqueours. You might be wondering why I am having a separate boost converter for the Magnetorqueours, that's because of low current and high voltage output from the PMIC which could only be tolerated by other 5V load except the Magnetorqueours. I have built it partially, I'll do it properly tomorrow, so here's the converter/regulator:-

image

Time Invested: ~0.75Hours

July 28, 2025, Day-16!

Helloooo again!!! negligible work done today. I just read some articles about the basics of Li-Ion battery chargers to select another battery charger, cause I am not able to understand, interpret and implement the values of a few components exactly for the specific application of ours, and I don't wanna take even a bit of risk. Well no image for today.

Time Invested: ~0.5Hours

July 29, 2025, Day-17!

OMG!!! Finally!!! I completed the schematic for the EPS, just footprints of some components are left to be added. See this thing:-

Screenshot 2025-07-29 224543

Time Invested: ~3.75Hours

July 30, 2025, Day-18!

Yooo!!! I am finally gonna finish the schematic! Just a few values of components is left. I also added the bus. Take a look:-

image

Time Invested: ~3.25Hours

July 31, 2025, Day-19!

It is a very hard and rigid work for me to build the EPS of VikramSATv0. I worked many hours for the completion of this project under the given time for the submission of Undercity, but I failed to do so. I am very dissapointed to say that I was not able to complete the EPS and now it is 31st of July (Last date for the submission of project).Heyyy, why is this becoming sad? Don't you know that another program is gonna come? Here are the images of the work done today:-

image image

Time Invested: ~5.5Hours

August 1, 2025, Day-20!

Hello!!! What did you think? That I would leave journaling? I'm not that kind of guy dude! I never give up! Well, I mentioned about a program yesterday. And that's gonna be #grounded. I came to know that projects made on KiCAD are eligible for the participation in #grounded, so I'll continue journaling till I finish the EPS of VikramSATv0 and gonna submit it for the PCBA grant. Here is the image for the work done today:-

Screenshot 2025-08-02 203921

Time Invested: ~2.75Hours

August 3, 2025, Day-21!

Yooo!!! I segregated and position all the units of the EPS, but joining them with traces is left. Here's the PCB till now:-

Screenshot 2025-08-03 232113

Time Invested: ~3 Hours

August 5, 2025, Day-22!

Yeahhh!!! just did the creation of my project in Groundplane. You might be wondering why it consumed so much time? Well, that's because of the irritating error popping up on my screen after I clicked on the button for the submission of the project. The screenshot was also not being uploaded properly. After a few restarts, it miraclously worked and got submitted. I also hit the exit button on my browser before hitting the commit changes button, so yeah I typed this all for today again, I also changed the theme of my schematic editor to 'The Vampire Theme', pretty cool huh? Well see it yourself (and yeah the dashboard of Groundplane too!):-

Screenshot 2025-08-05 232945 Screenshot 2025-08-05 233712

Time Invested: ~1.5 Hours

August 7, 2025, Day-23!

Huhhh! I saw a tutorial, did some more traces and yeah, that's all I did today except changing the PCB editor's theme (It looks so cool!). Take a look at the progress:-

image

Time Invested: ~1 Hours