Educational PocketQube LoRa Kit

  • Arduino based environment (Atmega 328P-AU)
  • LoRa IoT Communication (SX1278)
  • All-inclusive Sensor Breakout Board (BMP280, MPU6050, HMC58831)
  • MPPT Solar Power System (SPV1040)
  • GPS and attitude sensing capability (ideal for launching weather balloons)
  • Easy to follow step-by-step instructions
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  • Description
  • Additional Information

An open source educational PocketQube kit created to teach and experiment with satellite technologies, ideal for experimenting in the classroom or in the field (launching weather balloons). It includes all the necessary components to create your first fully functional picosatellite. Based on the Atmega 328P-AU, it can be easily programmed using the Arduino IDE. Its main means of communication is through a LoRa SX1278 transceiver, capable of transmitting in various modulation techniques (FSK RTTY, Morse, GFSK, LoRa…) at distances greater than 1000km. The satellite includes a variety of components to test using different configurations. Our 40x40mm modular board system and common bus allow for the addition of future or custom modules.

The satellite is divided into 3 main 40×40 mm boards:

  • Electric Power System Board: Based on the SPV1040 IC, it maximizes the power coming from the various solar cells using an MPPT algorithm to charge the included 1000mAh 3.7V lithium-ion battery. The battery voltage is regulated to a 3.3V common bus. It uses a modular system with XH JST connectors for the solar panels.
  • Sensor Connection Board: Includes a BMP280 thermometer and barometer (altitude meter), HMC5883l magnetometer, and MPU-6050 accelerometer and gyroscope. The board adds breakout pins to 3 digital I / O and 3 analog inputs (rated up to 12V).
  • On-board computer and communications: Uses an 8-bit AVR Atmega 328P-AU microcontroller, programmed via Mini-USB cable using the built-in RL232 FTDI serial converter. Data can be received / sent using the serial port or communicating via RF using the SX1278 433MHz transceiver. This transceiver can be coupled with one of our ground stations or using any LoRa chip, data can also be received using an SDR or any RF receiver (i.e. RTTY decoding on PC or slow morse with a HAM radio). The OBC measures temperature, battery voltage, and incoming voltage from the solar panel.

An additional board includes a GPS NEO6M module, which adds geolocation capability to the unit.

Our kit includes:

  • EPS MPPT board
  • OBC / Communication Board
  • Sensor breakout board
  • GPS board
  • Assortment of solar panels (6 pieces)
  • 1000mAh 3.7V Li-Ion battery
  • Battery charger
  • UHF transmitting antenna
  • 2 mechanical hardware kits (standoffs, bolts and nuts)
  • USB SDR Dongle
  • Pelican Case
  • Mass: 1 kg
  • Size: 30x30x30 cm