You may have seen the AMSAT CubeSat Simulator or CubeSatSim at Hamvention or at the AMSAT Space Symposium, or read about it in the AMSAT Journal or on social media with the hashtag #CubeSatSim. With this set of three printed circuit boards (PCBs), you can build your own CubeSatSim! The CubeSatSim is a low cost satellite emulator that runs on solar panels and batteries, transmits UHF radio telemetry, has a 3D printed frame, and can be extended by additional sensors and modules. It is perfect for the classroom or for public demonstrations.In order to build a CubeSatSim, you will need to purchase the parts listed in the bill of materials (see below) and follow the instructions on the Github project page. All of the necessary surface mount components are already installed. The rest of the soldering is all through hole components.Here is what the three boards look like when they are built: https://CubeSatSim.org/store/three_boards_built.jpg

Here is how they look in a stack with the Raspberry Pi Zero W: https://CubeSatSim.org/store/board_stack.jpg

Here’s how the complete CubeSatSim looks: https://CubeSatSim.org/store/cubesatsim.jpg

In order to complete this project, you will need intermediate soldering skills and the ability to set up a Raspberry Pi SD card. The frame parts can be printed on a 3D printer or you can order a print to be made using online services. Only the three PCBs as shown in the photo are included. Each board is approximately 80mm x 80mm in size. The AMSAT CubeSatSim project is fully open source so the schematics and gerber files for all three boards as well as the Raspberry Pi software are available online.

There are two options: you can build the v1.2 release that has been out for a few years, which has white PCB boards, or you can build the new beta release v1.3 version, which has blue PCB boards. The functionality is similar, but the beta release has some new features and updates, but the instructions are still being developed.

Both versions come with the surface mount components installed.

This item contains:

• CubeSatSim Main PCB
• CubeSatSim Battery PCB
• CubeSatSim STEM Payload PCB

Resources:

• Bill of Materials, listing all the parts you will need to purchase to build your own CubeSatSim: http://CubeSatSim.org/bom (or for the beta board https://cubesatsim.org/bom-beta)
• Schematics and Gerbers for all three boards: https://cubesatsim.org/hardware (or for the beta boards https://cubesatsim.org/hardware-beta)
• Step-by-step soldering and assembly instructions: https://CubeSatSim.org/wiki (or for the beta boards https://cubesatsim.org/wiki-beta)
• AMSAT Journal articles about the CubeSatSim: https://CubeSatSim.org/papers

For additional information about the CubeSatSim or to borrow a loaner CubeSat Simulator for your event, contact the VP Educational Relations via email ku2y at arrl dot net.