SMARTCubeS Connector & Test Stand

Team Members
  • Joshua Bay
  • Ahmed Adam
  • Louis Marfone
  • Alex Walker
  • Tim Houck
  • Trevor Porter

Team Name: Team JALATT
Sponsor Name: JPL

  Download the Project Poster

JALATT has designed a novel electrical connector used to connect two “SMARTCubeS,” developed by a previous capstone team in conjunction with JPL. These rearranging CubeSats require a 90 degree rotatable connector, allowing two cubes to connect in any orientation to share power and data. The team has created various prototype connectors along with an easy-to-use test system, which can be controlled wirelessly through a cloud website interface. The prototype connector is inserted into each side of a hinge mechanism within the test system, simulating the insertion angle of the cubes. The connectors can be removed from the hinge and rotated or replaced as needed. The system can automatically collect and display a variety of measurements to characterize the connector, including contact resistance, bandwidth, and bit error rate of data sent through the connector.