How to Make a Cube-Sat With an Arduino and Linear Hall Sensor

How to build the Cube-Sat

Step 1: Sketches

When I first drew out all of the different designs of the cube-sat I was measuring everything to be the average length of an average size cube-sat which is about 10x10x10 cm.

-Aiden

Step 2: Problems Encountered With the Arduino

As we were working on this Arduino, we had to problem solve a lot because we couldn’t find a lot over the sensor that we used. When we started this project, we did not think that it was going to be very long, or take as long as it has. You have to connect one end of the linear hall sensors to the Ground Pin, and the other side has to be connected to the 5V pin. The Arduino has to be connected to the computer VIA a USB cord. After this happens, the LED on the Linear hall sensor will detect the magnetic field of an object. If you put a Magnet near the sensor, the LED will glow.

-Jon

Step 3: The Cube-Sat

The Cube-Sat is the thing that holds the Arduino, and all of the other equipment. Our group just used unused Robot pieces to construct this brute of a cubesat. To hold all of the different pieces together we used Screws going on the inside, and Bolts on the other side. We had to use a Dremel to even off some of the edges on the robot parts. The Shelf in the middle is held by 2 1x1x9 cm metal pieces that are also connected with screws. Luckily for us the Metal Pieces already have lots of holes in them, which makes it easy for us to add screws. The Shelf Holds the Bread Board, and the bottom part holds the Arduino and Linear Hall sensor.

The Cube-sat ended up being almost exactly 9x9x10 with the pieces of metal that we made it out of, so it ended up being a little bit smaller than I thought.

John, Lance

Step 4: Fitting Everything Into the Cube-Sat

After we put the shelf into the Cube-Sat, and put all of our sensors, Arduino, and Battery in the Cube-Sat, it is pretty packed in there. When we first designed the Cube-Sat, it was a little bit bigger, when in reality when we remeasured after we were done, it was about 1 cm small on all sides. We were originally going to put the Arduino in the bottom part of the Cube-Sat, but it didn't fit too well so we decided to put it on the shelf and put all of the sensors on the Bottom part since they are smaller.

-Aiden, John C.

Step 5: Starting the Code

When we first started doing codes, we were just using the Linear Hall sensor. But since then we added an SD card to show all of our data, we ran into some problems. One thing that happened was our Sensor wasn't picking up any magnetic fields in magnets. We ran out of time to get the actual code, so if you are trying to find coding for any sensor that you are using, just look it up on google and search for a while.

-Jon

Step 6: Cutting Off Sharp Edges

When we first measured out all of the pieces we measured how big all of them would fit together. So in order to shorten some of the pieces we cut off all of the sharper edges off and sanded the pieces. The corners that we put on were held together by screws and bolts on the inside of it. The pieces looked and worked well together, and were about the right size that we needed them to be.

-Lance, John

Step 7: Retractable Roof

After we made the Cube-Sat, we had to make a way to get into it so that we can remove all of the parts. We have a piece sticking out of the top on either side that we can unscrew and take the roof off whenever needed. It is a bit of a complicated system but it works. We put a piece on either side that looks like a lower case T or a cross. We would screw those pieces on either end to keep the roof on.

-Lance, Aiden, John

Step 8: Results

Our Data that we got shows the magnetic value of the magnets that we used. If it is 530 that means that it wasn't detecting any magnetic fields. If the value is greater than 530 that means that it was detecting the North Pole of the magnet, and if it is lower, than it is detecting the South Pole

magValue531
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