Aidintech

Autonomous · Single-Board · Battery-Integrated · Microcontroller-Free

>93% Efficiency | 29.5 W Max | −40 to +110°C

The 1U CubeSat EPS is a highly compact, fully autonomous power management board designed for 1U CubeSats and fully compatible with 1U and 2U platforms. The board integrates solar MPPT charging, battery management, autonomous thermal protection, and regulated power output — all on a single 90 × 96 mm board.

The most reliable system is the one with the fewest components that can fail. Every decision made by this EPS is executed by analog comparators, discrete logic, and precision voltage references. Zero firmware. Zero boot sequence. Zero watchdog.

≥93%

Conversion Efficiency

29.5 W

Max Output Power

−40 to +110°C

Operating Temperature

>200,000 hrs

Estimated MTBF

Key Innovations

What sets this EPS apart — every feature is a deliberate engineering decision with a measurable mission benefit.

No Microcontroller

All decisions made by analog circuits — zero firmware dependency, zero boot failures, zero watchdog resets.

Self-Decision Making

Board autonomously manages charging, load switching, thermal events, and fault responses — no OBC command required.

Hardware P&O MPPT

Perturb & Observe algorithm implemented entirely in analog hardware — no code, no bug, tracks I-V curve from first power-on.

Battery Heater Hysteresis

Analog comparator auto-activates heater pad at <0°C; deactivates above −5°C. Prevents lithium plating with hardware-guaranteed response.

>93% Efficiency

Synchronous buck-boost converters with optimised gate drive maintain ≥93% efficiency across the full load range — no efficiency cliff.

SEU Immunity

Analog circuits are inherently tolerant of single-event upsets from LEO radiation. No logic state means no bit-flip vulnerability.

Key Features

PCB Single-Board Design — Fully integrated 1U PCB with MPPT, charging, regulation, and thermal management on one 90 × 96 mm board. No daughter cards.
BAT Battery Integrated — On-board Li-Ion management with 1S2P configuration via solder jumper. Charge current up to 1.6 A CC/CV with hardware-set limits.
MPPT Hardware MPPT — P&O algorithm fully in analog hardware. Continuous hill-climbing on the I-V curve. Tracks 1.8–5.5 V solar input with no software.
MCU No Microcontroller — Pure analog self-decision making. No firmware to corrupt, no watchdog to fail, no boot sequence to hang. Inherently SEU tolerant.
THERM Thermal Heater Control — NTC thermistor + hysteresis comparator auto-activates heating pad below 0°C. Configurable via two resistors. No command required.

TEMP Wide Temp Range — Board operates from −40°C to +110°C. Vacuum-rated, no convection cooling required.
SAT Universal CubeSat — Compatible with 1U–2U. PC104 or custom 1U stack connector. Fits natively within the 1U stack envelope.
RAIL Output Rails — Regulated 3.3 V (2 A), 5.0 V (3 A), and unregulated battery bus. Cycle-by-cycle current limiting per rail with latching overcurrent non-isolation.
RAD Radiation Tolerance — Components selected for LEO with total ionising dose tolerance ~10 krad(Si).
PROT Fault Protection — Reverse polarity on solar and battery. Configurable retry timer via RC network. Per-rail non-isolation protection.

Technical Specifications

Complete technical parameters of the 1U CubeSat EPS

Power Performance

Parameter	Specification
Maximum Output Power	29.5 W total (across all regulated rails)
Solar Input Voltage Range	1.8 V – 5.5 V (MPPT operating window)
Battery Voltage Range	2.5 V – 4.2 V per cell (Li-Ion)
Output Rails	3.3 V / 5.0 V / Unregulated Battery Bus
Conversion Efficiency	≥93% at all operating points
MPPT Algorithm	Perturb & Observe (P&O) — fully analog hardware
Charge Current	Up to 1.6 A CC/CV with hardware-set limits
Output Current (3.3 V)	Up to 2.0 A continuous
Output Current (5.0 V)	Up to 3.0 A continuous

Environmental & Reliability

Operating Temperature	−40°C to +110°C
Battery Charge Temp	0°C to +45°C
Battery Discharge Temp	−20°C to +60°C
Radiation Tolerance (TID)	≥10 krad(Si) — LEO
MTBF (estimated)	>200,000 hours

Physical & Form Factor

Board Form Factor	Single PCB, no daughter cards
PCB Dimensions	90 mm × 96 mm
CubeSat Compatibility	1U, 2U standard
Connector Standard	PC104 or custom 1U stack
Battery Configuration	1S2P Li-Ion, 7000 mAh

CubeSat Compatibility

The EPS works with CubeSats irrespective of size or mission type. The single-board form factor fits within the 1U PC/104 stack envelope and the electrical interface is universal.

CubeSat	Compatible?	Max Output	Config	Notes
1U	YES — Primary	29.5 W	Single board	Native 1U PC/104 footprint
2U	YES	29.5 W	Single board	2U battery configurations supported
3U	YES	29.5 W	Single / Dual	Optional dual-board parallel
6U	YES	59 W (dual)	Dual board	Automatic load sharing
12U	YES	59 W (dual)	Dual board	No OBC needed for coordination

Design Philosophy

By eliminating the microcontroller entirely, this design removes the single most common point of failure in CubeSat EPS boards. Every function is implemented with well-understood, proven analog components: op-amps, comparators, MOSFETs, inductors, and precision resistors.

Component count is minimised without sacrificing functionality — every part earns its place.

No Microcontroller — Eliminates firmware wear-out, boot failures, I2C lockups, SEU vulnerability
Analog Self-Decision — Real-time response with no interrupt latency, no polling cycle, no scheduling delay
SEU Immune Architecture — No logic state = no bit-flip vulnerability; works through radiation events
Hardware MPPT — No code = no bug; tracks I-V curve correctly from first power-on in any temperature
Hysteresis Thermal Control — Prevents lithium plating with hardware-guaranteed response, independent of OBC
Minimal Component Count — Each removed part is a removed failure mode; lower count → higher mission probability

1U CubeSat Electrical Power System

EPS