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K. Adlington

LoRa Launch Control System

A wireless launch system for UC Aerospace's rocketry operations, supporting both high-powered and low-powered rockets. Two units: a launch controller and a launch hardware unit at the pad.

Team project · UC Aerospace rocketry · 2024-2025

Role
Avionics and Tracking Lead — controller subsystem: schematic design, circuit modelling, hardware validation and enclosure CAD
Timeframe
2024-2025

UC Aerospace’s rocketry operations needed one launch interface that would serve both high-powered and low-powered rockets and remain safe, wireless and fault-tolerant in the field. The system ran on lithium-ion batteries and was composed of two major components: a launch controller and a launch hardware unit at the pad. I led the design and development of the controller subsystem, while a team member focused on the launch pad hardware.

The controller was powered by dual 18650 lithium-ion cells with integrated USB-C charging circuitry, giving portable and reliable operation with charging on the board rather than off it. Its user interface consisted of two seven-segment displays, status indicators, and a launch button.

A conceptual render of the launch controller: an orange sealed field case with a dark control panel set into the lid. Two red seven-segment displays sit at the top left above a row of indicator LEDs, with a rotary selector, a toggle under a red safety cover, and an RF connector to their right. A large red button labelled Launch sits at the centre, a keyed Arm and Safe toggle to its lower right, and a power knob at the left. Indicators are labelled RF Link, Drag Race, Powered On, Charging, Remote Pad Armed and Controller Armed.
Figure 31:Conceptual render of the launch system
The final panel design. A dark faceplate carries two rectangular display cut-outs labelled Voltage and Pad Select, four continuity indicators numbered one to four, a four-position channel selector, and buttons for Drag Race, Add/Remove and Mode. Status indicators down the right side read RF Status, Drag Race Mode, Remote OK, Remote Armed and Batt Warning. Power and Launch buttons run along the bottom beside a keyed Arm switch marked OFF and ARMED, with the UC Aerospace logo set into the centre of the panel.
Figure 32:Final panel PCB design

The button interface was debounced in hardware rather than in firmware, using RC filters and Schmitt triggers. A mechanical contact chatters as it closes, so an input reading it directly sees several edges where the operator pressed once. The RC network filtered that transient and the Schmitt trigger’s hysteresis resolved what remained into a single clean transition, so the signal arriving at the digital input was already unambiguous rather than something firmware had to interpret. The requirement was clean, reliable digital input even under the noisy electrical conditions of a launch site.

The two units communicated wirelessly using the LoRa protocol, which gave long-range, low-latency communication between the controller and the launch pad hardware. The intent was high reliability even in electromagnetically noisy or distant launch environments.

Beyond the electronics, I modelled and designed the controller enclosure and mounting hardware using 3D CAD tools, so the PCB and external components would integrate cleanly into the finished unit. I was also responsible for PCB schematic design, circuit modelling, and hardware validation of the controller board.

Technologies

LoRa WirelessLi-Ion Power & USB-C ChargingEmbedded Controller DesignRC/Schmitt DebouncingPCB Design & Validation3D CAD EnclosuresFault-Tolerant Systems

Key outcomes

Delivered a portable, battery-powered launch controller with long-range LoRa communication to the pad hardware, debounced input reliable under electrically noisy launch conditions, and a custom enclosure integrating the PCB and external components into one field-ready unit.