Design of a COTS Avionics Platform for Educational Purposes

In this paper, it is presented an avionics platform intended as an educational tool for advanced undergraduate and first year graduate students enrolled in science and technology disciplines. The platform is based on an 8-bit microcontroller (MCU) in charge of coordinating the operation of the sensors and communication modules incorporated. The schematic detailing the interconnections among the different modules that constitute the platform as well as the layout of the tracks in the PCB were done using free open source computer assisted design software. Additionally, the discrete elements and integrated circuits employed are COTS components that can be acquired from non-specialized electronic vendors, without possessing particular manufacturing requirements or specifications (e. g. radiation tolerant, militar grade). Firmware can be uploaded to the avionics platform via an ICSP connector and communication is established using one of the UARTs in the MCU or via wireless transmission at 2.4GHz (ISM band). The avionics platform here presented served as a basis point for additional developments by undergraduate students at the Autonomous University of Zacatecas.