Wtf?

Designing a flight computer for avionics involves addressing a range of technical and practical challenges while building critical skills in hardware design, software integration, and manufacturing. Below is an overview of the challenges and skills involved, structured to align with a semester-long project timeline:

Avionics Challenges Overview

End Goal: Designing a Flight Computer

The ultimate objective is to develop a functional flight computer capable of meeting the stringent demands of avionics systems. This includes ensuring safety, reliability, real-time responsiveness, and compliance with industry standards.

Challenges Over Semester and Summer

The project can be divided into multiple challenges, each spanning 2-3 weeks. These challenges should progressively build the knowledge and skills required for the final design. Key challenges include:

Hardware Design
- Design the PCB using tools like KiCAD
- Address challenges such as signal integrity, power distribution, and thermal management
Design for Manufacturing (DFM)
- Optimize designs for manufacturability by considering component selection, modularity, and assembly processes.
Final Integration
- Integrate hardware and software components into a cohesive system.
- Test the system in simulated flight scenarios.

Open to Public

The project is structured as an open-source initiative to encourage collaboration and knowledge sharing. This approach fosters innovation while allowing participants to showcase their work publicly.

Skills Required and Learned

Skills Learned

PCB design techniques
Applying DFM principles to optimize designs for production efficiency
Collaboration and documentation skills through open-source contributions.

By structuring the project into manageable challenges over the semester (and summer if needed), participants can gradually build expertise while addressing real-world avionics problems. This approach ensures both skill development and practical experience in designing a flight computer.

List of Challenges

Challenge 1