A long while back I posted a version of the schematic for the electronics for my project to build a GPS-steered parachute for rocket recovery.

Since then I’ve tweaked the board a bit, to the point where the hardware design is clean and bug-free (as far as I know).

So here is the current version of the board schematic and layout, including the original Eagle PCB files as well as a PDF version of the schematic. It runs nice and stably, and could be the basis for a lot of other PIC32-based projects.

Click here to download it (zip file).

Compared to earlier versions, this one uses a DC-DC step-down for much more efficient use of the battery, and includes the reed-switch driven power on/off system I described earlier.

You are welcome to do with this as you like (modify, republish, whatever).  To make it official:

Hardware rights: I hereby grant everyone and everything in the universe permission to use and modify this hardware design for any purpose whatsoever. In exchange, you agree not to sue me about it. I make no promises. By using the design you agree that if you’re unhappy the most I owe you is what you paid me (zip, zero, nothing, nada). That seems fair.

I do ask that you credit this site (https://nerdfever.com) and post as the source, just as a courtesy; but you don’t have to.

Eventually (maybe this winter), I hope to do a new spin that will run off a single LiIon cell (instead of 2 in series, as now), and that will provide a cleaner power supply to the pressure sensor and ADC; noise on the power supply is the main source of noise in the pressure sensor readings (as far as I can tell so far).  But this version works quite well as it is.

For more info about the board, leave a comment and/or see my earlier posts:

Rocket telemetry system (September 2011)

Update on latest Rev 4.2.1 PCB, tips and status (August 2011)

New Rev 4 hardware based on the PIC32 (December 2010)

Rev3 rocket electronics part 1: Hardware (December 2009)