Overview
I designed STARLIGHT from scratch at 16 - it's Circuit Wizardry's original flight computer and the board that started the business. I did the schematic capture and PCB layout myself in Fusion 360, built and open-sourced MissionControl as the companion ground-station app, and developed a QA process to ship boards reliably.
Technical materials
What I learned
- Schematic capture and PCB layout in Fusion 360, manufactured through JLCPCB - designed, ordered, and validated the board in under 6 months from first concept to working hardware
- RP2040-based flight computer running real-time PID control and sensor fusion in MicroPython
- Built and open-sourced C.W. MissionControl (github.com/Circuit-Wizardry/missioncontrol), a configurable ground-station app for firmware flashing and pyro-channel/GPIO configuration across the whole product line
- Developed a QA process (sourcing, DFM, run-to-run consistency) to ship boards reliably to customers, including navigating JLCPCB's manufacture-vs-assembly tradeoffs and parts-availability constraints
- Flew boards with Polaris Aerospace on a high-school space-altitude attempt
- Sold as a shipped product for $49 with active software support - Circuit Wizardry's flagship flight computer
Project related blog posts
- From Hobbyist to Design Engineer: The Story of STARLIGHT
- Starlight: The Ultimate Model Rocket Control Board
- STARLIGHT is Now Available for Purchase!!
- How Do You Get PCBs Manufactured Well and Consistently?
- The Design of MOONLIGHT (never released)
- C.W. MissionControl: Software for Model Rocketry
- A Peek Into the QA Process for STARLIGHT