Hardware Cutdown System
The cutdown system is used to release the payload from the balloon.
The countdown circuit consits of:
- Heavy gauge Nichrome wire (2)
- IRF531 N-Channel MOSFET Transistor (2)
- Battery (1)
Connection Proceedure:(Refer to Figure 1)
- Connect the cutdown signal from the microcontroller to the GATE pin
- Connect the GND from the microcontroller to the GND pin
- Connect the + terminal of the battery pack to VCC (For both connectors)
- Connect the - terminal of the battery pack to GND (For both connectors)
- Connect one Nichrome wire between +R1 and -R1
- Connect the other Nichrome wire between +R2 and -R2
Figure 1 Cutdown Board Layout
Figure 2 Cutdown Schematic
