Getting ready¶
What to do before your first avionics workshop, so that the session is spent on the kit rather than on downloads.
Bring a Windows laptop¶
Mission Planner, the ground station software we use to set up the Cube, runs on Windows. Each group needs at least one working Windows laptop of its own, brought charged to every workshop.
Install it before the first workshop, and stop before the Connecting section: that part needs the kit.
Using a Mac?
There are workarounds, and none of them are supported by the University. See the Mission Planner page for the current state of play, and plan on a Windows machine in your group.
Read ahead¶
Two pages of the step-by-step guide need no hardware, and you'll get through the first workshop faster if you've read them:
- 00. Kit: how kit issue works, and how to check and handle what you're given
- 01. Cube: the autopilot, its carrier board and its connectors
At kit issue¶
Kits are signed out to a named member of your group and returned at the end of the unit in reusable order. Check every item on the kit list before you sign, and tell us straight away if anything is missing or damaged.
Where things happen¶
| Space | Room | What for |
|---|---|---|
| Stack Room | QB F.05 | Avionics workshops |
| Avionics lab | QB M.003 | Kit issue and return, supervised tool use |
| The Hangar | QB L.080 | Main lab, open access |
| Design Suite | QB 1.59 | Mechanisms sessions |