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kchen3157 edited this page May 3, 2026 · 4 revisions

Warning

DO NOT plug the system into USB-C power while battery is connected.

Warning

DO NOT modify connections on pin headers without first removing power from the system.

Warning

For developers: DO NOT run servos off of nucleo boards. The high power load may destroy the circuitry.

Requirements

Computer

The computer used to interface with the payload during development, flight, and recovery must have the following:

  • An ST Nucleo board with an SWD cable.
  • An updated VSCode installation with the following updated extensions:
    • PlatformIO IDE (platformio.platformio-ide).
    • Serial Monitor (ms-vscode.vscode-serial-monitor).
  • An updated copy of this payload-core repository.
  • A modern Python 3 installation.
  • An offline spreadsheet application (Excel, Numbers, or similar) Alternatives to the above, unless otherwise specified, have not been tested and may not work.

microSD Card

The microSD card used for data recovery must be a microSDHC card of maximum 32 GB capacity. The card must be formatted with an EXFAT filesystem prior to usage in the payload.

Procedures

Preflight Procedure

  1. Plug payload into power.
  2. If SPI flash has not been erased yet, perform the erase procedure.
  3. Press the NRST button.
  4. Verify C13 is OFF.
  5. Wait 5 seconds.
  6. Press the KEY button.
  7. Verify C13 is blinking slowly to confirm the payload is armed.

Erase Procedure

  1. Press and hold the NRST button and KEY button simultaneously.
  2. Release the NRST button while the KEY button is still held down.
  3. Continue holding the KEY button until C13 blinks rapidly.

Data Recovery Procedure

  1. Connect the payload to a computer via the SWD header.
  2. Plug payload into power.
  3. Enable UART monitoring on the computer.
  4. Insert the microSD card into the slot on the payload.
  5. Press and hold the NRST button and KEY button simultaneously.
  6. Release the NRST button while the KEY button is still held down.
  7. After 1 second, release the KEY button. DO NOT keep the button held down for longer than is needed.
  8. Verify C13 blinks rapidly. If it doesn't, repeat this procedure from step 2.

Warning

Do not remove the microSD card until after C13 is off and shows no activity

  1. Wait 2-3 minutes for data transfer to complete.
  2. Verify that C13 is off after the data transfer is complete. Verify on the serial monitor that the data transfer is complete.
  3. Remove the microSD card from the slot on the payload.
  4. Remove payload from power.
  5. Using a microSD to SD card adapter,

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