About the Cable Network
The satellite depends on its cable network for information exchange between subsystems and the central computer as well as powering its subsystems. Satellite subsystems are provided with two redundant connectors for the orbiter network. In that manner, a device connected to the onboard network will not only be itself accessible for communication but will also enable daisy-chain connections to subsequent components in the circuit. The data exchange network is based on a bus architecture using RS-485 serial interfaces. Power and data network lines are combined into a single ribbon cable to facilitate assembly. Subsystems are connected using a DB-9F (female) connector on the harness side and a DB-9M (male) connector on the device side. Considering that components of the construction set can be arranged in different ways, sizing and making individual ribbon cables of necessary lengths and configurations will be left to the user.
Preparations
Ribbon Cable Assembly
Correct assembly:
Wrong assembly:
Ribbon Cable Test