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6S Power Module PCB

Power distribution and battery monitoring for WARG Fixed Wing 2025 aircraft

Date Summer 2024
Board Size 30.5mm x 30.5mm
PCB Layers 4 Layer
Tools Altium Designer

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Overview

4-layer power module PCB (SIG - GND - GND - SIG) designed for the WARG Fixed Wing 2025 aircraft. The board provides comprehensive battery monitoring with dual 6S AFE chips for voltage sensing and 40A Kelvin sense current monitoring.

Features an on-board MCU and CAN transceiver for telemetry data transmission to the flight controller. The compact 30.5mm x 30.5mm form factor with M2 mounting holes allows easy integration into UAV airframes.

Key Features

  • Dual 6S AFE (Analog Front End) chips for per-cell voltage sensing
  • 40A Kelvin sense current monitoring for accurate power measurement
  • On-board MCU for data processing and protection logic
  • CAN transceiver for communication with flight controller
  • 6S2P LiHV battery support (~24V input)
  • 40A passthrough current capability
  • 5V 4A buck converter for peripheral power
  • 3V3 LDO for MCU and logic circuitry
  • 30.5mm x 30.5mm form factor with M2 mounting holes

Technical Specifications

Input Voltage 6S2P LiHV (~24V)
Passthrough Current 40A continuous
PCB Layers 4-Layer (SIG - GND - GND - SIG)
Voltage Sensing 2x 6S AFE chips (per-cell monitoring)
Current Sensing Kelvin sense, 40A range
5V Output 5V @ 4A (buck converter)
3.3V Output 3.3V LDO for MCU
Interface CAN bus
Board Size 30.5mm x 30.5mm (M2 mounting)

Design Details

Battery Monitoring

Two 6S AFE (Analog Front End) chips provide accurate per-cell voltage monitoring for the 6S2P LiHV battery pack. This enables individual cell tracking for battery health monitoring and low-voltage warnings.

Kelvin Sense Current Measurement

The Kelvin sense (4-wire) current measurement technique eliminates trace resistance errors by using separate sense and force connections. This provides accurate 40A current measurement for power consumption tracking and telemetry.

CAN Communication

An on-board MCU processes voltage and current data, which is transmitted to the flight controller via CAN bus. This provides real-time battery telemetry for flight monitoring and automated low-battery actions.

Power Regulation

A 5V 4A buck converter provides regulated power for peripherals, while a 3V3 LDO supplies the on-board MCU and CAN transceiver circuitry.