Load Module

The Load Module is a Pumpkin CubeSat Kit accessory that provides three pairs of standard banana jacks connected to the VBATT, +5V_SYS and VCC_SYS power buses of the standard 104-pin CubeSat Kit bus connector. The module can be used to draw power from these buses for bench testing, or — with strict attention paid to each bus’s voltage limits — to inject power into them.

Banana jacks connect to VCC_SYS (+3V3), +5V_SYS (+5V0) and VBATT (8-28V depending on the application). The same buses (VCC_SYS, +5V_SYS, +12V_SYS and VBATT) are also available via two 8-pin Harwin M80 connectors (J391 and J390). On these connectors, the pins closest to the PCB surface are all connected to GND, while the pins farthest from the PCB surface are paired to VCC_SYS and +5V_SYS (J391) and +12V_SYS and VBATT (J390). Two optional resistors, R1 and R2, select where the 12V signal on J390 is sourced from: R1 routes power to/from CubeSat Kit bus H2 pins 39 and 40, while R2 routes power to/from H2 pins 51 and 52; either can be factory-fitted depending on the customer’s power system. All power buses are clearly labeled on the top-layer silkscreen.

CAUTION: the module contains no protection against excessive currents or out-of-range voltages applied through the banana jacks; extreme caution must be observed, since incorrect use may destroy connected devices. The Load Module is compatible with all CubeSats conforming to the CubeSat Kit Bus standard with its 104-pin connector, and is categorized by Pumpkin as development hardware.