Welcome

Welcome to UWAA avionics! Here’s some resources I would recommend to get started and some commentary on them.

The essentials

Have a read of this section at minimum.

  • UWAA sharepoint - Our sharepoint which is where our files are kept. Pro tip: Use the onedrive app to access/synchronize the files in your local filesystem instead of having to download/upload through the web interface.
  • GitHub - Make an account here and join the UWAA organization (Ask for access and send me a message if you have sent a request). Also consider applying for the GitHub student pack which offers free GitHub pro and free trials of tools from many software vendors (For example, cloud credits or domains).
  • Altium Designer - Primary ECAD software we use here. You’ll need to go to your account to download it. License is through UWA Aerospace, I will add your student email to the Altium365 organization and the Altium license pool and you should get two emails (assuming you have not registered an altium account yet).
    • On Mac or GNU/Linux, you will need to use a VM.

Other sites to bookmark/use

Etc.

  • BugMeNot - Not Avionics related specifically, but a very useful site in general which is a list of user-generated fake accounts for many sites. Some of the sites on this list require you to make an account and log in for no reason (other than to flood your email with marketing spam). Obviously, don’t use these accounts to do purchases or anything where your personal data is used.

Tools

  • ChatGPT - I think everyone knows what this does by now. It’s definitely useful, one issue related to avionics is, that if you get it to write firmware based on sensor-specific libraries, it may hallucinate functions or incorrect function signatures, since there is not much embedded code on the internet for specific sensors, compared to the amount of web dev code out there where it performs better.
  • Circuit JS - A real-time circuit simulator! You can modify components live while it is simulating, so it is great for experimentation. However there are limitations compared to SPICE simulators, often times you will see this limitations manifest as convergence errors, but if your circuit is complex then it is best to copy it over to a SPICE simulator for a more accurate result after making it here. circuitjs

Parts

  • 3rd party JLCPCB parts search - The JLCPCB parameteric search sucks, this site offers a better experience.
  • JLCPCB basic parts - A list of basic parts which incur no extended parts fee (i.e. use them as much as you want on your designs)
  • Mouser and DigiKey - Component distributors which allow you to buy genuine components separately. Use these for components which are not in the JLCPCB catalog (On an amortized basis, JLCPCB assembly is cheaper than buying from these sites)

Component generation

  • 3d content central and GrabCad. Two repositories of 3d models. If you are making a component in Altium which has a footprint that cannot be generated by Altium’s wizards (For example connectors), try looking for it here. Try searching a model for the “ZED-F9P” GNSS receiver in both repositories! Notice how you get different models made by different users.
  • Snapeda and Ultra Librarian - Collection of component libraries which are either developed by the vendor or outsourced. I would recommend verifying anything downloaded from here (Footprints, schematic symbol pinouts) against the official datasheet to make sure that they are correct.

Software to download

Avionics software

Your first project will likely involve one or more of these software packages, I will specify in the project brief.

  • Visual Studio Code - IDE for many languages, very customizable.
  • LTspice - Advanced circuit simulator. Also comes with model files for Analog Devices components, but is able to use third-party model files too.
    • Runs on Linux through Wine
  • STM32CubeMX - STM32CubeMX is a graphical tool that allows a very easy configuration of STM32 microcontrollers and microprocessors, as well as the generation of the corresponding initialization C code for the Arm® Cortex®-M core or a partial Linux® Device Tree for Arm® Cortex®-A core, through a step-by-step process.
  • Git - This is a client for the Git version control system (VCS), you’ll need it to contribute code to our GitHub Git repository.

Not essential, but very nice to have!

  • Mathematica - A very good computer algebra system, if you are doing engineering units you should get this installed, it will be useful in most of your units. You can Solve[] equations, DSolve[] hard differential equations, plot graphs, do boolean algebra and a lot more. I use this as a general purpose calculator in Avionics related projects. Free through UWA.
  • MATLAB - Software for numerical computing. It can do symbolic math, but I prefer Mathematica over MATLAB because it is more easier. MATLAB is particularly useful in designing filters and control systems through their Simulink software, and designing antennas through their antenna toolbox. If you are doing electronic engineering, this will be used in ENSC3015. Free through UWA.
  • SolidWorks - If you are an engineering student, you should already have this installed from one of the GENG units, if not it is available on the laboratory computers. Not necessary but it is very useful to have mechanical skills as an Avionics member.

Youtube channels

Here are some youtube channels you might want to consider either subscribing to or just watching to get suggestions in your feed.

  • Phil’s Lab - Very well made, comprehensive and focused tutorials on how to use Altium Designer and PCB design, how to use FPGAs, signal integrity, etc. Has good videos on sensor fusion and DSP algorithms.
  • Robert Feranec - Very good resource to learn about Altium Designer and PCB design, and advanced concepts such as signal integrity, high speed routing (PCIe/DDR), RF/microwave simulation. Hosts interviews with industry experts. His videos tend to be long though.
  • Ben Eater - Very well produced videos, but his stuff is lower level than what we usually deal with in Avionics, and a lot of his videos are based on the old 6502 microprocessor. Still, there are concepts in his videos which are transferrable to what we are doing, for instance his videos on assembly language or CRCs
  • EEVblog - Australian electronics youtuber. teardowns, test equipment showcases, electronics basics (older videos), and debunking of sham kickstarters
  • My youtube channel👀 I’m kidding