Gas Sensors - CanSat
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Description
This is the additional PCB designed specifically for interfacing electrochemical gas sensors used in the CanSat. These sensors are highly sensitive and selective to target gases, but require careful signal conditioning and biasing. This PCB represents the culmination of extensive research and design iteration.
Key Features
- 3 Trans-impedance amplifiers (current-to-voltage converters)
- Potentiostatic bias circuits for electrochemical sensors
- High-impedance front-end design for sensitive measurements
- Precise voltage reference circuits
- Low-noise signal conditioning
- Configurable gain settings
Design Highlights
Technical Challenges
Electrochemical gas sensors operate on a current mode, typically in the nanoampere to microampere range. This required designing sensitive trans-impedance amplifiers with low input bias current and high gain. The potentiostatic circuits maintain a precise bias potential between the sensing and reference electrodes, which is critical for accurate and stable sensor response.
Design Tools
- KiCad
- Altium
- Mathcad
- VS Code
- SolidWorks
Learning Outcomes
Tools & Technologies:
EDA: KiCad; Design: Analog circuit design, signal conditioning, 2-layer PCB; Research: Electrochemical sensor datasheets, analog design principles.
This project involved researching electrochemical sensors, understanding their characteristics, and designing appropriate analog front-end circuits. The PCB layout was critical to minimize noise coupling and ensure stable operation. Multiple design iterations were necessary to achieve the desired performance.