Simplified Fe modeling of the PyCubed PCB complete with components for CubeSat missions

CubeSat nano-satellites are, to date, the cheapest independent mean of bringing a payload into orbit. The most frequent cause of failure for this kind of launches is the mechanical failure of electronic boards or soldered electronic elements due to vibrations or shocks. For this reason, the numerical finite element design and experimental verification phases of printed circuit boards (PCBs) with soldered components are extremely delicate and critical in the assessment of the integrity of the boards during launch. In simulating the mechanical behaviour of PCBs it is important to consider the material properties, the geometry, and the type of components mounted on them. Possibly the most widely used open-source CubeSat PCBs are the PyCubed. While these avionics platforms, programmable entirely in Python, are radiation-tested and integrate many control features into a single low-cost PCB, they lack of a proper mechanical characterization. Indeed, we believe that the knowledge of the dynamic behaviour of this PCB is crucial to achieve high-reliability CubeSats and to improve the mission success rates. For this reason, this paper will not only provide a mechanical and physical characterization of the PyCuded open-source printed circuits; but above all, it will generate an innovative simplified and reliable numerical model of the PCB that reflects the dynamic behaviour of the complete motherboard of components during the launch. To support and to complete the analysis, numerical/experimental modal comparisons will be used to validate the proposed models. In this way, all designers of PyCubed PCBs will be able to simulate, as realistically as possible, the complete mechanical behaviour of the printed circuit in the presence of components, reducing time, costs, and design risks. The approach the authors proposed, could also be used to model other generic types of printed circuits boards.