Digital High Voltage Power Supplies for Space Applications

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) Engineering, 2011-12

Liaison(s): Dr. Jorg-Micha Jahn
Advisor(s): Ruye Wang
Students(s): Tynan McAuley (TL-S), Sara Sholes (TL-F), Frederic Hour (EX), Will Ferenc (S), Stephen Cefali (F)

Southwest Research Institute has tasked the Harvey Mudd College clinic team with designing and implementing a proof-of-concept digital controller for high voltage power supplies. Currently, these power supplies have complex analog controllers that add extra cost, complexity, and power consumption to the power supply systems, which power scientific instruments on spacecraft. SwRI hopes to replace these analog controllers with digital controllers such as those designed and explored by the Harvey Mudd clinic team.