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6 layers90.2 × 95.9 mmPacSat AFSK, the printed circuit board in 3D

PacSat AFSK

AMSAT-NA/PacSatFSKBoard

Ground station board

Full screenGitHub.kicad_pcb
Size
90.2 × 95.9 mm
Copper layers
6
Thickness
1.65 mm
Parts
552
Nets
560
Pads
2,016
Tracks, vias
5,161, 1,684
Pours
1,333
Routed
Yes
KiCad
KiCad 10.0 (file 20260206)
Created
4 Mar 2026
Updated
16 Oct 2026

Overview

PacSat AFSK is an open-source printed circuit board by AMSAT-NA, from the AMSAT-NA/PacSatFSKBoard repository on GitHub. It is a 6-layer board of 90.2 × 95.9 mm with 552 parts on 560 nets, routed with 5,161 tracks and 1,684 vias.

It is built around the ADL5501AKSZ-R7, ADS1015BQDGSRQ1 and TMUX2821DSG, with the MAX4995AAUT+T, TPS22919DCK and ESD601DPYRQ1 among its other parts. Its parts include 187 resistors, 147 capacitors, 39 ICs, 33 inductors and 25 connectors.

Main components

11

README

README.md

PacSatFSKBoard

Hardware design for the PacSat AX5043 based board

This repository contains a board design for use in satellites for packet message storing and forwarding and for general control.

It has a TMS570LS0914PGE processor for control and packet handling. It uses 5 AX5043 chips for the radio interfaces, four receive channels (uplinks) and one transmit channel (downlink). Operation is full duplex with receive on 144-148MHz and transmit on 430-440MHz.

Though it is designed for packet satellite, the design can be used for any sort of full duplex dual band FSK radio operation with or without FM. The AX5043 supports a large number of FSK protocols (if you can figure out how to program the AX5043).

With some filter redesign it could support a number of different bands, too, maybe even up to 1280MHz.

The board also has MRAM storage for persistent data storage and an RTC for timekeeping. There's space on the board to add more things.

The board has a CAN interface and a serial interface on top of the radio interfaces for interfacing to other boards in the system.

Output power is about 2 watts. It has the ability to measure forward and reflected power on the output. It also has a sort of loopback connector on the RF to test the receive and transmit chain.

The board is designed to be able to be used in an active/standby configuration where you have two of the same boards and switch the RF between the boards depending on which is active.

For information on the interfaces to the board, software and hardware, see the docs/ICD.md document.

For more details on the actual design, see the docs/Design.md document.

Parts

552
QtyValueFootprintReferences
5510kΩResistor_SMD:R_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.72x0.64mm_HandSolderR103, R105, R106, R108, R113, R121, R123, R131, R132, R133, R136, R137, R140, R144, R164, R182 +39
44100nFCapacitor_SMD:C_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.74x0.62mm_HandSolderC10, C11, C12, C13, C14, C15, C16, C123, C136, C138, C141, C142, C143, C157, C158, C159 +28
390ΩResistor_SMD:R_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.72x0.64mm_HandSolderR102, R107, R114, R115, R116, R118, R124, R129, R138, R148, R161, R162, R163, R165, R173, R174 +23
181uFCapacitor_SMD:C_0805_2012Metric_Pad1.18x1.45mm_HandSolderC33, C34, C35, C37, C38, C39, C40, C41, C57, C111, C121, C122, C148, C149, C164, C165 +2
1510nFCapacitor_SMD:C_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.74x0.62mm_HandSolderC52, C53, C56, C61, C62, C65, C70, C71, C74, C79, C80, C83, C93, C94, C97
12CONUFL001-SMD-TPacSatDev_misc:CONN1_CONUFL_TECP4, P6, P7, P8, P12, P13, P14, P19, P20, P21, P22, P23
104.7kΩResistor_SMD:R_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.72x0.64mm_HandSolderR44, R45, R48, R130, R168, R169, R170, R171, R172, R195
9100pFCapacitor_SMD:C_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.74x0.62mm_HandSolderC30, C49, C58, C67, C76, C105, C108, C113, C115
910kΩ 1%Resistor_SMD:R_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.72x0.64mm_HandSolderR11, R12, R13, R14, R15, R24, R35, R81, R139
92118714-2PacSatDev_misc:TE_2118714-2S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, S8, S9
815pF 1%Capacitor_SMD:C_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.74x0.62mm_HandSolderC50, C51, C59, C60, C68, C69, C77, C78
875nH 2%Inductor_SMD:L_0603_1608Metric_Pad1.05x0.95mm_HandSolderL3, L4, L7, L8, L11, L12, L15, L16
8TMUX2821Package_SON:Texas_DSG0008A_WSON-8-1EP_2x2mm_P0.5mm_EP0.9x1.6mmU32, U38, U39, U40, U41, U51, U61, U62
718nH 2%Inductor_SMD:L_0603_1608Metric_Pad1.05x0.95mm_HandSolderL6, L10, L14, L18, L26, L41, L43
72.2kΩResistor_SMD:R_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.72x0.64mm_HandSolderR147, R151, R152, R153, R158, R166, R167
6100nFCapacitor_SMD:C_0402_1005MetricC144, C145, C146, C147, C151, C153
610ΩResistor_SMD:R_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.72x0.64mm_HandSolderR200, R201, R202, R203, R204, R205
62N7002TQ-7-FPackage_TO_SOT_SMD:SOT-523Q2, Q8, Q9, Q10, Q11, Q19
6330ΩResistor_SMD:R_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.72x0.64mm_HandSolderR186, R188, R206, R207, R208, R209
6Fiducial (round)Fiducial:Fiducial_1mm_Mask2mmFID1, FID2, FID3, FID4, FID5, FID6
6Fiducial (square)PacSatDev_misc:Fiducial_Square_1mm_Mask2mmFID7, FID8, FID9, FID10, FID11, FID12
6MAX4995AAUT+TPackage_TO_SOT_SMD:SOT-23-6_HandsolderingU7, U9, U10, U11, U35, U60
6TPS22919DCKPackage_TO_SOT_SMD:SOT-363_SC-70-6U54, U55, U56, U57, U58, U59
510pFCapacitor_SMD:C_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.74x0.62mm_HandSolderC55, C64, C73, C82, C96
518kΩResistor_SMD:R_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.72x0.64mm_HandSolderR93, R101, R117, R126, R191
51kΩResistor_SMD:R_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.72x0.64mm_HandSolderR19, R20, R21, R22, R127
51nFCapacitor_SMD:C_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.74x0.62mm_HandSolderC101, C106, C109, C116, C119
51uFCapacitor_SMD:C_0603_1608Metric_Pad1.08x0.95mm_HandSolderC45, C85, C99, C107, C139
5470ΩResistor_SMD:R_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.72x0.64mm_HandSolderR55, R60, R65, R70, R75
550ΩResistor_SMD:R_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.72x0.64mm_HandSolderR52, R57, R62, R67, R72
56.8pFCapacitor_SMD:C_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.74x0.62mm_HandSolderC54, C63, C72, C81, C95
5AX5043PacSatDev_onsemi:QFN28U15, U17, U19, U21, U23
5MMCX-J-P-H-RA-TH1PacSatDev_misc:COAX4_MMCX-J-P-H-RA-TH1_SAIP15, P17, P24, P25, P26
40ΩResistor_SMD:R_0603_1608Metric_Pad0.98x0.95mm_HandSolderR29, R68, R111, R112
4143kΩ 1%Resistor_SMD:R_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.72x0.64mm_HandSolderR9, R38, R53, R122
41nHInductor_SMD:L_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.77x0.64mm_HandSolderL5, L9, L13, L17
422ΩResistor_SMD:R_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.72x0.64mm_HandSolderR5, R6, R7, R135
447uF 10VCapacitor_SMD:C_1206_3216Metric_Pad1.33x1.80mm_HandSolderC32, C42, C134, C135
461.9ΩResistor_SMD:R_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.72x0.64mm_HandSolderR50, R51, R89, R90
4AS3016204-0108X0PSAYPackage_SO:SOIC-8_5.3x5.3mm_P1.27mmU13, U16, U18, U20
4CUBESAT_MOUNT_HOLEPacSatDev_misc:CUBESAT_MOUNT_HOLEH2, H3, H4, H5
4MountingHole_PadTestPoint:TestPoint_Loop_D2.60mm_Drill1.6mm_BeadedH6, H7, H8, H9
4NTCG103JF103FTDS 10kΩ@25CResistor_SMD:R_0402_1005MetricTH2, TH3, TH4, TH5
310uF 16VCapacitor_SMD:C_1206_3216MetricC114, C133, C140
33.32kΩ 1%Resistor_SMD:R_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.72x0.64mm_HandSolderR77, R183, R211
33.3uHPacSatDev_misc:IND_EPL2010_COCL2, L29, L46
333ΩResistor_SMD:R_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.72x0.64mm_HandSolderR10, R46, R56
33kΩResistor_SMD:R_0603_1608Metric_Pad0.98x0.95mm_HandSolderR16, R17, R18
34.7nFCapacitor_SMD:C_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.74x0.62mm_HandSolderC36, C48, C120
34.7uFCapacitor_SMD:C_0805_2012Metric_Pad1.18x1.45mm_HandSolderC28, C150, C152
3470nHInductor_SMD:L_0805_2012Metric_Pad1.05x1.20mm_HandSolderL39, L40, L45
20Inductor_SMD:L_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.77x0.64mm_HandSolderL47, L48
20Capacitor_SMD:C_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.74x0.62mm_HandSolderC154, C155
20.47uFCapacitor_SMD:C_0603_1608Metric_Pad1.08x0.95mm_HandSolderC137, C156
21.8VDiode_SMD:D_SOD-523D8, D9
2100kΩResistor_SMD:R_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.72x0.64mm_HandSolderR128, R179
2100nHInductor_SMD:L_0603_1608Metric_Pad1.05x0.95mm_HandSolderL24, L25
21MΩResistor_SMD:R_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.72x0.64mm_HandSolderR82, R104
21kΩ@100MHzInductor_SMD:L_0603_1608Metric_Pad1.05x0.95mm_HandSolderFB2, FB3
21nFCapacitor_SMD:C_0402_1005MetricC162, C163
2277Ω 0.1%Resistor_SMD:R_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.72x0.64mm_HandSolderR198, R199
227nH 2%Inductor_SMD:L_0603_1608Metric_Pad1.05x0.95mm_HandSolderL20, L21
22kΩResistor_SMD:R_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.72x0.64mm_HandSolderR154, R155
236pF 1%Capacitor_SMD:C_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.74x0.62mm_HandSolderC100, C103
24.3pF 1%Capacitor_SMD:C_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.74x0.62mm_HandSolderC91, C92
243nH 2%Inductor_SMD:L_0603_1608Metric_Pad1.05x0.95mm_HandSolderL22, L23
26.5pF ±.1Capacitor_SMD:C_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.74x0.62mm_HandSolderC104, C131
268kΩ 1%Resistor_SMD:R_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.72x0.64mm_HandSolderR31, R32
268pF 1%Capacitor_SMD:C_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.74x0.62mm_HandSolderC130, C132
2ADL5501AKSZ-R7PacSatDev_misc:KS-6_ADIU28, U29
2ADS1015BQDGSRQ1Package_SO:TSSOP-10_3x3mm_P0.5mmU42, U43
2BAV116WSQ-7Diode_SMD:D_SOD-323FD6, D7
2Conn_01x02_PinConnector_Wire:SolderWire-0.5sqmm_1x02_P4.6mm_D0.9mm_OD2.1mmJ8, J17
2ESD601DPYRQ1PacSatDev_misc:DPY0002A-MFGU45, U47
2ESQ-126-38-G-DPacSatDev_misc:CONN_ESQ-126-39-G-D_SAIJ1, J2
2FTSH-105-01-L-DV-KPacSatDev_samtec:FTSH-105-01-L-DV-KJ3, J9
2G125-MH11005L1PPacSatDev_misc:G125-MH11005L1PJ7, J10
2LM73100RPWRPacSatDev_ti:RPW0010A-MFGU49, U50
2MountingHoleMountingHole:MountingHole_2.7mmH10, H11
2QPC8010QTR7PacSatDev_misc:QFN50P200X200X60-13N-DU31, U33

The 478 most common of 552 parts.

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Questions

How big is the PacSat AFSK PCB?

It measures 90.2 × 95.9 mm and has 6 copper layers, 1.65 mm thick.

What parts does the PacSat AFSK use?

552 parts, built around the ADL5501AKSZ-R7, ADS1015BQDGSRQ1, TMUX2821DSG and MAX4995AAUT+T. The full list of its parts is on this page, with links to each part's symbol and footprint where PCBKit's library has them.

Where can I download the PacSat AFSK KiCad files?

From the AMSAT-NA/PacSatFSKBoard repository on GitHub, at the commit this page was made from: the board is PacSat_AFSK.kicad_pcb and its schematic BUS_IO_Interface.kicad_sch. PCBKit opens the board in the browser, with nothing to install.

Can I use the PacSat AFSK design in my own project?

Its repository states no licence, so its author keeps all rights: ask AMSAT-NA before reusing the design.