The "brain" of the MFEX Microrover (Sojourner) is comprised of two electronics boards interconnected to one another, the sensors within the WEB (Warm Electronics Box), and sensors and actuators external to the WEB via a set of three Flex cables. Although the boards are generally referred to as the "CPU" Board and the "Power" Board, they each contain components which are responsible for power generation, power conditioning, power distribution and control, analog and digital I/O control and processing, computing (i.e., the CPU), and data storage (i.e., memory). The board set is pictured below along with listing of several physical parameters.
Power Board (Bottom Side) and CPU Board (Top Side) |
CPU Board (Bottom Side) and Power Board (Top Side) |
The above photographs show the configuration of the Flight Unit Rover's (FUR) electronics board set (S/N 003) after conformal coating. The board set as shown does not yet contain the (8) flight PROMS which were installed prior to launch.
| Mass: | 995 g | |
| Area (footprint): | 360 cm2 | CPU Board |
| 278 cm2 | Power Board | |
| Height: | 1.9 cm | CPU Board |
| 1.9 cm | Power Board | |
| PWB layers: | 12 | each PWB |
| PWB Thickness: | 2.5 mm | each PWB |
| Components: | 1026 | not including flex harness, connectors, bulkhead |
Back to the Rover Control & Navigation Page.
Web Page Author: Henry W. Stone
All information on this site, including text and images describing the Rover is copyright © 1996, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
