Magnetic Mating & Vehicle Integration

The weird thing about an umbilical is that disconnecting is part of the job. That makes the mechanical behavior part of the electrical-reliability problem too.

Pogo + Magnet Interface

The boards use pogo contacts for the electrical connection and strong magnets for retention. The PCB geometry therefore controls:

• contact alignment;
• mating orientation;
• retention force direction;
• strain transferred into the vehicle-side board/harness;
• the direction the interface releases.

Preventing Integration Errors

I tried to make the correct orientation obvious without needing someone to stop and stare at a drawing. Connector placement, polarity, and the mechanical shape all help make a bad mate harder.

Flight-Like Validation

I did not validate this as two loose PCBs on a desk. I checked it with the actual ground/vehicle hardware and harnessing:

• repeated mate/detach behavior;
• Ethernet link after assembly;
• safing/control continuity;
• power transfer;
• release behavior.

Two Vehicles, One Envelope

Both Vespula and Darcy/Felicette use the same basic structural interface. Keeping that envelope fixed while redesigning the vehicle-specific electrical allocation meant the second vehicle did not need a new umbilical mounting concept.

The part I like most is that the second vehicle could change electrically without throwing away a mechanical interface that already worked.