By Eric Hanna (Design and Manufacturing)

We conduct a trade-off study to decide between a CCD FPV camera and a CMOS camera for detecting single-event upsets (SEUs).

Introduction

For our project, we were tasked with making a PCB with a sensor package to be used in a cubesat. The sensor package is to include two different sensors. The first sensor was supplied to us and is a geiger tube. For our second sensor we had to choose a camera to be used for detecting single event upsets.

Eachine CCD FPV Camera

The first camera we looked at was the Eachine CCD FPV Camera. The camera can be found and purchased through banggood.com it is the Eachine 800TVL CCD FPV Camera. The supplier provided specifications for power supply, current, resolution, operating temperature and weight. The price for this camera is $18.79. Although this camera was recommended to us we still wanted to explore our options.

uCAM-II CMOS Camera

The next camera we found was the uCAM-II CMOS Camera. We found this camera while exploring articles on cameras typically used in cubesats. In the paper the uCAM-II was the preferred choice. After looking into the camera’s website http://www.4dsystems.com.au/product/uCAM_II/ it became apparent why this camera was the best choice. The manufacturer provided an in depth datasheet as well as software to help get started using the camera. The price for the camera is $49.00.

Conclusion

The uCAM II CMOS Camera was chosen because it provided support documents and a data sheet that the other camera lacked. Without documentation, Eachine FPV Camera would have taken extra hours to determine how and if it would work. The increase in cost is justifiable due to the savings of recycling the Geiger Tube.

Table

Requirement	uCAM-II CMOS	Eachine CCD FPV
Cost within Budget	$49.00	$18.79
Matches 5V operating Voltage	5 V	3.6 – 5.5 V
Manufacturer provides data sheet and support documents	Yes	No
Weight requirement	6g	12g