9DoF IMU thermal range

[hukuzatuna]

I am thinking of flying an Arduino and 9DoF sensor on a CubeSat 1U satellite to measure magnetic flux in the ionosphere. I am looking at a thermal loading of -45 C to 125C. Has the 9DoF been tested under this range? If not, is there a recommended operating temperature range?

[adafruit_support_mike]

The datasheets quote an operating range of -40C to 85C:

http://www.adafruit.com/datasheets/L3GD20.pdf
http://www.adafruit.com/datasheets/LSM303DLHC.PDF

The storage range goes from -40C to 125C, but that's "unpowered and not being anything but a small block of silicon/plastic".

[hukuzatuna]

Thank you, Mike! It looks like I'll need to do a more detailed thermal simulation of the flight, and turn on the 9DoF only when it's within the operating boundaries. That should be easy to do with a wide range thermometer breakout and some transistors - basically power on the 9DoF from the satellite power bus only when thermal conditions permit. I also need to buy a bag of 'em and test them in a vacuum chamber under those thermal loads.

Has anyone put an Arduino in orbit yet? It would be fun to be the first.... ;-)

[adafruit_support_mike]

I don't know of any Arduinos in space off the top of my head.

You might also want to check the radiation environment. High energy particles/waves can go right through a plastic package and trigger photoelectric effects on the silicon inside. I know there are chips specifically designed to be radiation-hardened.

BTW - you can make a reasonably good thermometer from a 1N4148 diode and a 10k resistor. The relationship between current and voltage in a diode depends on temperature, so for a given amount of current, the forward voltage falls by about 2mV per degree C. Measuring that with an Arduino's ADC, you'd see the reading drop by 1 for each 2.5C.