Cloud Radar System - Data System Electronics Enclosure

Time period

August 2001 to October 2001

Project description

The Cloud Radar System was designed to fly on the NASA ER-2 aircraft. We designed an enclosure for the data system electronics cards, power supply, and hard drive. The design needed to fit into the tight space of the ER-2 Super-Pod mid-body.

Similar boxes had problems with condensation forming on their electronic components: the electronics cooled to below freezing when the ER-2 flew at a 65,000-foot (19.8-kilometer) altitude, and water condensed on the electronics as the aircraft descended to a warmer and more humid altitude. To address these problems, we designed a sealed enclosure with twelve fans that continuously circulated air inside. This evenly distributed heat from the electronics to other areas. Hot spots were cooled and the system stayed warm enough to prevent condensation.

Since a sealed enclosure could cause overheating during operation on the ground, we designed adjustable vents that allow outside air to be pulled into the box, blown across the electronics, and vented outside. If necessary, the vent area could be adjusted so that outside cooling air entered the box during flight.

We also designed a new handle for an existing sealed hard-drive enclosure. This new hard drive used a cam-mechanism to reduce the force required to remove the hard drive from its connector.

Challenges and lessons learned

During fabrication, we expanded on the knowledge gained during our work on a previous data system enclosure. To save time and reduce costs, fully-dimensioned drawings were produced only for simple parts. Also, only critical dimensions were indicated on the drawings of more complex parts. The 3-D computer solid-model files were used to generate code to control the CNC machining process. We learned that this saves time during the drafting phase of a project and reduces fabrication costs and errors.