Home - arribada/featherwings-argos-smd-hw GitHub Wiki

Introduction

The Wings-SMD board is designed to support the SMD Module board and is fully certified for Argos/Kineis satellite communication. The Arribada Argos SMD module is a compact, high-performance PCB engineered to facilitate satellite (Argos/Kinéis) uplink communication across a wide range of applications. The term of Feathers and Wings was originally developed by Adafruit Industries. They created this compact, versatile platform for microcontroller projects, which eventually led to the development of the FeatherWing ecosystem for add-on boards.

Feather is a flexible and powerful family of microcontroller main-boards (Feathers) and daughter-boards (Wings) with a wide range of capabilities. They can be plugged into a breadboard for quick prototyping, feature built-in battery connectors for on-the-go projects, and most come equipped with built-in LiPo chargers!

This wiki provides comprehensive resources and detailed hardware descriptions for the Wings-SMD board. Additionally, it covers the hardware aspects of the SMD Module board while the SMD Module repository remains closed source. The SMD Module will soon be open source.

Key Features

  • Compact Design: Castellated edges for easy integration into new or existing designs.
  • High efficiency: Built on the STM32WL55 with a GR5504 amplifier for reliable satellite uplink and low power consumption.
  • Integration Options: Feather breakout board available for seamless testing and integration; only power and an antenna are necessary.
  • Flexibility: Can be used as a standalone solution or an RF module.
  • Kineis Compatibility: Fully compatible with KINEIS stack and KINEIS GUI; certified by Kineis/CNES for all modulation (LDA2, VLDA4, LDK)

Where to order

Pre-orders are now available on the Arribada website and will close in February. This phase helps us better size the next production batch and saves money for early adopters. After the pre-order period, sales will open on the Arribada website. Three kits are available:

  • the SMD Module module alone,
  • the Wings-SMD (with an SMD Module module soldered)
  • the full kit includes the Wings-SMD board and a ready-flashed Feather board for immediate communication.

Resources