Temperature-Tolerant Processor for Reliable Control

High temperature electronics will benefit Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) and Electronic Engine Control (EEC) in an aircraft by reducing or eliminating the need for fuel cooling of electronics. Orbital Research Inc. proposes the development of a high temperature Controller for use in future aircraft FADEC designs that will consist of the following: An ASIC chip and high temperature capacitors, resistors and pcb substrates. The Phase I effort will be primarily to collect data on existing FADECs and EECs, and analyze the data to determine the most appropriate microprocessor to use as the core of the controller. Following the identification of the optimal micro Orbital Research Inc. will design a controller, using a custom-designed ASIC which will provide computational power needed for future FADEC designs. In Phase II Orbital will build a breadboard for testing from the designed circuit. The critical test parameter is adequate processing power in a rugged package that does not need liquid fuel cooling.