Specter Aerospace

Ignition System Redesign: Redesigned and improved the ZVS-based high-voltage flight ignition system for hypersonic vehicles, with the goal of enhancing the reliability of the design, replacing components with market-stable alternatives, implementing protection mechanisms, and optimizing the board size and total cost. 

Component Sourcing & Selection: 

• Researched, sourced, and tested FET ICs that would be implemented into the design as the main switching FETs rated for 600V operation with a high repetitive avalanche energy capability

• Sourced high-current inductors for the ZVS topology, replacing a 6-inductor configuration with a 4-inductor configuration by finding components with higher inductance and still above threshold saturation current. This reduced the board size by 20% and resolved end-of-life (EOL) concerns associated with previous inductors. 

System Testing:

• Performed maximum power testing to validate consistent inductor and FET performance

• Conducted plasma ignition tests, capturing high-voltage waveforms and gate signals using an oscilloscope

Protection Circuit Design:

• Developed robust analog overcurrent and overvoltage protection circuits using comparators and RS latches to prevent oscillatory failure loops

  • Designed a latched fault mechanism: faults persist until manually reset, preventing rapid toggling that had previously caused the electrical power system to fail

• Added TVS diodes across the FETs (source to drain) to handle high-energy switching transients and protect against voltage spikes, with a focus on repetitive avalanche handling thereby protecting the main switching FETs