HYPR-POLAR vs. Cube-Polar
- January 26, 2026
- CAVU Aerospace UK
Comparison Summary
Feature | OBC-HYPR-Polar | OBC-Cube-Polar |
Ethernet | Dual GbE (opt. 10G) | Dual GbE (opt. 10G) |
SpaceWire | Yes | Yes |
RS-422 | 4 | 4 |
RS-485 | 4 | 1 |
RS-232 | 4 | 2 |
CAN | 4 | 3 |
USB | USB 2.0 (opt. 3.0) | USB 2.0 (opt. 3.0) |
RAM | 4 GB (+8 GB opt.) | 4 GB |
Mass Storage | Dual 256 GB | Dual 256 GB |
ADC | 16-ch, 16-bit, 1 MSPS simultaneous | 8-ch, 12-bit serial |
GPIO / DIO | 40 | 24 (+60 via addon) |
SPI | Up to 6 (reconfigurable) | On addon card |
CSAC Support | Via dedicated addon card | Via addon card |
Dimensions | 145×100 mm | 96×96 mm |
Height | 22 mm (36 mm stacked) | ~14 mm / ~25 mm stacked |
Connectors | Micro-D | Nano-D |
Recommended Baseline: OBC-HYPR-Polar
The OBC-HYPR-Polar basic version has several interfaces and capabilities covering majority of space flight missions, with noted headroom for future firmware or FPGA-based changes as the design matures:
- PolarFire MPSF250 or MPFS460 SoC
- Dual Gigabit Ethernet
- SpaceWire
- 4× RS-422, 4× RS-485, 4× RS-232
- 4× CAN
- USB 2.0 (optional USB 3.0)
- Optional 10G Ethernet
- 4 GB RAM (optional +8 GB)
- Multiple boot and code storage options
- Dual 256 GB mass storage
- 16-channel, 16-bit simultaneous-sampling ADC, 1 MSPS per channel
- Configurable analog front-ends for thermistors, PRTs, current sensing, or general-purpose voltage inputs (up to 20 Vpp)
- 40× general-purpose DIO
- 2× I²C, 2× SPI, 2× UART (TTL)
- DIO and I²C can be reconfigured to SPI, enabling up to 6 SPI ports.
CSAC & Timing
The OBC-HYPR-Polar includes an expansion connector specifically intended for mission-specific peripherals. Your CSAC requirement (e.g., SA65-class device) and a 10 MHz PPS-disciplined clock distribution buffer can be implemented on a dedicated addon card, resulting in a double-stacked module. This keeps the base OBC unchanged while cleanly accommodating precision timing needs.
- Single-stack: 145 × 100 mm, height 22 mm
- Double-stack (with CSAC addon): height 36 mm
- All connectors: Micro-D
Size-Constrained Alternative: OBC-Cube-Polar
If the volume budget does not allow the HYPR double-stack, the OBC-Cube-Polar provides a more compact option with reduced but still relevant I/O, and supports further expansion via an addon card:
- PolarFire MPFS160 or MPFS250 SoC
- Dual Gigabit Ethernet
- SpaceWire
- 4× RS-422
- 2× RS-232
- 1× RS-485
- 3× CAN
- USB 2.0 (optional USB 3.0)
- Optional 10G Ethernet
- 4 GB RAM
- Multiple boot and code storage
- Dual 256 GB mass storage
- 8-channel, 12-bit serial ADC, no analog front end (direct voltage input-opt. pull down resistors)
- 24× GPIO on base board (+60× GPIO via addon)
- Dimensions: 96 × 96 mm
- Height: ~14 mm (no addon), ~25 mm with addon
Connectors: Nano-D press-fit (mixed)
