What sort of computer / controller is on PCSAT ?
None, all of my sateliltes, PCSAT-1,2,ANDE,RAFT,MARScom are nothing but KPC-3's or KPC-9612's. Just a TNC and a radio. I use the built in telemetry, remote sysop and I/O commands for all functions. The KPC-3+ gives me this:
1) Low power (15 mA) 2) serial port to any aux devices 3) password protected remote control 4) 5 channels of analog telemetry 5) 3 to 5 external ON/OFF and PULSE commands 6) Beacons, 4 bulletins, on any schedule 7) CW (if you want it) 8) Flying BBS (file store and forward) 9) APRS digipeater A) GPS parsing and position reporting
And with an external $199 voice synthesizer, we get packet to voice.
The KPC-9612+ gives all of the above PLUS
10) 1200 and 9600 baud ports 11) Cross baud digipeting 11) 6 to 8 ON/OFF commands lines 12) Additional 8 bit bidirectional I/O discretes
All we add are the needed relays and telemetry voltage dividers. If we need more than 5 telemetry channels, we use some $2 analog multiplexer chips to give us up to four frames of 5 each for a total of 20 channels for PCSAT1,2 and ANDE.
Then we make clever use of all the hundred or so TNC commands for everything we need to do...
Bob,Wb4APR