Nathan Cheek

How to Reset the Password of a Ubiquiti UniFi Network Server
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Lunar Flashlight's Journey, a Propulsion Perspective - SmallSat 2023

Lunar Flashlight launched! Almost three and a half years after I started working on this project, I got to watch from the Mission Operations Center in Atlanta as a Falcon 9 rocket carried our CubeSat into space. In the months following our December 11, 2022 launch, we carried out a successful technology demonstration with the spacecraft. This included successful operations of the propulsion system, near-infrared spectroscopy instrument, and Sphinx command and data handling system. In addition, using the onboard Iris radio, we demonstrated pseudorandom-noise delta differential one-way ranging (PN Delta-DOR) for the first time in space.

Early on, we identified variable performance from the propulsion system. In the following five months, we carried out a wide assortment of propulsion tests in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to get Lunar Flashlight close enough to the Moon to perform science experiments. The story of our approach and the lessons we learned are captured in a new paper at this year’s Small Satellite Conference. It can be accessed here.

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Repairing my Aneng AN8008 Multimeter

A number of years ago I purchased an Aneng AN8008 multimeter for about $17. It’s been a good tool for the price, although these days they seem to cost quite a bit more, probably due to their popularity prompted by an increasing number of positive online reviews. The low cost and portability make it great to keep on-hand for automotive use and really just about any project.

At some point the 10A current measurement stopped working on mine. I probably blew the fuse trying to measure current while working on my car. I searched around but could not find any documentation on what replacement fuse to use. And to make things more confusing, it looks like the AN8008 has been sold over time with various internal designs, featuring different fuse packages!

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Prius Speedometer (Combination Meter) Repair

Ah the dreaded blank speedometer issue. It plagues many 2nd gen Prius owners, and I was no exception. Basically, sometimes the Prius’s “combination meter” - the device that includes the speedometer and fuel tank level - doesn’t turn on. It affects other parts of the car too. For example, some information goes missing on the touchscreen, the backup camera doesn’t work, and sometimes you can’t even turn the car off!

It’s caused by a specific capacitor degrading. The temporary solution is to disconnect and reconnect the 12V battery in the back of the car. This usually works for a while, but is very annoying. And it seems to be more frequent in the winter, probably due to the cold weather causing the capacitor to exhibit lower capacitance.

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Building and Testing the Lunar Flashlight Spacecraft - SmallSat 2022

The Lunar Flashlight Systems Integration and Test (I&T) campaign began back in 2018 at JPL. I joined this team in spring 2021, and followed the spacecraft from Pasadena to Atlanta where the solar panels and propulsion system were installed. After assembling the spacecraft, we took it through a series of environmental tests prior to fueling. The steps of our I&T campaign are detailed in a new paper, published as part of this year’s Small Satellite Conference proceedings. It can be found at this link.

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