<img height="1" width="1" style="display:none;" alt="" src="https://px.ads.linkedin.com/collect/?pid=2960562&amp;fmt=gif">
The Xiphos logo in dark blue text, with
EN FR
Vector-2 Vector (1)
CONTACT US
s5
s4

    Attitude Control System (ACS)

  • Q7 ACS
CONTACT US

Q8 Low SWaP On-Board Computer

Offering high processing power and flexibility with low SWaP, Xiphos’ On-Board Computer (OBC) is designed to meet the needs of your most demanding SmallSat missions, giving you full control over all spacecraft subsystems. Based on the Xiphos Q8 processor board, it’s backed by 120+ years of flight heritage.

Spec sheet

FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS

Used by customers looking for flight computer solution with full enclosure and turn-key capability.

Physical Size (mm) Input Voltage
167 x 183 x 911 Input voltage: 9-15 V (12 V nominal)
Processor Board Temperature Sensors
Q8S – including all base specs for standalone board 48x PT2000 sensors Inputs
Analog Interfaces Communication Interfaces
9x Analog inputs (0 to 5V)
3x Analog inputs (-5 to 5V)		 1x GigE port, 2x USB 2.0, 2x CAN bus (2.0В), 2x UART, 18x RS422/485/232, 2x RS422/485/232 Full Duplex, 7x RS422 OUT, 1x  Remote Diagnostic Port (RDP)
TRL  
TRL9 since 2025  

The Q8 OBC card offers the following key features:

SPEC SHEET Compare processors
SUBSYSTEM CONTROL

The OBC offers a large selection of  interfaces for all spacecraft subsystems.

  • Serial: RS-422/485/232, CAN, and LVDS-based protocols
  • Gigabit Ethernet and USB 2.0
SATELLITE MONITORING

To monitor subsystems, the Q8 OBC provides:

  • -5V to +5V analog inputs
  • 0V to 5V analog inputs
  • PT2000 thermistor inputs for thermal monitoring
FORM FACTOR & POWER
  • 167.3 mm x 182.6 mm x 91 mm
  • 957 g
  • 6 - 16 Vdc
    (5 W nom, 16.5 W max)
OPERATION
  • Operating Temp. -40 to +60C
  • Power 7.5W nominal, 14W peak
  • Xiphos Radiation Robustness Suite

CONFIGURATIONS

We offer several standard configurations which offer the lowest costs and fastest deliveries.

Request a Quote

Q8-OBC-001

Standard configuration with both Engineering Model and Flight Model options.

Configuration Q8-OBC-001
EM Uncoated XS002-10008-001-02-A
FM Conformal Coated XS002-10007-001-02-A

 

SPACE COMPUTING PRODUCTS - RELATIVE PERFORMANCE

There are many attributes and trade-offs when comparing performance between computing platforms. These graphs give an idea of how the different models compare to each other. These represent a comparison of Q-Card processor boards; daughterboards may add additional resources.

Q8 - 01 Q8 - 02 Q8 - 03 Q8 - 04 Q8 - 05 Q8 - 06

 * The Q9 A72 supports out of order execution, larger cache, and faster clock speed etc.

FULLY FLEXIBLE

Your OBC should enable your spacecraft platform design, not limit it. The Xiphos toolchain gives you full control over the FPGA fabric and Linux Operating System environment.

Its reconfigurable 3v3 GPIO and LVDS pins allow for custom interfaces, while flexible RS-422/485/232 serial settings make it easy to adapt to your hardware suite.

Did you know

In addition to our standard daughterboards, we offer application-specific development integrating our powerful Q-Card processors with the interfacing options and application-specific electronics you require. Contact our team to learn more about customization.

Explore Custom Solutions

Other products

Xiphos Q8 Processor

Q8 Low SWaP Computer-on-Module

We’re taking high-performance up a notch with the Q8, the latest addition to our spaceflight-ready miniature processing boards. Building upon the solid reputation of the Xiphos line, the Q8 maintains the same efficient design while setting new records in performance. It's like taking the known limits of processor power and giving them a caffeine boost.

    • Memory: 256MB  LPDDR2 RAM (with ECC), 2x QSPI Flash (NOR), 2x MicroSD
    • All-Programmable System-on-Chip: Xilinx Zynq SoC, including ARM dual-core
    • Cortex-A9 MPCore processors supported by massive programmable logic resources​
    • Control FPGA: ProASIC 3.
    • Operating System: Linux
Learn More
XSC_7531-45RIGHT-Q8RF KM 1000px

Q8RF Family

This processor features the Xilinx Zynq® UltraScale+™ RFSoC and is the result of our relentless quest for evolution. It's at the forefront of our next-generation Q-Card Processors, bringing full SDR capabilities to the next level.

  • Memory: 4 GB of LPDDR4 RAM (with ECC), 4 GB DDR4 on PL, 2 x 25 MB QSPI Flash (NOR), 2x 32 GB NAND Flash
  • Xilinx ZU28DR RFSoC, which includes a dual-core ARM Cortex-A53 Application Processing Unit and a dual-core ARM Cortex-R5 Real-Time Processing Unit
  • Power: typical 6W (to 40W max) @ 5V to 16V
 
Learn More

Contact Us

We would love to answer your questions. Be that about our products and solutions, joining our team, or where to get the best pizza in Montreal. Just drop in your details below!

Partner With Us

Ask us about our technology or discover what Xiphos can do for your organization. Just drop in your details below.