Test Mass (TM) Sensing & Actuation Electronics (SAE) - 2010

The TM SAE is designed during the LTP mission from ESA, which improves the electronics performance compared to the TM SAE in 2005. It mainly includes 3 Sensing and Actuation Printed Circuit Boards (SA PCBs), 1 Control PCB and internal wiring.

The main function blocks of the SAE are as follows:
[1] Sensing of TM position between its electrodes along six axis of freedom (three in translation and three in rotation)
[2] Electrostatic actuation of TM via twelve electrodes
[3] Generates necessary TM injection AC voltage to perform sensing function
[4] Generates special sinusoidal AC waveforms to perform actuation function
[5] Generates DC offsets for each electrode for cancelation of stray potentials