Although we discuss sensors in depth in the third book in this series, DIY Instruments for Amateur Space (O’Reilly, 2012), you have to think about your sensor programming architecture when you are choosing your build-out for your basic satellite platform. Sensors will be analog or digital. Analog sensors require you hook to the A2D (analog-to-digital) ports on your microprocessor, while digital sensors will hook in directly through digital input pins.

There are competing standards for hobby sensor use. A fixed-baudrate serial line (UART) is not something I recommend, as one thing you require is to identify a given sensor as well as receiving the data. For a single sensor, however, it is possible to go with a serial connection. CAN Bus or 1-wire, similarly, are technically possible and have some library support for both processor types, but I would not recommend them.