A COMMUNITY-DRIVEN PROJECT
FOR BUILDING
OPEN THRUST
LAB — v0.1
OPEN HARDWARE
Fully open source test bench designs. 3D-printable frames, load cell mounts, and PCB schematics — free to build and modify.
DATA & ANALYSIS
Real-time thrust, RPM, voltage, and current data visualization. Log, compare, and share motor performance results.
COMMUNITY
A growing community of drone builders, engineers, and makers collaborating to make motor testing accessible to everyone.
OPEN-PHASE
Inline sensing PCB between the ESC and a 3-phase BLDC drone motor. On each phase, a 1 mΩ shunt with an INA241A2 amplifier built for PWM rejection and a voltage divider; an AD7606C-18 18-bit ADC samples all six signals simultaneously, for real-time power, efficiency and ESC diagnostics. Power chain and measurement quality simulated in LTspice. Work in progress.
OPEN-WEIGHT
Open source load-cell measurement PCB built around the AD7190 24-bit sigma-delta ADC, for precision thrust measurement. Runs from a single 3.3 V rail, validated with LTspice and openEMS simulations, and ships full manufacturing files — Gerber, BOM, assembly positions — generated by a KiBot CI pipeline. Designed for integration into the Open Thrust Lab test bench.
pHenix
Open source pH meter with metrological-grade precision (sub-0.001 pH). 100% Analog Devices architecture — ADA4530-1 fA buffer, AD7177-2 32-bit ADC, LTC6655 voltage reference. Full hardware + firmware, CERN-OHL-P v2 licensed, buildable for ~350 EUR.
PROJECT INCEPTION
Initial concept, research, and first prototype designs for the test bench frame.
HARDWARE PROTOTYPING
First functional hardware prototype. Load cell integration, PCB design (Open Phase, Open Weight), and basic ESC control.
FIRMWARE & SOFTWARE
ESP32 firmware development. Real-time data acquisition, sensor calibration, and desktop visualization app.
COMMUNITY LAUNCH
Public release of all designs under CERN-OHL-P v2, firmware, and documentation. Open for contributions.
EXPANSION
Multi-motor testing, automated test sequences, advanced analytics, and community-driven improvements.
OPEN THRUST LAB IS A FREE AND OPEN SOURCE PROJECT.
YOUR SUPPORT HELPS US DEVELOP NEW HARDWARE, IMPROVE THE FIRMWARE, AND KEEP EVERYTHING ACCESSIBLE TO THE COMMUNITY.
PRIVACY — YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IS ONLY USED TO SEND YOU PROJECT UPDATES. YOUR DATA IS NEVER SOLD, SHARED WITH THIRD PARTIES, OR USED FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSES. YOU CAN UNSUBSCRIBE AT ANY TIME BY CONTACTING US. IN ACCORDANCE WITH GDPR (EU 2016/679), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO ACCESS, RECTIFY, AND DELETE YOUR PERSONAL DATA.