OpenFlight Parts List¶

Hardware components for building the OpenFlight golf launch monitor.

Ordering shortcut: A shared OpenFlight Mouser project is available for the parts Mouser stocks — open it, save it to your own Mouser account, and add the whole list to your cart in one step instead of searching for each item. Check it against the tables below before you order: anything Mouser does not carry has a direct vendor link here.

Next step after gathering parts: See the Raspberry Pi Setup Guide for assembly and software installation.

Core Components¶

NOTE on OPS243-A-W (WiFi version): The standard OPS243-A (USB only) is strongly recommended. The WiFi module on the OPS243-A-W drives the internal UART receive line, preventing direct connection to the Raspberry Pi GPIO UART (Layout A). However, if you already have the WiFi version, it can still be used over USB with a powered USB hub (Layout B) when paired with the IWR6843 angle radar.

Display alternative: The Raspberry Pi Touch Display 2 (7" 720x1280, MIPI DSI) also works with the Pi 5. If you use it, print the Touch_Display2_backplate.stl and Touch_Display2_shell.stl from the IARC case instead of monitor_shell.stl — see the IARC case instructions.

Sound Trigger (for Rolling Buffer Mode)¶

The sound trigger detects club impact to precisely time radar captures. Essential for spin detection via rolling buffer mode.

R17 resistor: The SEN-14262 is rated for 5V but runs at 3.3V in this setup, which can cause the GATE output to stick high. Soldering a resistor into the R17 through-hole position (in parallel with the onboard 100kΩ R3) reduces preamp gain and fixes this. Start with 47kΩ; use a lower value (e.g. 33kΩ) if the sensor is still too sensitive for your environment.

Sound Trigger Wiring¶

SEN-14262               Raspberry Pi           OPS243
┌───────────┐          ┌──────────┐          ┌──────────┐
│ VCC ──────┼──────────┤ 3.3V     │          │          │
│           │          │          │          │          │
│ GATE ─────┼──────────┼──────────┼──────────┤ HOST_INT │
│           │          │          │          │ (J3 P3)  │
│ GND ──────┼──────────┤ GND      ├──────────┤ GND      │
│           │          │          │          │ (J3 P1)  │
└───────────┘          └──────────┘          └──────────┘

See sound-trigger-wiring.md for detailed instructions and troubleshooting.

Angle Radar (TI IWR6843) — CURRENT¶

This is the supported angle radar. It measures vertical and horizontal launch angle, and supplies the pre-impact frames club path is derived from.

The board needs custom firmware — it does not work out of the box. The stock TI demo does not expose the raw radar cube OpenFlight needs. A validated prebuilt image ships in firmware/releases/, so you do not need the TI toolchain to flash it.

You also need physical access to the board's boot-mode switch (S1.1) and RESET button to flash. Both are on the LEVM itself; nothing to buy.

IWR6843 Setup¶

Two connection layouts are supported, and which one you can use depends on your OPS243 variant:

Layout A keeps the TI board on USB and moves the OPS243 to the Pi's GPIO header, which is what the power budget requires — the Pi cannot supply both radars over USB.

[!WARNING] Layout A does not work with a WiFi-equipped OPS243-A. Its onboard WiFi module already drives the radar's UART receive line, so the Pi cannot send it commands. WiFi OPS boards must use Layout B with a powered hub.

Full instructions: IWR6843 Operator Guide for wiring, flashing, mounting, and geometry; Moving the OPS243 to the Pi GPIO UART for the OPS side of Layout A.

Optional Enclosure Inclinometer¶

An LIS3DH mounted to the enclosure base lets OpenFlight compensate the IWR6843 tilt when the rig is placed on uneven ground.

See the LIS3DH Inclinometer Setup Guide for wiring, mounting, calibration, startup flags, and troubleshooting.

Angle Radar (K-LD7) — DEPRECATED¶

⚠️ DEPRECATED — do not buy for new builds. The K-LD7 angle radars have been superseded by a more capable radar chip. K-LD7 support remains in the software for existing builds but will not receive further development. The parts below are listed for reference only.

Two K-LD7 modules measure launch angle (vertical) and club path / aim direction (horizontal). The OPS243 handles speed; the K-LD7s provide angle and distance only (speed data aliases above 62 mph).

EVAL board not required. The K-LD7 bare module communicates over 3.3V UART (TX, RX, VCC, GND). Any 3.3V FTDI USB-to-serial adapter works. The official K-LD7 EVAL board (~$120 each) is only needed if you want the RFbeam GUI software for configuration — OpenFlight configures the radar over serial automatically.

K-LD7 Connection¶

Each K-LD7 connects via a 3.3V FTDI adapter, appearing as /dev/ttyUSB* on Linux.

K-LD7 Module (UART) → FTDI 3.3V Adapter → USB → Raspberry Pi

One unit is mounted vertically (launch angle), one horizontally (club path / aim direction). A --kld7-angle-offset parameter corrects for mounting geometry — see the setup guide for calibration.

Power & Accessories¶

Optional¶

See Camera and YOLO Experiments before buying the camera; the standard setup does not install its optional software dependencies.

Cost Summary¶

OpenFlight works without any angle radar: you get ball speed, club speed, smash factor, spin rate, and estimated carry. The angle radar adds measured launch angle (vertical and horizontal) and is what club path is derived from.

If you are building new, buy the IWR6843, not the K-LD7s. It costs about the same as the two K-LD7s plus their FTDI adapters ($156 vs $140) and replaces both of them with one board. The K-LD7 path is deprecated and kept only so existing builds keep working.